Decision will be entered for respondent.
MARVEL,
The issues for decision22011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*130 are as follows:
(1) Whether petitioner received nonemployee compensation of $29,791 that she did not report on her 2005 income tax return; and
(2) whether petitioner is liable for the
In her petition, petitioner alleged that she rescinded her 2005 return before respondent mailed the notice of deficiency to her. She also raised a plethora of other issues that we will not address in this opinion because they are frivolous. See
A few of the relevant facts have been stipulated. We incorporate the stipulation of facts into our findings by this reference. When the petition was filed, petitioner resided in Arkansas.
Petitioner timely filed a Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for 2005. On that return she reported wages of $38,127, taxable interest of $25, ordinary dividends of $1,768, a taxable refund of $738, and a $3,000 capital loss. Petitioner did not report any self-employment income.
By CP2000 Notice dated June 18, 2007, respondent notified petitioner that she did not include on her 2005 return $29,791 of nonemployee compensation reported by a third-party payor, Ally Apparel Resources L.L.C. (Ally Apparel), on a Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income. In 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*131 the CP2000 Notice, respondent proposed changes to petitioner's 2005 return that included increasing petitioner's income by $29,791, reducing her Schedule A deductions and a Lifetime Learning Credit to reflect the additional income, imposing self-employment tax on the additional income, and allowing a deduction for one-half of the self-employment tax. The notice notified petitioner that the resulting tax increase was $9,433 and proposed the imposition of a penalty under
Petitioner responded to the CP2000 Notice dated June 18, 2007, through a mailing that respondent received on July 20, 2007. In that mailing petitioner stated that she did not agree with some of the changes, and she included a Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business, for 2005 and other documents explaining her disagreement. On the Schedule C petitioner reported gross receipts of $29,791, expenses of $8,394 (including $221 for the business use of her home), and a net profit of $21,397. Petitioner calculated that she owed additional tax for 2005 of $6,179, which included self-employment tax of $3,023, and she enclosed a check for $6,179.
By CP2000 Notice dated November 13, 2007, respondent notified petitioner 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*132 that he agreed with her position. The November 13, 2007, notice reflected a revised 2005 tax increase of $6,941, a
In a letter dated January 25, 2008, respondent responded to petitioner's mailing. Respondent stated in the January 25, 2008, letter, in pertinent part, as follows: You do not need to file an amended return. If you will send us the correct information on Schedule C and Schedule SE, we will make all necessary changes for you and send a corrected notice to you. * * * We need your signature on the "Consent to Tax Increase" at the end of this letter 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*133 to complete our action on your tax account. Please sign the consent and send it to us. * * * If you don't agree with our proposed changes, please write to us and tell us why. * * *
Respondent sent another CP2000 Notice to petitioner. The notice was dated April 14, 2008, and showed a balance due of zero. In a mailing sent on May 14, 2008, petitioner notified respondent that she was rescinding her 2005 return and was demanding a refund of $9,625.32011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*134 Additional correspondence between petitioner and respondent followed. On July 21, 2008, respondent mailed to petitioner a notice of deficiency for 2005 in which respondent determined that petitioner had failed to report nonemployee compensation of $29,791, that petitioner was entitled to $8,394 of business expense deductions, and that petitioner was liable for a deficiency of $6,941 and a
Petitioner timely petitioned this Court to contest respondent's determination. A trial was held. We ordered posttrial briefing, and both parties submitted briefs in accordance with our order. Thereafter, by order dated March 30, 2011, we directed the parties to submit supplemental briefs addressing whether this Court has jurisdiction over this case because, before the notice of deficiency was mailed, petitioner had sent remittances sufficient to fully pay the $6,941 deficiency determined therein.
In response to the order, both parties filed supplemental briefs. In his supplemental brief, respondent acknowledged that petitioner remitted $6,179 and $3,111 before he mailed to petitioner the notice of deficiency dated July 21, 2008. Respondent contends, however, that, while he posted the remittances to petitioner's 2005 income tax account, he did not assess these amounts. Respondent requests the following finding: The petitioner's first remittance of $6,179 did not fully pay the deficiency respondent proposed for taxable year 2005, the petitioner's second remittance of $3,111 was a deposit under
In petitioner's supplemental brief, she agrees that she made the remittances in 2007 before respondent mailed the notice of deficiency dated July 21, 2008, she objects to the above-quoted requested finding of fact, and, citing
The Tax Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, and it may exercise its jurisdiction only to the extent authorized by statute.
