This action was brought by David N. Russell, pro se, against the United States (government or defendant) for the return of money collected through a levy on plaintiffs wages by the United States, acting through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for back taxes.
I. Background
A. Procedural Histoiy
Plaintiff filed a complaint with this court on March 16, 2007, seeking the return of money collected by defendant through a levy on plaintiffs wages and compensatory damages. Verified Complaint (plaintiffs complaint or Compl.), Mar. 16, 2007,1. On May 3, 2007, plaintiff filed an Application for a Temporary Restraining Order and Application for a Preliminary Injunction seeking to prevent defendant from collecting additional unpaid taxes through the levy. Application for Temporary Restraining Order and Application for Preliminary Injunction (plaintiffs motions or Pl.’s Mots.), May 3, 2007, 1. On May 7, 2007, this court issued an Order directing defendant to respond to plaintiffs complaint and plaintiffs motions in one document. Order, May 7, 2007,1.
In response to this court’s Order, defendant filed a Motion by the United States to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint and Response to Plaintiffs Motions for Equitable Relief (defendant’s motion or Def.’s Mot.) on May 17, 2007. Defendant moves to dismiss plaintiffs complaint for lack of jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC), and alternatively, to dismiss plaintiffs complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Def.’s Mot. 1. Further, defendant opposes plaintiffs motions and argues that this court lacks jurisdiction to grant the equitable relief requested by plaintiff in plaintiffs motions. Id. at 1-2, 11. The responsive briefing comprises Plaintiffs Responsive Memorandmn to United States’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint and Response to Plaintiffs Motions for Equitable Relief (plaintiffs response or Pl.’s Resp.) filed June 18, 2007, and the Reply by the United States to Plaintiffs Response to the Motion by the United States to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint (defendant’s reply or Def.’s Reply) filed July 11, 2007. On August 20, 2007, plaintiff filed additional motions seeking disposal of pending motions before the court and an extension of time to file the joint pretrial status report. Motion for Orders Disposing of Motions Pending Before the Court and Motion for Extension of Time to File a Joint Pretrial Status Report (plaintiffs motions filed on August 20, 2007 or Pl.’s Aug. 20 Mots.), Aug. 20, 2007, 1. For the following reasons, defendant’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED and plaintiffs applications for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction are DENIED. The court deems plaintiffs motions filed on August 20, 2007, to be MOOT.
B. Plaintiffs Tax Payment Histoiy and the Levy on Plaintiffs Wages
This claim arises because of an IRS levy placed on plaintiffs wages to collect the outstanding balance of plaintiffs self-assessed tax liabilities for the tax periods ending December 31, 1999, and December 31, 2000. Compl. Ex. Bl, 1; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 1, 5; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 2,13. Plaintiff filed joint tax returns with his spouse for 1999 reporting a tax liability of $58,647.90, for 2000 reporting a tax liability of $62,478.86 and for 2004 reporting a tax liability of $53,400.00. Def.’s Mot. 2. Plaintiff and his spouse paid $9,000 toward their 1999 tax liability and $47,400 toward their 2004 tax liability. Id. “The IRS assessed penalties and interest for all three tax years.” Id. As of April 2007, plaintiff had outstanding balances for the three tax years totaling $162,543.52. Id. at 3.
On March 2, 2006, the IRS issued a Notice of Intent to Levy (notice of intent) to plaintiff for all three tax years at issue. Id. The notice of intent informed plaintiff that a tax lien could be filed at any time and that the IRS might use a levy to collect any part of the outstanding tax liability that plaintiff failed to pay within thirty days of receipt of the notice. Id. The notice of intent also informed plaintiff that a request for a Collec
On June 26, 2006, plaintiff submitted a request for a CDP hearing regarding the notice for the 1999 tax year. Compl. 3; Def.’s Mot. 3. However, the request was incorrectly prepared because plaintiff had failed to include his spouse’s name on the form or obtain the signature of his spouse as is required for jointly filed returns. Def.’s Mot. at 3-4. Plaintiff was informed of the inadequacy of the request by letter on July 6, 2006. Id. at 3. Plaintiff submitted a revised request for a CDP hearing challenging the notice of levy for tax year 1999 on July 27, 2006 which included an explanation that plaintiff and his spouse were separated and plaintiffs spouse would not sign the required form. Id. at 4; Compl. 3. The IRS received the revised hearing request on August 11, 2006. Def-’s Mot. Ex. 9, 39.
