Decision will be entered under
LAUBER,
On their Federal income tax return for 2006, petitioners reported a noncash charitable contribution of $5,543,309 on account of the easement. Because they could not fully utilize this deduction for 2006, they also claimed carryover deductions for 2007 and 2008. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS or respondent) disallowed these deductions, contending that petitioners had failed to satisfy regulatory reporting requirements for contributions of this type and that they lacked donative intent because the easement was part of a quid pro quo exchange. The IRS accordingly determined deficiencies2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*95 and accuracy-related penalties under
2006 | $601,401 | $120,280 |
2007 | 588,577 | 117,715 |
2008 | 103,304 | 20,661 |
After concessions, three issues remain for decision. First, we must decide whether petitioners are entitled to the claimed charitable contribution deductions. *89 Second, we must decide how gain on the sale of their development rights should be computed. Third, we must decide whether petitioners are liable for accuracy-related penalties.
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and the attached exhibits are incorporated by this reference. Petitioners resided in Maryland when they filed their petition.
In April 2000 petitioners purchased Rose Hill Farm (Rose Hill) in Cooksville, Howard County, Maryland, for $1,682,556.2 Rose Hill occupied 73.6 acres and included a working farm, a residence, and a three-car detached garage. Petitioners made numerous improvements to the property2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*96 during the ensuing five years. They added a stone and pavement driveway, poured a concrete floor for the garage, replaced the roof of the main residence, thoroughly landscaped the area adjacent to the house, and made other capital improvements necessary to make the property a fully functional farm. We find that these improvements, corroborated by the expert report of Bruce Dumler, had an aggregate cost of $295,000. In early 2006 petitioners' total cost basis in Rose Hill was thus $1,977,556.
In 1992 Howard County enacted a set of zoning provisions designed to conserve farmland and preserve rural and scenic landscapes. These provisions created the Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ALPP). Through this program, the county acquires land preservation easements that restrict the exercise of development rights on qualified agricultural land. The objective of the ALPP is to keep the county's land base available for farming and, by clustering residential development elsewhere, minimize2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*97 its impact on agricultural zones.
Under the ALPP, the county can acquire land preservation easements in three ways. First, it can purchase from a landowner the development rights pertaining to the property and then extinguish those rights. Second, a landowner can donate his development rights to the county; this has happened very rarely. Third, an easement can be placed on a landowner's property as a condition of his becoming entitled to sell his development rights to a third party. This latter option, referred to as a "density exchange option" (DEO), is the method relevant here.
The DEO allows residential density units to be exchanged between parcels by transferring development rights. A development right is essentially the right to create a residence; thus, if a parcel has five development rights, the owner has the right to develop five dwelling units on that parcel. The number of development *91 rights associated with a particular parcel, called the "sending parcel," depends on its gross acreage and zoning district. By purchasing development rights from a "sending parcel" and applying them to a "receiving parcel," a developer can achieve higher density on the latter than would otherwise2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*98 be permitted.
A density exchange is negotiated between private parties, subject to approval by the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ). Before granting approval, DPZ considers zoning regulation compliance by both the sending and the receiving parcels. A sending parcel must be encumbered by a deed of easement meeting regulatory requirements before the DPZ will approve transfer of its development rights to a receiving parcel. A landowner participating in the DEO may sell some or all of his development rights. However, once he sells any rights, the easement that has been placed on his property eliminates all future development potential for that property.
Under Howard County zoning regulations, Rose Hill had 17 development rights attached to it "by right." Petitioners could have tried, if they had wished, to purchase additional development rights. Given Rose Hill's gross acreage, topography, and soil composition, and assuming that each lot could pass the "percolation" tests required for septic systems, the maximum realistic physical density of Rose Hill was 25 one-acre lots. Thus, if petitioners had elected to purchase eight *92 more development rights, they could have retained2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*99 their residence and sought to develop Rose Hill to include up to 24 additional dwelling units.
