2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 150">*150 PURSUANT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b), THIS OPINION MAY NOT BE TREATED AS PRECEDENT FOR ANY OTHER CASE.
PAJAK, Special Trial Judge: This case was heard pursuant to the provisions of
Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners' 1999 Federal income tax in the amount of $ 3,310. The Court must decide whether petitioner Phillip James Burke (petitioner) has a release from the custodial parent so that he is entitled to claimed dependency exemption deductions for his three children.
Some of the facts in this case have been stipulated and are so found. Petitioners resided in San Diego, California, when their petition was filed. Section 7491 does not apply because this case involves a legal issue.
Prior2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 150">*151 to his marriage to petitioner Gail Agnes Storey, petitioner was married to Dorothy Burke (Ms. Burke).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage (divorce decree) entered by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, petitioner and Ms. Burke were divorced on June 26, 1991.
At the time of their divorce, petitioner and Ms. Burke had three minor children, Brian, Megan, and Kathryn. Primary physical custody of the three minor children was awarded to Ms. Burke, with certain periods of physical custody awarded to petitioner.
The divorce decree contains the following provision:
Petitioner is awarded the tax deduction for the children for
which support is being paid until such time as Respondent [Ms.
Burke] can provide evidence that her direct contribution to
their support exceeds that of Petitioner, determination to be
based on IRS guidelines.
[8] Both petitioner and Ms. Burke signed the divorce decree on May 29, 1991.
On line 6d of their 1999 joint Federal income tax return, petitioners claimed a total of five exemptions, two personal exemptions and three dependency exemptions for petitioner's three children from his2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 150">*152 previous marriage to Ms. Burke.
Petitioners did not attach a Form 8332, Release of Claim to Exemption for Child of Divorced or Separated Parents, to their 1999 Federal income tax return.
Ms. Burke was the custodial parent of her three children during 1999. Ms. Burke claimed dependent exemptions for each of her three children on her 1999 Federal income tax return. Respondent allowed the dependent exemptions claimed by Ms. Burke as the custodial parent.
Respondent issued a statutory notice of deficiency to petitioners disallowing the three claimed dependency exemptions.
In the case of a child of divorced parents,
Petitioner, as the "noncustodial parent", is allowed to claim the children as dependents only if one of three statutory exceptions in
Petitioner attached a statement and "a copy of the applicable pages of the divorce decree" to his 1999 income tax return. Petitioner, the noncustodial parent, claimed the dependency exemptions for his minor children for the year in issue pursuant to a provision in the divorce decree, which stated that petitioner "is awarded the tax deduction for the children for which support is being paid until such time as Respondent [Ms. Burke] can provide evidence that her direct contribution to their support exceeds that of Petitioner, determination to be based on IRS guidelines."
Petitioner claims that his statement (including the attachment) constitutes a declaration which conforms to the substance of Form 8332. Respondent's position is that the statement does not conform to the substance of Form 8332. We agree with respondent.
We2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 150">*155 hold that petitioner is not entitled to claim the exemptions in question because the statement does not state unconditionally that Ms. Burke will not claim the children as exemptions, or otherwise conform to the substance of Form 8332, as required by the applicable regulations.
Reviewed and adopted as the report of the Small Tax Case Division.
Decision will be entered for respondent.