In the meantime, on July 21, 2006, the IRS issued Notices of Federal Tax Lien (notices of lien) for all three of the tax years at issue. Def.’s Mot. 4. Plaintiff responded on August 26, 2006 by requesting a CDP hearing regarding the notices of lien for all three tax years. Id. Plaintiff was notified by letter from an IRS appeals officer on November 27, 2006 that plaintiffs CDP hearing request regarding the notice of intent was received and the hearing would take place telephonieally on December 14, 2006. Id. Plaintiff was informed in the letter of the hearing procedure, provided with examples of issues the appeals officer deemed non-frivolous and additional information plaintiff was required to submit in order for alternative collection procedures to be considered. Id. at 4-5. The appeals officer also told plaintiff that because his request for a CDP hearing on all three tax years at issue was timely, no levy action could take place until the appeals process was final. Id. at 5. Plaintiff requested that the hearing take place through written correspondence rather than over the telephone and requested additional time to prepare on December 5, 2006. Id. The appeals officer granted plaintiffs request on December 11, 2006 and plaintiff submitted his argument in writing on December 19, 2006. Id.; Compl. 3.
However, upon a complete review of plaintiffs file, the IRS appeals officer determined that plaintiffs request for a CDP hearing regarding the notices of intent was not timely because the notice of intent was originally sent on March 2, 2006 and the correctly completed hearing request form was not received until August 11, 2006. Def.’s Mot. 5. Because the request was not timely, plaintiff received an equivalent hearing rather than a CDP hearing and collection action was not required to be suspended pending the outcome of the hearing and any appeal. Id. at 5-6. The IRS put a levy in place and issued a Notice of Levy to plaintiff on January 25, 2007. Compl. Ex. Bl, 1. After completing its review of evidence submitted by plaintiff, the IRS issued a Notice of Determination Concerning Collection Actions Under Section 6320 and/or 6330 (notice of determination) and a Decision Letter Concerning Equivalent Hearing Under Section 6320 and/or 6330 of the Internal Revenue Code on March 7, 2007 upholding the issuance of notice of intent and filing of the lien. Def.’s Mot. Ex. 17, 82; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 16, 78. The notice of determination informed plaintiff that if he elected to challenge the findings of the appeals officer, plaintiff needed to file an appeal in the Tax Court within thirty days of receipt of the notice. Def.’s Mot. Ex. 17, 82. Finally, on March 13, 2007, the IRS collected $7,624.75 from plaintiff through a levy on plaintiffs wages and applied it toward plaintiff’s outstanding liability for tax year 1999. Def.’s Mot. 6; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 1, 9.
C. Plaintiffs Complaint
Plaintiff alleges that the levy on his wages violates a number of statutory and constitu
II. Discussion
A. Standard of Review
RCFC 12(b)(1) governs the dismissal of claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In deciding a motion to dismiss, “the court [is] obligated to assume all factual allegations to be true and to draw all reasonable inferences in plaintiffs favor.” Henke v. United States,
B. Jurisdiction of the Court of Federal Claims
The United States Court of Federal Claims, like all federal courts, is a court of limited jurisdiction. See United States v. King,
However, plaintiff must establish more than the mere existence of a statute or constitutional provision to bring himself within the jurisdiction of this court. The Tucker Act provides the waiver of sovereign immunity necessary to sue the United States for money damages, but the plaintiff must establish an independent substantive right to money damages from the United States, that is, a money-mandating source within a contract, or regulation, or statute, or Constitutional provision itself, in order for the case to proceed. See United States v. Testan,
The Federal Circuit recently clarified that in Fisher it considered three grounds on which the government “might file a motion to
In addition, the Tucker Act confers jurisdiction on the Court of Federal Claims over suits specifically for the refund of taxes concurrently with the United States district courts. See Usibelli Coal Mine v. United States,
The court recognizes that pro se plaintiffs are entitled to liberal construction of their pleadings. Haines v. Kerner,
C. The Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Plaintiffs Tax Claim
Generally, this court only has jurisdiction over a tax dispute in the form of a tax refund action where the taxpayer has paid the disputed tax in full and has applied for a refund. Skillo,
1. The United States District Court Has Exclusive Jurisdiction Over Claims For Damages Alleging Unauthorized Collection Actions by the IRS
It appears to the court that plaintiff is alleging that the levy placed on plaintiffs
[i]f, in connection with any collection of Federal tax with respect to a taxpayer, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service ... disregards any provision of this title ... such taxpayer may bring a civil action for damages against the United States in a district court of the United States. Except as provided in section 7432, such civil action shall be the exclusive remedy for recovering damages resulting from such actions.1 26 U.S.C. 7433(a) (emphasis and footnote added); see also Betz v. United States,40 Fed.Cl. 286 , 293. Because § 7433(a) grants exclusive jurisdiction over claims of damages stemming from the unauthorized collection of taxes to the United States district court, this court lacks jurisdiction to hear plaintiffs case.
