Judges: MORRISON
Attorneys: Anthony D. Oglesby, Pro se. Michael T. Shelton , for respondent.
Filed: Apr. 28, 2011
Latest Update: Nov. 21, 2020
Summary: T.C. Memo. 2011-93 UNITED STATES TAX COURT ANTHONY D. OGLESBY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 30298-08. Filed April 28, 2011. Anthony D. Oglesby, pro se. Michael T. Shelton, for respondent. MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION MORRISON, Judge: In a notice dated September 12, 2008, respondent (the IRS) determined a deficiency of $5,612 in the federal income tax of petitioner, Anthony D. Oglesby, for tax year 2005. The IRS also determined that Oglesby was
Summary: T.C. Memo. 2011-93 UNITED STATES TAX COURT ANTHONY D. OGLESBY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 30298-08. Filed April 28, 2011. Anthony D. Oglesby, pro se. Michael T. Shelton, for respondent. MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION MORRISON, Judge: In a notice dated September 12, 2008, respondent (the IRS) determined a deficiency of $5,612 in the federal income tax of petitioner, Anthony D. Oglesby, for tax year 2005. The IRS also determined that Oglesby was l..
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T.C. Memo. 2011-93
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
ANTHONY D. OGLESBY, Petitioner v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 30298-08. Filed April 28, 2011.
Anthony D. Oglesby, pro se.
Michael T. Shelton, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
MORRISON, Judge: In a notice dated September 12, 2008,
respondent (the IRS) determined a deficiency of $5,612 in the
federal income tax of petitioner, Anthony D. Oglesby, for tax
year 2005. The IRS also determined that Oglesby was liable for a
$100 addition to tax and a $1,122.40 penalty. At issue is
whether Oglesby is entitled to certain deductions, whether he had
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unreported income, and whether he is liable for an addition to
tax under section 6651(a)(1) and a penalty under section 6662.1
FINDINGS OF FACT
The parties stipulated some facts; those facts are so found.
In 2005 Oglesby was an “operating engineer”, which is a type
of heavy-equipment operator. He was a member of the
International Union of Operating Engineers, which served as a
sort of employment agency. Companies that needed operating
engineers would contact the union, which would dispatch members,
such as Oglesby, to the companies. When union members completed
their jobs, the process repeated. In 2005 Oglesby operated
equipment for three different companies and paid union dues of
$2,869.77.
The union required its members to provide their own
transportation. Oglesby owned an Isuzu Rodeo, which he used for
that purpose. The Rodeo was the only vehicle he owned, and it
also served as a personal vehicle.
Besides being an operating engineer, Oglesby was a landlord.
He owned a two-unit rental property in Chicago, which he sold in
February 2005. As a condition of closing the sale, the buyer
required him to make certain repairs. Oglesby paid a contractor
1
All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code, as
amended, effective during the year at issue. Rule references are
to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure unless otherwise
indicated.
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to make those repairs, which consisted of replacing tile, tubs,
sinks, faucets, showers, toilets, baseboards, cabinets,
countertops, and kitchen flooring.
Two other amounts in 2005 are relevant here. First, Oglesby
received $3,620 of unemployment compensation for parts of 2005.
Second, he settled a debt to General Motors Acceptance
Corporation for $1,659 less than he owed.
On June 27, 2007, Oglesby filed his 2005 tax return on Form
1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. He claimed a $4,150
deduction for repairs to the rental property and claimed $23,809
in various deductions on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. He
reported no income from cancellation of debt, reported no income
from unemployment compensation, and reported a $9,876 loss from
selling the rental property. He reported a total tax of $8,954.
The IRS mailed Oglesby a notice of deficiency dated
September 12, 2008. The IRS determined that he was not entitled
to a deduction for the repair expenses and that he was not
entitled to $11,928 of the Schedule A deductions. The IRS
determined that he must include the unemployment compensation and
the gain from the partial cancellation of his debt to General
Motors Acceptance Corporation in gross income. Finally, the IRS
determined that he was liable for an addition to tax of $100
under section 6651(a)(1) and a penalty of $1,122.40 under section
6662. Oglesby disputes those determinations.
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OPINION
I. Evidentiary Issues
A. Exhibits 5-P and 6-P Are Admissible Under the Business
Records Exception.
