The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines Gross Income as income from whatever sources derived. The code specifically excluded certain income items from being counted/included as income in your tax returns. These exclusions are referred to as Above-the-line deductions. The line-in reference is Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) (Gross income minus exclusions = Adjusted gross Income). After arriving at your AGI, the taxpayer then takes the below-the line deductions. Below-the-line deductions are taken from your AGI. They include all business expenses, gains and losses, charitable contributions etc. Then the taxpayer takes the exemptions to arrive at taxable income. What is Economic Benefit Doctrine?