Decision will be entered for respondent.
HAINES,
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts, together with the attached exhibits, are incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioner resided in California when she filed the petition.
Petitioner's brother, Benjamin Puentes, purchased a home (San Francisco property) in South San Francisco in 2002. He made a downpayment toward the purchase price of the San Francisco property and financed the remainder of the purchase price with a loan (mortgage loan) secured by the San Francisco property. Mr. Puentes was the sole holder of legal title to the San Francisco property.
In 2003 petitioner began living at the San Francisco property. In 2009 2013 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 286">*287 Mr. Puentes became unemployed and unable to make the mortgage payments on the San Francisco property. Petitioner was still residing at the San Francisco property that same year and paid certain amounts owing under the mortgage loan, including interest (mortgage interest). Mr. Puentes received a Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, for 2009 from the mortgage loan lender. The Form 1098 lists Mr. *279 Puentes as the "borrower" and indicates that $28,942 of interest had been paid on the mortgage loan for 2009.
Petitioner filed a Federal income tax return for 2009. On the Schedule A, Itemized Deductions, attached to the return, petitioner claimed a $28,942 deduction (mortgage interest deduction) for the mortgage interest she paid on the mortgage loan. Respondent issued petitioner a deficiency notice disallowing the mortgage interest deduction. Petitioner filed a petition with this Court contesting the deficiency notice.
Generally, the Commissioner's determinations are presumed correct, and the taxpayer bears the burden of proving otherwise.
Petitioner claims she is entitled to the mortgage interest deduction.
State law determines the nature of property rights, and Federal law determines the appropriate tax treatment of those rights.
A taxpayer becomes the 2013 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 286">*290 equitable owner of property when he or she assumes the benefits and burdens of ownership.
Petitioner offered no evidence that she had any agreement with Mr. Puentes entitling her to an ownership interest in the San Francisco property or any beneficial rights, such as the right to rents, the right to profits, the right to possession, the right to improve, or the right to purchase 2013 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 286">*291 the San Francisco property. Moreover, the record is devoid of any evidence showing petitioner was legally obligated to bear any significant burdens of ownership with respect to the San Francisco property. In particular, the record does not reflect that petitioner had any legal obligation to make the mortgage payments on the San Francisco property or pay any taxes or charges against it. Nor does the record reflect that petitioner had any duty to maintain or insure the San Francisco property. We find that petitioner did not offer sufficient evidence to establish that she ever gained a beneficial or equitable ownership interest in the San Francisco property. Accordingly, we sustain respondent's determination disallowing the mortgage interest deduction.
In reaching our holdings herein, we have considered all arguments made, and, to the extent not mentioned above, we conclude they are moot, irrelevant, or without merit.
*283 To reflect the foregoing,
1. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.↩
2. The remaining issues are computational and need not be addressed.↩
3. Unless otherwise indicated, Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, and all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code, in effect for the year at issue.↩