The IRS objects to Exhibits 5-P and 6-P, which purport to be
invoices issued by Al Williams Maintenance & Home Improvement (Al
Williams Maintenance) for the repairs to the rental property.
The exhibits purport to show that Al Williams Maintenance billed
Oglesby for the services and that Oglesby paid the bills. The
IRS raises two objections.
First, the IRS objects that Oglesby did not authenticate the
documents. A document is authentic if it is what its proponent
claims it to be. The document’s proponent must produce evidence
sufficient to support a finding that the document is authentic.
Fed. R. Evid. 901(a). For example, a witness with knowledge can
testify that the document is what its proponent claims it to be.
Fed. R. Evid. 901(b)(1). Oglesby, a witness with knowledge, gave
credible testimony that Exhibits 5-P and 6-P are the receipts he
received from Al Williams Maintenance. He further testified that
the receipts correctly reflected the services he received and the
amounts and dates of payment.2 Oglesby has more than satisfied
the test for admitting the documents. See United States v.
2
Oglesby also testified regarding some inconsistencies on
the receipts regarding payment. See infra part II.A.1.
(discussing inconsistencies).
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Safavian,
435 F. Supp. 2d 36, 38 (D.D.C. 2006) (“The Court need
not find that the evidence is necessarily what the proponent
claims, but only that there is sufficient evidence that [a] jury
ultimately might do so.”). The authentication objection will be
overruled.
Second, the IRS objects that the documents are hearsay.
Its objection is that the documents are not business records
because Oglesby has not shown by the testimony of an employee of
Al Williams Maintenance that the documents are business records
of that company.
Generally, hearsay is a statement that was not made by the
declarant while testifying at trial and that is offered into
evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Fed. R.
Evid. 801(c). The term “statement” includes written assertions.
Fed. R. Evid. 801(a)(1). Hearsay is not admissible unless an
exception to the hearsay rule permits the statement to be
admitted. See Fed. R. Evid. 802, 803, 804, 807.
The receipts marked as Exhibits 5-P and 6-P are hearsay.
Oglesby offered them into evidence to prove the truth of the
matters asserted--that Al Williams Maintenance performed the
services and that Oglesby paid for those services. They are thus
inadmissible unless one of the exceptions to the hearsay rule
applies. Fed. R. Evid. 802.
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One exception to the hearsay rule is the so-called business
records exception. A document is a business record if it is a
record “in any form, of acts, events, conditions, opinions, or
diagnoses, made at or near the time by, or from information
transmitted by, a person with knowledge”. Fed. R. Evid. 803(6).
To be admissible, the business record must be “kept in the course
of a regularly conducted business activity”, and it must be “the
regular practice of that business activity” to make the record.
Id.
It is true that Oglesby did not show that the receipts were
the business records of Al Williams Maintenance. That is, he did
not show that Al Williams Maintenance made the receipts near the
time of the events they described, that the receipts were kept in
the course of business by Al Williams Maintenance, and that the
receipts were the type of documents regularly made by Al Williams
Maintenance. This, however, is irrelevant. Oglesby showed by
his own testimony that the receipts satisfied these requirements
as his own business records. The receipts were incorporated into
the records of his rental business and relied upon in the
operation of that business. See United States v. Jakobetz,
955
F.2d 786, 800 (2d Cir. 1992) (holding that a toll receipt
incorporated into a company’s records qualified as a business
record, even though the receipt’s custodian had no knowledge of
its preparation, because the receipt had been embedded in the
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company’s business records). It was therefore unnecessary for
Oglesby to call a witness from Al Williams Maintenance to build
the foundation for the receipts. See United States v.
Adefehinti,
510 F.3d 319, 325 (D.C. Cir. 2007); Thanongsinh v.
Bd. of Educ.,
462 F.3d 762, 777 (7th Cir. 2006); United States v.
Williams,
205 F.3d 23, 34-35 (2d Cir. 2000). Thus the IRS’s
objection that Oglesby failed to have a witness from Al Williams
maintenance testify about the receipts will be overruled.