Alternatively, petitioners had the option of participating in the ALPP. Landowners in Howard County are eligible to participate in this program if their property exceeds 20 acres and has soil characteristics that make it suitable for farming. Rose Hill met these requirements.
Petitioners first expressed interest in the ALPP in 2000, when they met with a DPZ representative to discuss selling their development rights to the county. In November 2001 Howard County offered to purchase the development rights associated with Rose Hill for $375,000. Petitioners did not accept this offer, in part because their lender had concerns about placing an easement on the property.
Petitioners thereafter investigated selling their development rights to private parties. On October 12, 2005, petitioners executed a contract to sell 15 of their 17 development rights to Kennard Warfield, a developer, for $2.4 million. This contract was later amended to extend the closing date and require Mr. Warfield to make a $1.2 million downpayment toward the purchase price. Petitioners subsequently2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*100 agreed to sell another development right to Mr. Warfield, which increased the total purchase price to $2.56 million.
*93 In December 2005 the ALPP advised the county finance office that petitioners had contracted to sell their development rights and that Rose Hill would end up with a land preservation easement. In January 2006 petitioners received the $1.2 million downpayment from Mr. Warfield. They executed a deed of trust on their home to secure repayment of these funds if the sale of development rights did not close.
Under the ALPP petitioners could not transfer their development rights to Mr. Warfield until: (1) the density sending plat and the density receiving plat were approved by Howard County; (2) an easement was placed on Rose Hill to restrict future development; and (3) all three documents were recorded in the county land records. On June 6, 2006, the DPZ approved the density sending plat for Rose Hill and the density receiving plat for Mr. Warfield's parcel. On June 22, 2006, petitioners submitted an application to dedicate an easement over Rose Hill to Howard County. On July 7, 2006, the DPZ approved the transfer of Rose Hill into the ALPP. On September 25, 2006, petitioners2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*101 executed and delivered a Deed of Agricultural Land Preservation Easement (deed of easement), which the county accepted on October 6, 2006.
On October 17, 2006, Howard County gave final approval to the density sending and receiving plats. On October 20, 2006, the deed of easement and the *94 plats transferring the development rights were recorded in Howard County land records. These documents state that they were being filed simultaneously to describe the conservation easement, convey it in perpetuity to Howard County, and sever the development rights from Rose Hill. Petitioners in due course received from Mr. Warfield the $1.36 million balance of the purchase price. Upon recordation of the deed of easement, all future development was prohibited for Rose Hill with the exception of farming.
In May 2007 petitioners retained Bruce Dumler to appraise Rose Hill before and after a hypothetical sale of development rights. Mr. Dumler assumed that petitioners could purchase eight additional development rights, which would give them a total of 25 development rights. He determined that the highest and best use of Rose Hill would be a residential subdivision with 25 dwelling units2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*102 and that the fair market value of Rose Hill before the sale of the development rights was $7.69 million. He determined that the fair market value of Rose Hill after the sale of the development rights, for use as a working farm and residence, was $2.1 million.
Mr. Dumler issued his appraisal on July 1, 2007, and he listed December 1, 2006, as its effective date. His appraisal states his assumption that Rose Hill was, as of December 1, 2006, "free and clear of any or all liens or encumbrances." His *95 appraisal does not mention the deed of easement, and it does not purport to value an easement. Rather, his appraisal states that "the property rights appraised comprise the fee simple interest in the subject property," which he determined to be worth $5.59 million net of petitioners' residence.
Mr. Dumler's appraisal recites that petitioners in October 2005 had "contracted to sell 15 density units to Kennard Warfield." However, because he had been asked to address a "valuation scenario represent[ing] a hypothetical condition," his appraisal takes no account of the $2.56 million that petitioners received from Mr. Warfield. At the time he performed his appraisal, moreover, Mr. Dumler apparently was not informed2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*103 of several important facts. These included the facts that: (1) petitioners had placed a land preservation easement on Rose Hill, which was recorded on October 20, 2006; (2) petitioners were required to place this easement on Rose Hill as a condition of securing permission from Howard County to sell their development rights; and (3) a portion of Rose Hill had failed at least one "percolation" test, which raised questions about its ability to support as many as 25 dwelling units.