2. The Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Claims for Tax Refunds When the Tax Has Not Been Fully Paid and No Refund Application Has Been Submitted
If, alternatively, plaintiff is claiming the overpayment of taxes and requesting that the court order the government to refund the alleged overpayment, it is not within the jurisdiction of the court to do so. A taxpayer’s claim for a refund of overpaid tax is not within the jurisdiction of the court unless three requirements have been met: the tax assessed for the tax year in question has been paid in full; plaintiff applied to the IRS for a refund; and plaintiff has provided the court with the documentation (including evidence that a timely refund request has been filed) required by RCFC 9(h)(6). See Fry v. United States,
Plaintiffs claim does not meet those requirements. Plaintiff has outstanding tax liabilities for all three tax years in question. See Def.’s Mot. 2; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 1, 5; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 2, 13; Def.’s Mot. Ex. 3, 20. As discussed in part II.B, the full payment rule, which has been established by both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, requires this court to dismiss any claim for a refund for a tax year with respect to which the assessed taxes have not been fully paid. See Flora,
Second, before a civil suit can be initiated for a refund, a taxpayer must apply for a refund from the IRS. 26 U.S.C. § 7422(a) (“No suit or proceeding shall be maintained in any court for the recovery of any internal revenue tax alleged to have been erroneously or illegally assessed or collected ... until a claim for refund or credit has been duly filed with the Secretary ...”); Rosenberg v. United States,
Finally, RCFC 9(h)(6) requires that certain information be provided to the court in order for a tax refund suit to be maintained. In relevant part, RCFC 9(h)(6) provides that a plaintiff’s pleadings must include “the date and place the claim for refund was filed ... [and a] copy of the claim for refund shall be annexed to the complaint[,]” in any action for the refund of federal tax. RCFC 9(h)(6). If the claim for the return of money collected by the IRS through a levy on plaintiffs wages is construed as a tax refund suit, the court must dismiss the case due to lack of jurisdiction because plaintiff fails to meet any of the three requirements for such suits.
D. The Administrative Procedures Act Does Not Confer Jurisdiction on the Court of Federal Claims to Review Agency Decisions
Plaintiff argues that the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. §§ 701-
E. The Court Lacks Jurisdiction Over Plaintiffs Claims Arising From Sources That Are Not Money-Mandating
Plaintiff cites to a number of amendments to the United States Constitution in an attempt to invoke the jurisdiction of the court. As described above in part II.B above, the provision of the constitution invoked by plaintiff must constitute a money-mandating source to bring the claim under the jurisdiction of the comb. The court will address each amendment raised by plaintiff in his complaint to determine whether it can fairly be interpreted to constitute a money-mandating source.