B. We Will Not Consider Documents Attached to Oglesby’s
Brief Because They Are Not in Evidence.
Oglesby attached a large number of documents to his brief
that he did not offer into evidence.3 Documents attached to a
party’s brief are not evidence. Rule 143(c). And we will not
consider them. See Godwin v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2003-289,
affd. 132 Fed. Appx. 785 (11th Cir. 2005).
II. Deficiency in Tax
The following issues are in dispute: (i) whether Oglesby is
entitled to a $4,150 deduction for repair expenses (we find that
he is not and that the $4,150 should instead be added to his
basis in the rental property), (ii) whether Oglesby is entitled
to $11,928 of disputed Schedule A deductions (we find that he is
entitled to a deduction of $2,869.77 and that the IRS properly
3
At trial the Court instructed Oglesby that we could not
consider documents not in the record unless we granted a motion
to reopen the record. Oglesby made no such motion and gave no
reasons for granting such a motion.
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disallowed the remaining $9,058.23), (iii) whether Oglesby must
include $1,659 from the cancellation of debt in gross income (we
find that he must), and (iv) whether Oglesby must include $3,620
of unemployment compensation in gross income (we find that he
must).
A. Deductions
Generally, a taxpayer must prove that the determinations in
the notice of deficiency are wrong. Rule 142(a)(1); Welch v.
Helvering,
290 U.S. 111, 115 (1933).
1. Schedule E Expenses--The IRS Properly Disallowed
Oglesby’s Claimed Repair Expense Deductions.
The IRS determined that Oglesby was not entitled to a
deduction of $4,150 for repair expenses. As we explain below, we
uphold the IRS’s determination that he is not entitled to a
deduction under section 162 for the $4,150 but hold that the
$4,150 is properly included in his basis in the rental property.
Thus Oglesby’s loss from the sale of the rental property--which
he reported as $9,876--should be increased to $14,026.
A taxpayer must maintain records sufficient to enable the
IRS to determine the taxpayer’s correct tax liability. Sec.
6001; sec. 1.6001-1(a), Income Tax Regs. To substantiate the
deductions, Oglesby offered his own testimony and Exhibits 3-P,
4-P, 5-P, and 6-P. Exhibits 5-P and 6-P, which are invoices that
show the billing and payment for the repairs, have unexplained
inconsistencies. For example, Exhibit 5-P is dated before
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Exhibit 6-P, yet the invoice number on Exhibit 5-P (05-OGL918) is
higher than the invoice number on Exhibit 6-P (05-OGL205). The
documents have two inconsistencies regarding payment. First,
both invoices show the payment method as “Check”, but Oglesby
testified that he paid cash. Second, Exhibit 6-P has a small
inconsistency in what it shows as the amount Oglesby paid.
Exhibit 6-P is an invoice dated February 17, 2005. It shows the
billing and payment history for some of the repairs to the rental
property. It lists the following events and amounts:
C “[b]illing for services rendered” for $6,197.32;
C “[l]ess down payment on 07-Jan.-05” of $3,500;
C “[p]ayment received on 10-Feb.-05” of $1,500; and
C “[p]ayment received on 17-Feb.-05” of $1,197.32.
Below these items, it lists a “total” of “$0.00”. A total of
zero is consistent with the parts of the invoices just described,
which show that Oglesby was billed for $6,197.32 and that he made
payments totaling $6,197.32 (i.e., $6,197.32 ! $3,500 ! $1,500 !
$1,197.32 = 0). But in a box marked “Amount paid”, the invoice
states that the amount paid is only $2,697.32 as of February 17,
2005, which is the date of the invoice. The $2,697.32 it lists
as the “Amount paid” is the sum of the February 10 and 17
payments without including the January 7 downpayment. Oglesby
did not explain the inconsistencies other than to say that they
were errors, but he testified that he indeed paid all four
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amounts (i.e., a total of $6,197.32) and that he paid those
amounts in cash.