Before filing their 2006 tax return, petitioners asked Howard County to sign Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions, as the recipient of the easement. Howard County declined to sign this form. The county's attorney informed petitioners *96 by letter that the county would first need an opinion of a qualified tax professional addressing "the ability to take a charitable contribution deduction under
Petitioners' 2006 Federal income tax return, prepared by Glenn Hollrah, their certified public accountant (C.P.A.), was timely filed on October 15, 2007. The return reported a noncash charitable contribution deduction of $5,543,309; in support of this deduction, the return included an unsigned Form 8283 referring to the easement and a copy of Mr. Dumler's July 1, 2007, appraisal. The return claimed no cost basis in the development rights sold to Mr. Warfield and reported a long-term capital gain of $1,029,441 on that sale. This reported gain corresponded to the cash petitioners got from Mr. Warfield; they claimed like-kind exchange treatment for the balance of the $2.56 million purchase price, consisting of land valued at $1,530,559.
After Howard County declined to sign the Form 8283, Mr. Dumler prepared at petitioners' request an addendum to his original appraisal. This addendum, dated *97 March 25, 2008, recites that he had "valued the conservation easement which has been contributed to Howard County by the property owner." In the addendum Mr. Dumler reduced the $5,543,309 value that his original appraisal had placed on the development rights2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*105 in order to account for the $2.56 million that Mr. Warfield had paid petitioners for those rights. On the basis of this and other changes, Mr. Dumler concluded that the easement should be valued at $3.03 million.
As Howard County had requested, petitioners obtained and supplied to the county an opinion letter from Mr. Hollrah, their C.P.A. This letter opined, on the basis of Mr. Dumler's appraisal and the March 25, 2008, addendum thereto, that petitioners' conveyance of the easement qualified for a charitable contribution deduction under
On May 16, 2008, petitioners filed an amended 2006 return. The amended return reduced their noncash charitable contribution deduction to $3,004,692.32015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*106 It included the new Form 8283 signed by Howard County and attached copies of Mr. *98 Dumler's original appraisal and his March 25, 2008, addendum thereto. Mr. Hollrah prepared the amended return and the revised Form 8283.
Because of statutory limitations, petitioners were unable to claim the entire charitable contribution deduction for 2006. They thus deducted $1,058,643 on their amended 2006 return and $1,666,528 on their 2007 return, which was timely filed on October 20, 2008. They deducted the balance of the contribution, or $278,521, on their 2008 return, which was timely filed on October 20, 2009.
On July 13, 2012, respondent timely issued a notice of deficiency for 2006-2008. This notice disallowed the charitable contribution deductions claimed for the conservation easement; disallowed like-kind exchange treatment on the sale of development rights because petitioners failed to close on replacement property within 180 days,
The Commissioner's determinations in a notice of deficiency are generally presumed correct, and taxpayers bear the burden of proving those determinations erroneous.
Before trial petitioners moved to shift the burden of proof to respondent. Upon the record before us, we cannot find that petitioners have established their satisfaction of the recordkeeping and substantiation requirements set forth in
A charitable contribution deduction generally is not allowed for a gift of property consisting of less than the donor's entire interest in that property, but there is an exception for (among other things) a "qualified conservation contribution."
Where the value of contributed property exceeds $500,000, no deduction is allowed unless the taxpayer obtains a "qualified appraisal" and attaches it to his return.