(1) the sum of (A) the amount shown as the tax by the taxpayer upon * * * [her] return, * * * plus (B) the amounts previously assessed (or collected without assessment) as a deficiency, over— (2) the amount of rebates * * * made.
Our jurisdiction to redetermine a deficiency depends upon the issuance of a valid notice of deficiency and a timely filed petition.
Respondent treated petitioner's remittances as deposits and not payments. Respondent did not assess additional tax equal to the amounts of the remittances as a deficiency before issuing the notice of deficiency. Petitioner 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*138 does not dispute these facts. Respondent determined a deficiency of $6,941 for 2005, and we have jurisdiction.
The Commissioner's determinations in a notice of deficiency are presumed correct, and the taxpayer ordinarily bears the burden of proving that the Commissioner's determinations are in error. See
Petitioner does not contend that
Under
Petitioner admitted that she provided services to Texport during 2005 for which she was paid $29,791. Because this compensation must be included in petitioner's income for 2005 under
Petitioner's position that she is not liable for any Federal income tax for 2005 and that she is entitled to a refund focused on her misguided attempt in 2008 to avoid liability for Federal income tax by rescinding her 2005 return. Petitioner never fully explained her position but appears to believe that rescinding her 2005 return thereby imposes on respondent the obligation to prove that she is liable for tax.
Neither the Internal Revenue Code nor the regulations promulgated thereunder, which are the sources of a taxpayer's obligation to file an annual income tax return,4 contain any provision permitting a taxpayer to rescind a filed income 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*141 tax return. Moreover, petitioner failed to prove that she overpaid her 2005 tax liability and that she was entitled to a refund. We reject petitioner's argument as meritless.
A substantial understatement of income tax exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10 percent of the tax required to be shown on the return, or $5,000.
The term "negligence" as used in
A taxpayer may avoid liability for the
A taxpayer may establish reasonable cause and good faith within the meaning of
Under
Respondent satisfied his initial burden of production under
Petitioner testified that she performed services for which she was paid $29,791, and she does not dispute that she failed to include that income on her 2005 return. Petitioner argued that she did not know Ally Apparel and seemed to contend that, because she did not receive the money from Ally Apparel, she 2011 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 129">*145 could ignore the Form 1099-MISC Ally Apparel issued even though she knew that she had received the income. Petitioner also contended that she did not receive the Form 1099-MISC (or at least that she did not receive a Form 1099-MISC that covered the unreported compensation) and that, therefore, she did not have to report the nonemployee compensation she received.
We do not find credible any testimony that suggests petitioner did not receive the Form 1099-MISC. The record supports a finding that petitioner received the Form 1099-MISC but chose to ignore it because the name of the issuer did not match the name of the company for which she worked, and we so find. Regardless of whether petitioner received the Form 1099-MISC, however, petitioner deliberately failed to include income she knew she had received on her 2005 return. That failure was negligent at best and justifies the imposition of the
We turn to the issue of reasonable cause and good faith under
Petitioner's testimony was insufficient to satisfy her burden of proving that she reasonably relied on professional advice with respect to the unreported nonemployee compensation income she received in 2005. Petitioner offered no other testimony to prove that she had reasonable cause for her failure to report the income, and she certainly did not prove that she acted in good faith. Consequently, we sustain respondent's determination that petitioner is liable for the
We have considered all of the arguments raised by either party, and to the extent not discussed, we find them to be irrelevant or without merit.
To reflect the foregoing,
1. All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the year at issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
2. The notice of deficiency adjusted Schedule A, Itemized Deductions, and the Lifetime Learning Credit, imposed self-employment tax on the nonemployee compensation, and allowed a deduction for one-half of the self-employment tax. These are either computational adjustments or matters that were not challenged by petitioner and thus need not be decided herein.
3. The $9,625 tax refund claimed presumably included the payments of $6,179 and $3,111 and the tax of $330 reported on petitioner's original 2005 return. There is a $5 difference that the record does not explain.
4. See, e.g.,