Egret Corporation, a calendar year C corporation, was formed on March 6, 2016, and opened for business on July 1, 2016. After its formation but prior to opening for business, Egret incurred the following expenditures:
Accounting ................................................ $ 7,000
Advertising ................................................. 14,500
Employee payroll .......................................... 11,000
Rent ........................................................... 8,000
Utilities ....................................................... 1,000
What is the maximum amount of these expenditures that Egret can deduct in 2016?