WILLIAM C. THOMPSON, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 11350-12L.
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
Filed November 14, 2013.
T.C. Memo. 2013-260
GUY, Special Trial Judge
Nhi T. Luu, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
GUY, Special Trial Judge: This collection review case is before the Court on respondent’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction filed February 22, 2013.1
Background
Petitioner failed to file Federal income tax returns for 1993, 1994, and 1995 (years in issue), and on August 5, 1996, respondent prepared substitutes for returns pursuant to
| Year | Deficiency | Additions to tax Sec. 6651(a)(1) | Additions to tax Sec. 6654(a) | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | $95,493 | $23,873 | $4,001 | $78,180 |
| 1994 | 41,481 | 10,370 | 2,153 | 26,943 |
| 1995 | 22,944 | 5,736 | 1,244 | 11,449 |
Petitioner failed to pay the amounts due.2
On April 13, 2001, respondent issued to petitioner a Letter 3172, Notice of Federal Tax Lien Filing and Your Right to a Hearing (2001 CDP notice), for the
Four years later, on July 26, 2005, respondent issued to petitioner a second CDP notice for the years in issue. On July 28, 2005, respondent filed an NFTL with the Oregon secretary of state (Oregon NFTL). The Texas NFTL and the Oregon NFTL stated in pertinent part: “With respect to each assessment below [a reference to the assessments listed by the Court in the table above], unless notice of lien is refiled by the date in column (e) [May 17, 2010], this notice shall constitute the certificate of release of lien as defined in IRC 6325(a).”3
Respondent subsequently filed NFTLs in several other local jurisdictions throughout the State of Oregon.
Petitioner did not submit to the Internal Revenue Service Office of Appeals (Appeals Office) a request for an administrative hearing under
On October 20, 2008, respondent entered assessments against petitioner for additions to tax under
On May 20, 2011, petitioner filed a petition with the Court at docket No. 11905-11L seeking review of a proposed levy for the years 1993 to 2004 and 2006. The Court dismissed the case by order of dismissal for lack of jurisdiction entered August 17, 2011, on the ground respondent did not issue to petitioner a notice of determination that would permit him to invoke the Court’s jurisdiction. Petitioner filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. During the course of the appeal the Government filed a motion with the Court of Appeals stating that, contrary to information provided to this Court, a notice of determination concerning a proposed levy had been issued to petitioner on August 11, 2009, in respect of his tax liabilities for 1993 to 1995 and 1999 to 2004, and, therefore, the Court lacked jurisdiction on the ground the petition was not filed within the 30-day period prescribed in
In the meantime, respondent did not refile the NFTLs in Texas or Oregon. Consequently, by their express terms, the Texas and Oregon NFTLs served as certificates of release of lien, and the underlying lien was automatically released on May 17, 2010. Respondent subsequently determined that the periods of limitation governing collection remained open for the years in issue and that the lien had been released in error.6 Accordingly, on May 26, 2011, respondent filed with the Oregon secretary of state a Form 12474(A), Revocation of Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien, which stated in pertinent part: “I certify that we mistakenly allowed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien filed against * * * [petitioner] to operate as a Certificate of Release. I declare that the automatic release of the Notice of Federal Tax Lien is revoked and that the lien is reinstated as provided
On June 17, 2011, respondent executed an NFTL in respect of petitioner’s unpaid tax liabilities for 1993 to 2003 (2011 NFTL). Although respondent subsequently mailed the 2011 NFTL to the Oregon secretary of state, the record does not reflect the date it was mailed or delivered. On June 23, 2011, the Appeals Office received from petitioner a Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process or Equivalent Hearing, dated June 22, 2011, indicating that he was challenging an NFTL and a proposed levy for the years in issue. On June 24, 2011, the Oregon secretary of state recorded the 2011 NFTL, and on June 28, 2011, respondent issued to petitioner a CDP notice informing him of his right to request an administrative hearing.
On April 4, 2012, the Appeals Office sent a letter to petitioner responding to his request for an administrative hearing. The letter states in pertinent part that the Secretary acted appropriately in issuing Forms 12474(A) and petitioner’s
On May 7, 2012, petitioner filed with the Court a petition seeking review of the Appeals Office letter dated April 4, 2012.10 Respondent moves to dismiss the petition on the ground the Appeals Office letter does not constitute a notice of determination under
Discussion
If a person liable for a tax fails to pay it after a demand for payment is made,
The Secretary must issue a certificate of release of a lien within 30 days after the day on which he determines that the liability for the amount assessed has been fully satisfied or becomes legally unenforceable.
The Tax Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, and we may exercise that jurisdiction only to the extent authorized by Congress. Naftel v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 527, 529 (1985). The Court’s jurisdiction under
Respondent contends that the Court should dismiss this case on the ground that the Appeals Office letter dated April 4, 2012, is not a notice of determination that would permit petitioner to invoke the Court’s jurisdiction pursuant to
Under the unique circumstances of this case, we conclude that the Appeals Office letter dated April 4, 2012, served as a notice of determination only insofar as it embodied respondent’s determination to proceed with collection of the assessments respondent entered in October 2008. For clarity, we will first discuss the relationship between the Appeals Office letter and the assessments respondent
Assessments Entered in April 2000
Respondent entered assessments against petitioner for tax, additions to tax under
Upon the issuance of a CDP notice, a taxpayer normally is entitled to one administrative hearing with respect to the taxable period to which the unpaid tax relates.
Petitioner was entitled to request an administrative hearing in response to the 2001 CDP notice issued to him in respect of the Texas NFTL, but he failed to do so. Consistent with the Court’s holding in Inv. Research Assocs., petitioner’s opportunity under
Petitioner cites no authority for the proposition that the Forms 12474(A) (notice of revocation of certificate of release of lien) that the Secretary issued in this case provided an opportunity for an administrative hearing and/or judicial review under
We hold that the notice of revocation of certificate of release of lien that the Secretary issued in this case did not provide petitioner a new opportunity for an administrative hearing and/or judicial review under
Under the circumstances, we agree with respondent that the Appeals Office letter should not be treated as the equivalent of a notice of determination for this purpose. See Kennedy v. Commissioner, 116 T.C. 255, 263 (2001) (holding that the Court lacks jurisdiction to review a decision letter issued following an “equivalent hearing” where the taxpayer failed to make a timely request for an administrative hearing). Consistent with the foregoing, we will dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and strike so much of the petition as seeks review of the items that respondent assessed in April 2000.
Assessments Entered in October 2008
On October 20, 2008, respondent assessed additions to tax under
A request for an administrative hearing under
As previously discussed, on June 23, 2011, the Appeals Office received from petitioner a Form 12153 dated June 22, 2011, indicating that he was challenging an NFTL and a proposed levy for the years in issue. Respondent
It follows that the Appeals Office erred in failing to honor petitioner’s timely request for an administrative hearing insofar as he was seeking review of the additions to tax assessed in 2008. Under the circumstances, we will treat the Appeals Office letter dated April 4, 2012, as the equivalent of a “determination” under
To recapitulate, we hold that the Court lacks jurisdiction insofar as the petition seeks to challenge the tax, additions to tax, and interest that respondent assessed in April 2000. To that end, we will dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and strike so much of the petition as refers to those items. On the other hand, the Court has jurisdiction in this case insofar as the petition seeks review of the assessments entered against petitioner in October 2008. To provide for the orderly review and disposition of that matter, we will remand the case to the Appeals Office to conduct an administrative hearing and to issue a supplemental notice of determination.
To reflect the foregoing,
An appropriate order will be issued.
