1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322 | Tax Ct. | 1990
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
Respondent, by means of a notice of deficiency dated August 4, 1988, determined a deficiency in petitioners' 1981 income tax of $ 39,752, plus additions to tax under
The issues remaining for our consideration are:
1) Whether the period for assessment of petitioners' 1981 income tax and additions to tax had expired at the time respondent mailed the notice of deficiency;
2) Whether respondent failed to comply with certain regulations issued under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, and if so, whether such failure would have an effect upon any income tax deficiency that may be due from petitioners;
3) Whether petitioners have substantiated their entitlement to 1981 deductions for depreciation and other expenses concerning a motorcycle, rental expenses concerning an automobile, and depreciation and interest expenses relating to rental property in Davenport, Washington;
4) Whether petitioners have shown that their basis in property located in Seattle, Washington, should be increased by $ 10,000 representing the cost of improvements to that property;
5) Whether petitioners are subject 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*324 to the additions to tax under
6) Whether petitioner Elaine Beam is an innocent spouse within the meaning of
FINDINGS OF FACT
The parties entered into a stipulation of facts, with attached exhibits, all of which are incorporated by this reference. At the time of the filing of their petition, Floyd W. and Elaine M. Beam were husband and wife, who resided in Springfield, Oregon.
During 1981, petitioners operated an insurance agency. Petitioner Floyd Beam was a self-employed insurance agent and petitioner Elaine Beam worked as a secretary at the agency. As part of her office responsibilities, Mrs. Beam routinely accepted clients' cash premium payments and, in turn, wrote checks for those payments to the insurance companies involved.
On August 10, 1982, both petitioners signed a 1981 Federal Form 1040. Instead of supplying the information requested on the Form 1040, petitioner Floyd Beam filled in the blanks with the words "Object-self incrim[ination]" and "None" or "0". On the form, petitioners reported their taxable income and tax liability to be zero. They also reported that they made no estimated payments 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*325 on their 1981 tax liability. Mrs. Beam asserts that she did not "totally" review the return when her husband told her that he had completed the return and that she should sign it, she just looked to where her signature was called for and signed. The Form 1040 that petitioners signed bears a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number -- 1545-0074 -- assigned pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980,
Respondent received petitioners' 1981 Form 1040 at the Ogden, Utah, Service Center on October 25, 1982. There is no explanation for the time that elapsed between the date petitioners signed the return (August 10, 1982) and the date respondent received it (October 25, 1982).
Prior to trial, the parties agreed upon most of the items of petitioners' income, deductions, and credits for 1981, as set forth below.
For 1981, petitioners received the following income:
Business income | $ 46,162 |
Interest income | 3,329 |
Capital gains | 2 18,422 |
"Ordinary" income | |
TOTAL | $ 79,176 |
Petitioners also received $ 27,425 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*326 in distributions from a Keogh Plan.
Petitioners are entitled to claim the following business expenses for 1981:
Depreciation | $ 2,125 |
Office supplies and postage | 353 |
Taxes | 363 |
Travel and entertainment | 1,948 |
Vehicle Expense | 3,702 |
Parking expense | 9 |
Miscellaneous labor | 2,558 |
Other items | 9,936 |
Additional cash paid out | 337 |
Home office expense | 1,076 |
TOTAL: | $ 22,407 |
For 1981, petitioners are entitled to moving expenses of $ 2,753 and the following itemized deductions:
Medical insurance premiums | 3 $ 1,138 |
Other medical and dental expenses | |
Real estate taxes | 959 |
General sales taxes | 684 |
Other taxes | 347 |
Home mortgage interest | 1,448 |
Credit and charge card interest | 29 |
Other interest expense | 117 |
Cash contributions | 1,499 |
Miscellaneous education expense | 13 |
TOTAL | $ 7,207 |
Additionally, for their 1981 taxable year, petitioners are entitled to a bad debt deduction of $ 1,860; a rental loss of $ 3,374; and an ordinary loss of $ 46,190 from "Northwest Petroleum Partnership."