Respondent contends that petitioners' claimed charitable contribution deductions were properly disallowed for three distinct and independent reasons: (1) Mr. Dumler's appraisal issued July 1, 2007, was not a "qualified appraisal"; (2) the Form 8283 accompanying petitioners' original return was not a valid "appraisal summary"; and (3) petitioners lacked donative intent because the easement they granted Howard County was part of a quid pro quo exchange. We consider these arguments in turn below, as well as the "substantial compliance" reply that petitioners make to the first two arguments.
The requirements for a "qualified appraisal" are set forth in
The regulations state that a "qualified appraisal" must include numerous specific items of information. We agree with respondent that Mr. Dumler's July 1, 2007, appraisal is not "qualified" because it fails to include three of the required elements: an accurate description of the property contributed; the date of the contribution; and the salient terms of the agreements among petitioners, Mr. Warfield, and Howard2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*111 County.
Mr. Dumler's original appraisal does not use the words "conservation easement" or "land preservation easement." Indeed, the only reference to easements in his July 1, 2007, appraisal is the statement that he was "not aware of any easements or encroachments on the site." This indicates that Mr. Dumler was unaware of the deed of easement that petitioners transferred to Howard County on October 6, 2006, which was recorded in its land records office on October 20, 2006. As stated on their Form 8283, the property that petitioners allegedly contributed to Howard County was a conservation easement. But the appraisal does not describe, or purport to value, a conservation easement; rather,2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*112 it states that "the property rights appraised comprise the fee simple interest in the subject property." It would *104 be extremely difficult for a person reading this appraisal "to ascertain that the property that was appraised is the property that was (or will be) contributed."
A qualified appraisal must also include "[t]he date (or expected date) of contribution to the donee."
Mr. Dumler's original appraisal illustrates his familiarity with the mechanics of property development. But because he was not purporting to value an easement, it is not surprising that he fails to mention any of the relevant dates. The appraisal has an effective date of December 1, 2006, which is neither the date petitioners executed the deed of easement (September 25, 2006), nor the date2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*113 they transferred the easement to Howard County (October 6, 2006), nor the date the *105 easement was recorded (October 20, 2006). His appraisal does not supply the date of the contribution and does not value the contributed property as of that date.
Finally, a "qualified appraisal" must include "[t]he terms of any agreement or understanding entered into (or expected to be entered into) by or on behalf of the donor or donee that relates to the use, sale, or other disposition of the property contributed."
These omissions were not trivial, formal, or mechanical. Because of them, the appraisal failed to inform2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*114 the IRS of the essence of the transaction in which petitioners engaged. Because the July 1, 2007, appraisal did not provide an accurate description of the property contributed, did not specify the date of the contribution, *106 and did not inform the IRS of the salient terms of the agreements among petitioners, Howard County, and Mr. Warfield, we find that it was not a "qualified appraisal" within the meaning of
For contributions of property whose value exceeds $5,000, a fully completed appraisal summary must be attached to the return on which the contribution deduction is first claimed.
First, the appraisal summary was not "signed and dated" by Howard County as donee. The signature of the donee is important because it attests to the fact that a charitable contribution was actually made. And2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*115 the absence of this signature was not an accident or oversight. Howard County explicitly declined to sign the *107 Form because it had genuine doubts about petitioners' "ability to take a charitable contribution deduction under
A valid appraisal summary must also include "a statement explaining * * * the amount of any consideration received from the donee for the contribution."
Petitioners received "consideration" from Howard County in return for the easement, namely, the county's permission to sell 16 development rights to Mr. *108 Warfield, which petitioners otherwise could not have done. The Form 8283 accompanying their original return disclosed neither the quid pro quo they received from the county nor the $2.56 million they received from Mr. Warfield. Because the Form 8283 failed to include the donee's signature and failed to disclose the consideration petitioners received from the donee, their appraisal summary did not comply with the regulations.5
In
The substantial compliance doctrine "should not be liberally applied."