We find Oglesby’s testimony to be credible. Although the
documents have inconsistencies as to the method and amounts of
payment, the inconsistencies are small: both could be simple
entry errors. Oglesby’s credible testimony combined with the
documents is sufficient to show that he did indeed pay $6,197.32
for the repairs described by Exhibit 6-P and $1,490 for the
repairs described by Exhibit 5-P.4 But, as we explain below, he
is not entitled to a deduction under section 162 because the
expenditures are capital expenditures.
Section 162(a) allows a deduction for the ordinary and
necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in
carrying on a trade or business. Incidental repairs to property
can be deductible under section 162(a) if the repairs (i) keep
the property in an ordinarily efficient operating condition and
(ii) do not appreciably prolong its life or materially add to its
value. Sec. 1.162-4, Income Tax Regs. Expenditures for repairs
that appreciably prolong the property’s life or materially add to
its value are capital expenditures and are not immediately
deductible. See sec. 263(a)(1); sec. 1.263(a)-1(b), Income Tax
4
On his return Oglesby did not claim a deduction for the
full amount that he paid--he claimed a deduction of only $4,150.
In court Oglesby did not assert that he is entitled to a
deduction for more. We address only the tax consequences of the
$4,150 for which he claimed a deduction.
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Regs. Generally, a taxpayer must add a capital expenditure to
basis. Sec. 1.263(a)-1(b), Income Tax Regs. And a taxpayer’s
cost recovery of capital expenditures, if allowable, will
generally come over time through deductions for amortization or
depreciation. See, e.g., secs. 167, 168, and 169. Otherwise a
taxpayer recovers the cost of capital expenditures through
increased basis when disposing of the property. See sec. 1001
(defining gain on the sale of property as the excess of the
amount realized over the adjusted basis); sec. 1011 (giving
general rule that the adjusted basis is basis under section 1012
as adjusted by section 1016); sec. 1012 (defining basis as the
cost of property); sec. 1016(a)(1) (increasing basis by
expenditures properly chargeable to capital).
The invoices that Oglesby provided describe the repairs as
the replacement of tile, tubs, sinks, faucets, showers, toilets,
baseboards, cabinets, countertops, and kitchen flooring. The
regulations under section 162(a) state that repairs “in the
nature of replacements, to the extent that they arrest
deterioration and appreciably prolong the life of the property,
shall * * * be capitalized and depreciated in accordance with
section 167”. Sec. 1.162-4, Income Tax Regs. We believe that
the repairs at issue, which involved the replacement--not
repair--of a large number of items, not only appreciably
prolonged the life of the property, but materially added to its
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value. See, e.g., Jacobson v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1983-719
(allowing deduction for the cost of various repairs to rental
property but requiring capitalization of the cost of installing
new cabinet doors and countertops in the kitchen of one unit).
Oglesby--who has the burden of proof--has not given evidence that
the expenditures were for “incidental repairs” rather than
substantial renovations. See, e.g., Bennett v. Commissioner,
T.C. Memo. 2010-114. And we therefore find that the costs were
capital expenditures, not immediately deductible expenses.
We uphold the IRS’s determination that Oglesby is not
entitled to a deduction under section 162 but find that the
$4,150 is properly included in his basis in the rental property.
See sec. 1016(a)(1). Because Oglesby sold the rental property
for a tax loss during 2005, we hold that his loss should be
increased by $4,150, the amount for which he claimed a deduction.
2. Schedule A Itemized Deductions
The IRS determined that Oglesby was not entitled to various
itemized deductions totaling $11,928. As we explain below,
Oglesby is entitled to a deduction of $2,869.77 for union dues
paid, and we uphold the IRS’s determination disallowing the
remaining $9,058.23 of Schedule A deductions.
a. Oglesby Is Entitled to a Deduction of
$2,869.77 for Union Dues.
The parties stipulated that Oglesby substantiated a
deduction of $2,869.77 for union dues. Dues and other payments
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to labor unions are deductible if they otherwise satisfy the
regulations under section 162. Sec. 1.162-15(c), Income Tax
Regs. We therefore find that Oglesby was entitled to a deduction
of $2,869.77.
b. The IRS Properly Disallowed the Other
Schedule A Deductions.
The IRS disallowed Oglesby’s deductions for vehicle mileage.
