Rule: The taxable amount of a dividend to a shareholder from a corporation's earnings and profits is the amount received in cash or the fair market value of the property received.

Rule: The general rule is the payment of a dividend does not create a taxable event, unless the distribution is appreciated property. When the distribution is of appreciated property, the corporation recognizes gain as if the property were sold at fair market value.

Choice "b" is correct. If Brisk Corp. were to distribute $200,000 of accumulated earnings and profits in cash as a dividend, the shareholder would recognize $200,000 in dividend income, and the corporation would reduce its earnings and profits by $200,000. If, instead, the dividend were the $200,000 FMV land with a basis of $75,000, the shareholder would still recognize $200,000 of dividend income (the FMV of the property received, as per the above rule), but the corporation would recognize a gain of $125,000 on the distribution ($200,000 FMV - $75,000 basis, per the above rule), the corporation's earnings and profits would increase $125,000, and the corporation would reduce its earnings and profits by the $200,000 dividend distribution. Thus, Brisk's taxable income would increase if the land were distributed, but the shareholder's taxable income would not change.