Respondent further agrees that petitioners are entitled to a tax credit of $ 65 for contributions to candidates for public office 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*327 in 1981. Petitioners may also utilize investment tax credits of $ 849 relating to "U-Bake Pizza" and $ 1,949 relating to the Northwest Petroleum Partnership. Petitioners' share of excess intangible drilling costs from Northwest Petroleum Partnership was $ 32,338 in 1981 and constitutes a tax preference item.
OPINION
Petitioners' initial argument is that the period for assessment of the 1981 deficiencies had expired before respondent's issuance of the statutory notice of deficiency. Petitioners, however, failed to properly raise this issue in accord with the rules of this Court. It is a basic requirement that all issues to be litigated must be set forth in the petition.
If petitioners had properly placed the limitation on assessment (statute of limitations) argument in issue, based upon the facts in the record, they would not have prevailed. If the document filed by petitioners could properly be considered a return, 4 it was not filed before August 10, 1982, the date petitioners signed the return. Respondent's notice of deficiency was issued and/or mailed on August 4, 1988, less than 6 years after the filing of the return. Under
Petitioner's principal argument is that respondent may not collect the taxes and additions to tax at issue because respondent has failed to comply with certain regulations issued pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980,
Petitioner Floyd Beam stated that he has undertaken an extensive study of the tax laws. He asserts that he understands that
Petitioners have confused the imposition of the Federal income tax, set forth in
The filing of income tax returns in accordance with the then current statutory and regulatory provisions does not, per se, violate a taxpayer's privilege against self-incrimination under the
Petitioners reliance upon
Petitioners next urge that they are entitled to a number of deductions and credits that respondent has not allowed. Petitioners 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*334 bear the burden of proving that the disallowances of deductions and credits are in error.
We need not accept petitioners' self-serving testimony in determining whether they have met their burden of proof when they fail to present other probative evidence.
Mr. Beam also claims entitlement to a rental expense deduction. He states that he rented an Oldsmobile automobile from Lacey Nursing Center, beginning in June or July of 1981. He has not, however, provided any records of rental payments, nor any rental contract. He has not produced any records that would substantiate the amount of claimed business use of the Oldsmobile. He offered only xeroxed copies of a temporary registration permit for a 1981 Oldsmobile registered in the name of Lacey Nursing Center. Those documents are not probative regarding the issue of deductible rental expenses. Mr. Beam's testimony as to the rentals paid for the Oldsmobile and the amount of its business usage is vague and self-serving. Respondent allowed petitioners a vehicle expense deduction of $ 3,702 for business use of vehicles. Petitioners have not shown their entitlement to an automobile expense deduction in an amount greater than that already allowed by respondent.
Petitioners further argue 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*336 that they are entitled to deduct depreciation and interest expenses for a house which Mr. Beam owned in a partnership with one Howard Hoskins. The house was allegedly a rental property. Petitioners have failed to provide any purchase contract, any deed, any checks or receipts showing payment of interest, or any other documents that would substantiate petitioners' entitlement to depreciation deductions. The only documents offered in support of their claims are a handwritten amortization schedule drafted by Mr. Beam himself, and a portion of a tax return indicating that Mr. Beam was in partnership with Mr. Hoskins. We ascribe little weight to the amortization schedule, and the tax returns are not themselves proof of statements made therein.
Petitioners additionally argue that their basis in some Seattle real estate, which they sold in 1981, should have been increased by $ 10,000 to 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*337 reflect claimed improvements made to the property.