No deduction is allowed under section 162 for travel expenses
unless the taxpayer satisfies the substantiation requirements of
section 274(d). Sec. 274(d)(1); sec. 1.274-5T(b)(1), Temporary
Income Tax Regs., 50 Fed. Reg. 46014 (Nov. 6, 1985). To do so,
the taxpayer must substantiate the amount of the expense and the
time, place, and business purpose of the travel. Sec. 274(d).5
The substantiation must take the form of either (i) adequate
records or (ii) other sufficient evidence corroborating the
taxpayer’s own statement. Id.
Oglesby used his Isuzu Rodeo for travel to and from job
locations. But he did not keep a contemporaneous mileage log.
And he did not offer any other evidence to establish the number
of miles traveled or the date, place, and business purposes of
5
Sec. 274(d) does not apply to qualified nonpersonal use
vehicles. A qualified nonpersonal use vehicle is a vehicle,
which “by reason of its nature, is not likely to be used more
than a de minimis amount for personal purposes.” Sec. 274(i);
see also sec. 1.274-5T(k)(2)(ii), Temporary Income Tax Regs., 50
Fed. Reg. 46033 (Nov. 6, 1985) (listing examples). Oglesby’s
vehicle--an SUV--is not a qualified nonpersonal use vehicle.
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the travel. Because he offered no evidence to satisfy section
274(d), we uphold the IRS’s determination that he is not entitled
to the mileage deduction.
Oglesby offered no testimony or evidence about any other
deductions.
We find that Oglesby is entitled to a deduction of $2,869.77
for union dues paid, and we uphold the IRS’s determination
disallowing the remaining $9,058.23 of Schedule A deductions.
B. Unreported Income--The IRS Properly Determined That
Oglesby Failed To Report $5,279 of Income.
1. Oglesby Failed To Report $1,659 of Cancellation of
Debt Income.
Gross income includes all income from whatever source
derived. Sec. 61(a). Gross income generally includes discharge
of debt.6 Sec. 61(a)(12). A discharge of debt for these
purposes includes situations where a taxpayer satisfies an
obligation for less than its face value. See Warbus v.
Commissioner,
110 T.C. 279, 284 (1998); see also sec. 1.61-12(a),
Income Tax Regs.
Oglesby testified that, in 2005, he settled a debt to
General Motors Acceptance Corporation by paying $1,659 less than
6
Sec. 108(a) excludes certain discharges of debt from gross
income. For example, sec. 108(a)(1)(A) excludes discharges in a
title 11 case and sec. 108(a)(1)(B) excludes discharges occurring
when the taxpayer is insolvent. Oglesby has not alleged--and the
record does not show--that sec. 108(a) excludes his discharge of
debt from gross income.
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he owed. He did not report the $1,659 on his return. We
therefore uphold the IRS’s determination that Oglesby failed to
report $1,659 of gross income from the cancellation of debt.
2. Oglesby Failed To Report $3,620 of Income From
Unemployment Compensation.
In 2005 Oglesby received $3,620 in unemployment
compensation, which he did not report on his tax return. Gross
income includes unemployment compensation. Sec. 85(a). Section
85(b) defines unemployment compensation as “any amount received
under a law of the United States or of a State which is in the
nature of unemployment compensation.” The parties do not dispute
that the $3,620 Oglesby received is unemployment compensation
within the meaning of section 85(b). We therefore uphold the
IRS’s determination that Oglesby failed to report $3,620 of
income from unemployment compensation.
III. Additions to Tax and Penalties
The IRS has the burden of producing evidence that taxpayers
are liable for additions to tax and penalties. Sec. 7491(c).
The IRS satisfies its burden by producing “sufficient evidence
indicating that it is appropriate to impose the relevant
penalty.” Higbee v. Commissioner,
116 T.C. 438, 446 (2001).
Once the IRS satisfies its burden of production, taxpayers have
the burden of persuading the fact finder that they are not liable
for additions or penalties. Id. at 446-447.
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The IRS determined that Oglesby was liable for additions to
tax of $100 under section 6651(a)(1) and a penalty of $1,122.40
under section 6662.
