Final answer:
To calculate Carol's tax due, her single exemption is subtracted from her adjusted gross income to find her taxable income. Without the current tax brackets and rates, we cannot give an exact amount for tax due; Carol would need the IRS tax tables for the relevant year to calculate the exact tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carol is single with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $39,785. She claims one exemption which, for the 2010 tax year mentioned, was typically $12,400. To determine her taxable income, we subtract the exemption from the AGI:
taxable income = AGI - exemption
taxable income = $39,785 - $12,400
taxable income = $27,385
Once Carol's taxable income is determined, we would look up the appropriate tax table for the year in question. For the example used here and assuming the tax brackets haven't drastically changed, we'd find Carol's tax based on her taxable income of $27,385. Unfortunately, with the information provided, we can't give an exact tax due because we need the proper year's tax table to find the corresponding rate and calculate her tax due accurately.
The process would involve finding the base tax for her income bracket and adding the percentage of the amount over the lower threshold. For example, using the sample figures:
Tax = Base Tax + (Marginal Rate x (Taxable Income - Lower Threshold))
For an actual determination of tax due, Carol should consult the IRS tax tables for the year she is filing.