We have declined to apply the substantial compliance doctrine where the taxpayer's reporting fails to meet substantive requirements set forth in the regulations62015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*119 or omits entire categories of required information.7 Petitioners' original appraisal and Form 8283 suffer from both of these defects. Those documents omit numerous categories of important information, including an accurate description *111 of the contributed property, the salient terms of the agreements among the parties, a signature of the donee attesting to receipt of a contribution, an explanation of the quid pro quo petitioners received, and the date of the contribution.82015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*120
Because Mr. Dumler's original appraisal values "the fee simple interest" in Rose Hill before and after a hypothetical sale of development rights, it does not value the correct asset, namely, the land preservation easement conveyed to Howard County. An appraisal of the wrong asset cannot "substantially comply" with the regulatory reporting requirements because it prevents the Commissioner from properly understanding and evaluating the claimed contribution.
Petitioners' failure to supply a "qualified appraisal" and a valid appraisal summary with their original 2006 return constitutes sufficient grounds for disallowing their charitable contribution deductions. However, assuming arguendo that petitioners had substantially complied with the regulations' reporting requirements, we would uphold respondent's disallowance of those deductions on the merits. Examining the transactions under the standards set forth in
The Supreme Court in
The external features of the transaction show that petitioners granted an easement to Howard County in exchange for the county's granting them permission to sell their development rights. Under the ALPP, petitioners could not transfer their development rights to Mr. Warfield until the density sending and receiving plats were approved by Howard County and an easement was placed on Rose Hill to restrict future development. Petitioners would not have conveyed the easement unless they received permission to sell their development rights; and they could not legally sell their development rights unless they executed the deed of easement. Petitioners' transaction thus bears the classic features of a quid pro quo exchange as defined in
Petitioners seek to defend their charitable contribution on an alternative theory, namely, that they made a "bargain sale" to2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*123 Howard County. They ask that we collapse the various transactions and treat them as having sold their 16 development rights directly to Howard County for $2.56 million. By doing so, petitioners supposedly gave up the right to develop Rose Hill into a residential community with 25 one-acre lots, which (net of their retained residence) would have been worth $5.59 million according to Mr. Dumler. Petitioners thus contend that they sold their development rights to Howard County for $3.03 million less than those rights were worth, generating a charitable contribution in that amount.
We reject petitioners' invitation to recharacterize their transaction. Howard County's zoning regulations specify three distinct methods by which landowners can participate in the ALPP: donating their development rights to the county, selling their development rights to the county, or placing an easement on their land as a condition of selling their development rights to someone else. Petitioners considered the second option during 2000-2001 but rejected the county's offer to purchase their development rights for $375,000. Petitioners then embraced the third *115 option, placing an easement on Rose Hill as a condition2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*124 of selling their development rights to Mr. Warfield for $2.56 million. The three methods specified in the zoning regulations are distinct in legal, practical, and economic terms. Having opted for the third method, petitioners cannot plausibly contend that they should be deemed to have opted for the second method.
In any event, petitioners' argument would be unpersuasive even if we were to recharacterize the transaction as they suggest. Because Rose Hill had failed at least one "percolation" test for septic systems, there is no support in the record for Mr. Dumler's assumption that the property could be developed into 25 one-acre lots. And even if the property could support 24 lots in addition to petitioners' residence, they would have had to purchase eight additional development rights to execute that plan. They did not establish their ability to do this.102015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*125
*116 Petitioners' "bargain sale" theory also lacks support in a more fundamental sense. In essence, petitioners are contending that they donated to Howard County the development potential of Rose Hill to the extent it exceeded the value of the 16 development rights they sold to Mr. Warfield. But petitioners never acquired the eight additional development rights they would have needed; instead, they executed a contract to sell to Mr. Warfield all the development rights they had. Petitioners and Mr. Warfield could not close on this contract until an easement was placed on Rose Hill, the effect of which would be to bar any future develop2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*126 ment on that property. In a practical economic sense, therefore, Rose Hill had no further development potential once petitioners had executed their contract with Mr. Warfield. As a result, there was no "excess" development potential that peti tioners could contribute to Howard County through a bargain sale. Petitioners thus could not carry their burden of proving the amount of the charitable contri bution even if we adopted their "bargain sale" theory.