A. Addition to Tax Under Section 6651(a)(1)
When a taxpayer is late in filing a return, section
6651(a)(1) imposes an addition to tax unless the taxpayer had a
reasonable cause for failing to file on time. For each month the
taxpayer is late, the addition is 5 percent of the tax due,7 up
to 25 percent. Sec. 6651(a)(1). If a return is more than 60
days late, the minimum addition under section 6651(a)(1) is the
lesser of $100 or the tax due. Sec. 6651(a).
The IRS has met its burden of production for imposing the
addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1). Oglesby filed his 2005
federal income tax return on June 27, 2007, more than a year
late.
Oglesby did not prove that he is exempt from the addition to
tax. The section 6651(a)(1) addition to tax does not apply if
the taxpayer shows that the failure to timely file was due to
reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. Sec.
6651(a)(1); sec. 301.6651-1(c), Proced. & Admin. Regs. But
7
For sec. 6651(a)(1), the tax due is “the amount of tax
required to be shown on the return * * * reduced by the amount of
any part of the tax which is paid on or before the date
prescribed for payment of the tax and by the amount of any credit
against the tax which may be claimed on the return”. Sec.
6651(b)(1); see also sec. 301.6651-1(d), Proced. & Admin. Regs.
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Oglesby did not adduce evidence that the reasonable cause
exception applies. He testified that nothing stopped him from
filing his 2005 tax return on time, and he offered no other cause
for the delay.
We therefore uphold the IRS’s determination that Oglesby was
liable for an addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1). Because
the exact amount required to be shown on the return will depend
on the results of the Rule 155 computation, the addition to tax
under section 6651(a)(1) will depend on the results of that
computation.
B. Penalty Under Section 6662
Section 6662 imposes a penalty equal to 20 percent of the
part of an underpayment attributable to either (i) negligence or
disregard of rules or regulations or (ii) a substantial
understatement of income tax. Sec. 6662(a) and (b)(1) and (2).
The IRS determined that Oglesby was liable for the section 6662
penalty for negligence, or alternatively, substantial
understatement of income tax.
1. Negligence
The IRS has produced sufficient evidence that it is
appropriate to impose the section 6662 penalty on parts of the
underpayment because those parts are attributable to negligence.
Negligence, for section 6662 purposes, is the lack of due
care or the failure to do what a reasonably prudent person would
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do under like circumstances. Hofstetter v. Commissioner,
98 T.C.
695, 704 (1992); Neely v. Commissioner,
85 T.C. 934, 947 (1985).
And negligence includes “any failure to make a reasonable attempt
to comply with the provisions of the internal revenue laws”.
Sec. 1.6662-3(b)(1), Income Tax Regs.; see also sec. 6662(c).
a. Underpayment Attributable to Repair Expense
Deductions
The IRS has demonstrated that Oglesby improperly claimed a
deduction of $4,150 for the cost of the repairs to the rental
property. But it has presented no evidence that Oglesby’s
reporting was attributable to negligence as opposed to a
reasonable and honest misunderstanding that the costs of the
repairs should be deducted rather than capitalized. Thus the
portion of the underpayment that resulted from Oglesby’s
improperly claiming a deduction of $4,150 for repair costs is not
attributable to negligence.
b. Underpayment Attributable to Various Schedule
A Deductions
The IRS properly disallowed $9,058.23 of Oglesby’s Schedule
A deductions. See supra part II.A.2. Negligence includes
failing to keep adequate books and records or failing to properly
substantiate items. Sec. 1.6662-3(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. The
IRS has shown that Oglesby did not keep adequate books and
records and did not properly substantiate the $9,058.23 of
deductions that we have disallowed. In fact, Oglesby failed to
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produce records to substantiate any of the Schedule A deductions
disallowed by this Court. Thus the IRS has provided sufficient
evidence that it is appropriate to impose the negligence penalty
on the part of the underpayment attributable to the $9,058.23 of
Schedule A deductions properly disallowed by the IRS.
c. Underpayment Attributable to Failing To
Report Income
The IRS properly determined that Oglesby failed to report
income from cancellation of debt and unemployment compensation.
In testifying, Oglesby offered no explanation for his failure to
report the income. The IRS has provided sufficient evidence that
it is appropriate to impose the negligence penalty on the part of
the underpayment attributable to the unreported income.
