Sprint has just released its financial report for Q4 2012. Compared to Q3's net loss of $767 million

America's third-largest carrier added 401,000 postpaid customers over the quarter, but lost 644,000 from its Nextel network. Over 2012 as awhole, Sprint added a total of 1.5 million postpaid subscribers, and when offset against losses from the Nextel network, added a total of 605,000 new customers over its entire network — that includespostpaid, prepaid, and wholesale. The Nextel network is set to close down later this year, and Sprint has failed to convince a large number of Nextel subscribers to switch to its network.
The fourth quarter of 2012 is the first full quarter to close since Sprint's acquisition by Japanese carrier SoftBank was announced, but since that deal hasn't yet closed, it has yet to dramatically affect Sprint's business. Sprint says the deal is still tracking to close by the middle of this year, so we should see the effects of SoftBank in thenot too distant future.

AGENCY

AGENCY -- A business that provides a particular service to a company (that are outside of the country where the agency is located). Dependent agency constitutes a permanent establishment for the other company and the income achieved through the agency is taxed on the income earned from the country where the agency is located whereas independent agency does not.

AGGREGATION

AGGREGATION -- Term used to denote the addingtogether of the taxpayer's income from all sources in order to determine the applicable tax rate for income tax purposes.

ALIEN, TAX TREATMENT OF

ALIEN, TAX TREATMENT OF -- A person who is not a citizen of the country in which he or she lives. In general, most countries do not distinguish between nationals and aliens for tax purposes; rather tax liabilityis based on residence and/or domicile.

ALIEN, TAX TREATMENT OF

ALIENATION OF INCOME -- Term generally used to describe the transfer of theright to receive income from a source while not necessarily transferring the ownership of that source tothe same person.

ALIENATION OF INCOME

ALIENATION OF INCOME -- Term generally used to describe the transfer of theright to receive income from a source while not necessarily transferring the ownership of that source tothe same person.

ALIENATION OF INCOME

ALIENATION OF INCOME -- Term generally used to describe the transfer of theright to receive income from a source while not necessarily transferring the ownership of that source tothe same person.

ALLOCATION

ALLOCATION -- The apportionment or assignment of income or expense for various tax purpose, e.g., between permanent establishments in various jurisdictions

ALLOWANCE

ALLOWANCE -- Deduction or exemptions generally made in computing incometaxes, inheritance and gift taxes and some forms of sales taxes.

AMORTIZATION

AMORTIZATION -- Processof writing off the cost of an intangible asset over its useful life.

AMORTIZATION METHOD

AMORTIZATION METHOD -- Method of computing a credit under a VAT regime where investment goods are purchased which have a useful life in the businessfor a period exceeding oneyear. The tax embodied in the price paid for the assetsmay be credited to the trader over a period of years corresponding to the life of the assets.
APA -- See: Advance Pricing Arrangement