Petitioners, in fact, have failed to provide documentation that is, in any way, relevant to their basis in the property. The record does not contain documentary or probative evidence of the property's cost, ownership, use, or prior depreciation allowances, if any. Petitioners' only offering on this issue is Mr. Beam's testimony, in which he recalls roughly the cost of improvements. In that testimony he recalled 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*338 five items of improvements totalling $ 8,800, and then asserted that the improvements were worth "at least $ 10,000." The testimony is unconvincing and wholly uncorroborated. As with the claimed deductions, the testimony fails to show that petitioners are entitled to the basis adjustment they seek.
Petitioners urge, however, that we make an estimate of the claimed improvements under
Respondent also determined additions to tax under
Here, the 1981 return was not signed or filed before 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*340 August 10, 1982. Petitioners were required to file their return on or before April 15, 1982. Sec. 6072. Their only defense for failure to file a timely return is their "OMB number" argument. We decline to accept that argument as constituting reasonable cause for failure to file their return in a timely fashion.
We also reject petitioners' attempt to find relief in
Respondent has also determined 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*342 an addition to tax under
Petitioners finally urge that, if we find that they are subject to the taxes and additions to tax at issue, we should nevertheless hold that petitioner Elaine Beam is entitled to relief under the innocent spouse provisions of
Under the terms of that section, in order to obtain relief, Mrs. Beam must show (1) that a joint return for the taxable year 1981 has been made, (2) that there is a substantial understatement of tax attributable to "grossly erroneous items" of the other spouse, (3) 1990 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 322">*343 that she did not know and had no reason to know of that substantial understatement when she signed the return, and (4) considering all the facts and circumstances it would be inequitable to hold her liable for the deficiency in income tax attributable to that substantial understatement.
A consideration of these elements shows that Mrs. Beam is not entitled to innocent spouse relief under
She cannot obtain the benefits of Under these circumstances, it is not "inequitable" to hold her liable for the tax and additions to tax. The return she signed reflects an inadequate response to her duty to report her tax liabilities correctly, and to pay them in a timely fashion. Petitioner Elaine Beam is not entitled to relief under the innocent spouse provisions of Because of concessions,
Footnotes
1. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended and in effect for the year in issue, and all Rule references are to this Court's Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
2. Petitioners had filed a 1981 Form 1040 which had zeroes or the words "None" or "Object-self incrim[ination]" on each line of the return. Respondent, by means of a bank deposits and expenditures analysis determined the amount of petitioners' income for 1981. After the case was calendared for trial, petitioners provided documentation regarding their income and deductions for 1981. Now the parties have agreed upon the amount of income, and respondent has agreed to some of the deduction items claimed by petitioners.
2. These items represent gains arising from petitioners' sale of an insurance agency in Kirkland, Washington.↩
3. The medical insurance premiums and the other medical and dental expenses are subject to a 3 percent adjusted gross income limitation.↩
4. Despite the uninformative responses, respondent has treated petitioners' 1981 Form 1040 as a return. See, however,
; but cf.United States v. Long , 618 F.2d 74 (9th Cir. 1980) . If the document submitted by petitioners were not a return, then there would be no limitation on the period for assessment with respect to petitioners' 1981 taxable year. Their liabilities might instead be assessed and collected at any time.Lee v. Commissioner , T.C. Memo. 1986-294Sec. 6501(c)(3)↩ .5. The Internal Revenue Service has obtained OMB approval of the process of collecting information through Federal income tax returns. The OMB has assigned number 1545-0074 to that process.
Sec. 602.101(c) , Statement of Procedural Rules (26 C.F.R.). The process of collection of information is embodied and authorized in the regulations. These regulations include, inter alia, those relating to taxpayers' record keeping and reporting requirements (sec. 1.6001-1, Income Tax Regs. ), those relating to the duty of taxpayers to file Federal income tax returns (sec. 1.6011-1, Income Tax Regs. ), and those relating to persons required to file income tax returns (sec. 1.6012-1↩ ). The OMB has assigned the number 1545-0074 to each of these regulations -- 1.6001, 1.6011, and 1.6012 -- as well as to many other regulations involving the collection of information.