2. Substantial Understatement
Section 6662(d) defines “substantial understatement”.
Generally, an “understatement” is the excess of tax required to
be shown on the return over the tax shown on the return. Sec.
6662(d)(2)(A); sec. 1.6662-4(b)(2), Income Tax Regs. An
understatement is substantial if it exceeds $5,000 and it exceeds
10 percent of the tax required to be shown on the return. Sec.
6662(d)(1)(A); sec. 1.6662-4(b)(1), Income Tax Regs.
The exact amount of Oglesby’s understatement will depend on
the results of the Rule 155 computation. To the extent his
understatement was substantial, the IRS has provided sufficient
evidence that it is appropriate to impose the substantial
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understatement penalty. See, e.g., Jarman v. Commissioner, T.C.
Memo. 2010-285; Prince v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2003-247.
3. Exceptions
There are several exceptions to the section 6662 penalty. A
position with a reasonable basis is not due to negligence. Sec.
1.6662-3(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. Also, no penalty is imposed on
a part of the underpayment if the taxpayer (i) had a reasonable
cause for and (ii) acted in good faith regarding that part of the
underpayment. See sec. 6664(c)(1); sec. 1.6664-4(a), Income Tax
Regs. Regarding the substantial understatement component of the
penalty, if (i) there is substantial authority for the taxpayer’s
treatment of an item on the return or (ii) there is a reasonable
basis for the tax treatment of an item and the relevant facts
affecting that item’s tax treatment are adequately disclosed in
the return or in a statement attached to the return, the tax
attributable to the item is not included in the understatement.
Sec. 6662(d)(2)(B).
The taxpayer bears the burdens of both production and proof
as to whether an exception to the penalty applies. See Higbee v.
Commissioner, 116 T.C. at 446 (stating that the IRS “need not
introduce evidence regarding reasonable cause, substantial
authority, or similar provisions”).
Oglesby did not show by a preponderance of the evidence that
the parts of the underpayment resulting from his failure to
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report income and his failure to substantiate deductions were not
attributable to negligence. And Oglesby has not shown that any
penalty exception applies to any part of the underpayment. He
offered no reason for failing to report income, he did not
explain his failure to substantiate deductions, and he offered no
reason for deducting rather than capitalizing the repair
expenditures.
We therefore uphold the IRS’s determination that the
following parts of Oglesby’s underpayment are attributable to
negligence: (i) the part attributable to the $9,058.23 of
disallowed Schedule A itemized deductions, (ii) the part
attributable to the $3,620 of unreported income from unemployment
compensation, and (iii) the part attributable to the $1,659 of
unreported income from the cancellation of debt. And to the
extent the results of the Rule 155 computation show that his
understatement was substantial, we will uphold the IRS’s
determination that Oglesby’s underpayment is attributable to a
substantial understatement of income tax.
IV. Summary
We find (i) that Oglesby is entitled to a deduction of
$2,869.77 for payment of union dues; (ii) that Oglesby is not
entitled to a deduction under section 162 for the $4,150 for
which he claimed a repair expense deduction; (iii) that the
$4,150 is properly included in Oglesby’s basis in the rental
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property; (iv) that the IRS properly disallowed $9,058.23 of
Schedule A itemized deductions; and (v) that the IRS properly
determined that Oglesby had income of $3,620 from unemployment
compensation and $1,659 from cancellation of debt.
As to penalties and additions to tax, we uphold the IRS’s
determination that Oglesby is liable for an addition to tax under
section 6651(a)(1). And we uphold the IRS’s determination that
Oglesby is liable for the section 6662 penalty on the following
parts of the underpayment, which are attributable to negligence:
(i) the part attributable to the $9,058.23 of disallowed Schedule
A itemized deductions, (ii) the part attributable to the $3,620
of unreported income from unemployment compensation, and (iii)
the part attributable to the $1,659 of unreported income from the
cancellation of debt. Alternatively, to the extent the
understatement was substantial, we uphold the IRS’s determination
that Oglesby is liable for the section 6662 penalty on the entire
underpayment.
To reflect the foregoing,
Decision will be entered
under Rule 155.