The First Amendment does not mandate the payment of damages for its breach and cannot be construed as a money-mandating source. U.S. Const, amend. I; United States v. Connolly,
Based on a plain language reading of the Ninth Amendment, the court does not perceive how the Ninth Amendment could be construed as a money-mandating source. Plaintiffs invocation of the Sixteenth Amendment is similarly unavailing. The court does not perceive how the amendment authorizing the government to collect taxes could possibly constitute a source mandating the payment of money to plaintiff. See U.S. Const. amend. XVI. The final constitutional provision cited by plaintiff is the Bill of Attainder Clause. Plaintiff does not assist the comb in determining what legislative act is alleged to be a bill of attainder. See Compl. 1. The comb does not perceive how the Internal Revenue Code can be construed as a bill of attainder, and more importantly, how the Bill of Attainder Clause can constitute a money-mandating source. See Fry,
Nor does the comb perceive how the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code cited by plaintiff can constitute money-mandating sources. Plaintiff alleges that the government violated 26 U.S.C. § 165(a) and 26 U.S.C. § 212.
F. The Payment of Tax is Not A Taking Under the Fifth Amendment
The Takings and Just Compensation Clauses of the Fifth Amendment do constitute a money-mandating source and claims under these clauses are within the jurisdiction of the court. Murray,
G. The Anti-Injunction Act Prevents the Court from Issuing an Injunction Restraining the Government from Collection of Taxes
Plaintiff has requested in plaintiffs motions that the court issue a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order preventing the government from collecting any additional money through the levy on plaintiffs wages. See Pl.’s Mots. However, the court cannot issue any injunctive relief that would prevent the government from collecting the taxes that plaintiff himself assessed as being owed to the IRS. The Anti-Injunction Act, in relevant part, provides that “no suit for the purpose of restraining the assessment or collection of any tax shall be maintained in any court by any person....” 26 U.S.C. § 7421(a); see also Stiles v. United States,
H. Transfer of the Case
The court now considers whether it may transfer plaintiffs claim to the Tax Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1631 to cure want of jurisdiction over plaintiffs tax claim.
However, the United States district court appears to have exclusive jurisdiction of plaintiffs claim construed, see part C.l supra, as a claim for damages for unauthorized collection of taxes. 26 U.S.C. § 7433(a). The court determines that transfer of this case to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina “is in the interest of justice.” 28 U.S.C. § 1631.
III. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, the court DISMISSES plaintiffs claim under the Takings Clause for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. RCFC 12(b)(6). The court is without jurisdiction to hear plaintiffs remaining claims and orders that the remaining claims be TRANSFERRED to the United States District Court for the Western District, of North Carolina. Furthermore, because the court finds that it does not have jurisdiction over plaintiffs claims, plaintiffs motions filed on August 20, 2007 seeking disposal of pending motions and an extension of time to file the joint pretrial status report are MOOT. The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment dismissing plaintiffs complaint as to his takings claim.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Notes
. Section 7432 of the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26 of the United States Code) provides that the a civil suit for damages against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may be brought in the district court for the failure to remove a lien. 26 U.S.C. § 7432.
. Plaintiff refers to both 26 U.S.C. § 212 and 26 U.S.C. § 212(a) in his complaint. Compl. 6, 10. Section 212 does not have a sub-section (a). See 26 U.S.C. § 212 (2000). The analysis of the court therefore addresses only 26 U.S.C. § 212.
. Plaintiff alleges that the IRS failed to issue a notice of deficiency and that the IRS failed to allow plaintiff to contest the assessed liability to the United States Tax Court (Tax Court) as is required by 26 U.S.C. § 6213(a). Compl. 6. However, because plaintiff's tax liability was self-assessed, the IRS was not required to issue a notice of deficiency or follow the appeal procedure established by 26 U.S.C. § 6213(a). Motion by the United States to Dismiss Plaintiff's Complaint and Response to Plaintiff's Motions for Equitable Relief (defendant’s motion or Def.’s Mot.), May 17, 2007, 6; see also 26 U.S.C. § 6211(a).
. Plaintiff has not requested transfer of the case to the Tax Court. Because plaintiff is proceeding pro se and because transfer rather than dismissal is the preferred option under 28 U.S.C. § 1631, the court will consider sua sponte whether to transfer the action to the Tax Court. See Skillo v. United States,
. Section 610 of Title 26 of the United States Code provides that "the word ‘courts’ includes the courts of appeals and district courts of the United States, the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the Court of International Trade.” 28 U.S.C. § 610. The Tax Court is not specifically enumerated under the definition of "courts,” for the purposes of this section.