Gross income means all income from whatever source derived, including gains derived from dealings in property.
The amount realized is the sum of any money received plus the fair market value of any property received.
Although petitioners on their 2006 tax return claimed no basis2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*127 in the development rights, the parties agree that petitioners are entitled to a basis. A taxpayer's basis in property is generally its cost.
The parties agree that "equitable apportionment" should not be applied here and that petitioners' basis in their development rights should instead be determined under
Petitioners' original cost basis in Rose Hill was $1,682,556.2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*128
Mr. Dumler's original appraisal did not take into account "all pertinent facts and circumstances"--chiefly, the facts that petitioners had conveyed an easement to Howard County as a condition of selling their development rights2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*130 to Mr. Warfield. As a result, Mr. Dumler's original appraisal valued the wrong property and significantly overvalued their charitable contribution. Mr. Hollrah then prepared their 2006 return in reliance on Mr. Dumler's appraisal. Petitioners knew or reasonably should have known that the sale of their development rights for $2.56 million was relevant in determining the charitable contribution deduction to which they would be entitled. Because the advice petitioners initially received from their tax advisers failed to take account of critically important facts, they do not qualify for the "reasonable cause" defense for 2006.
Tax years 2007 and 2008 require a closer analysis. By the time petitioners filed their 2007 and 2008 returns claiming the carryover contribution deductions, they were in possession of Mr. Dumler's March 25,2015 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 94">*131 2008, addendum, which described the easement and acknowledged the sale of development rights to Mr. Warfield. They were in possession of Mr. Hollrah's opinion letter, which opined that they were entitled to claim a reduced charitable contribution deduction on the basis of that addendum. And they were in possession of a new Form 8283 that was signed and dated by Howard County.
We assume without deciding that petitioners had "good cause" and "acted in good faith" with respect to the 2007-2008 carryover contribution deductions.
*123
In short, the term "qualified appraisal" has the same meaning in
*124 The ameliorative steps petitioners took after October 15, 2007, may show that they acted in good faith. But those steps did not retroactively convert Mr. Dumler's original appraisal into a "qualified appraisal." Because petitioners did not secure a "qualified appraisal" within the meaning of
To reflect the foregoing,
1. All statutory references are to the Internal Revenue Code (Code) in effect for the years in issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. We round all dollar amounts to the nearest dollar.↩
2. Petitioners held title to Rose Hill through a disregarded entity, "Rose Hill Farm, LLC." For simplicity we will refer to petitioners as owning Rose Hill.↩
3. Because the easement did not cover the portion of Rose Hill consisting of their residence, petitioners made a pro rata adjustment that reduced by $25,308 Mr. Dumler's revised value of $3.03 million.
4. The absence of a signature on the Form 8283 may be excused "[i]n rare and unusual circumstances in which it is impossible for the taxpayer to obtain the signature of the donee."
5. Petitioners contend that their deduction can be justified on the alternative theory that they made a "bargain sale."
6.
7.
8. Because petitioners' original Form 8283 disclosed the date of the alleged contribution, the absence of that information from the appraisal would not, standing alone, be fatal.
9. Even absent strict or substantial compliance with the "qualified appraisal" and reporting requirements, a deduction will not be denied if the failure to meet those requirements is due to "reasonable cause and not to willful neglect."
10. The March 25, 2008, addendum to Mr. Dumler's appraisal also appears to suffer from a methodological flaw. By selling 16 development rights to Mr. War-field for $2.56 million, petitioners conveyed to him the right to enjoy the profit from the ultimate sale of the corresponding 16 dwelling units. Mr. Dumler concluded that the highest and best use of Rose Hill would have been as a residential subdivision with 25 dwelling units, which he valued at $5.59 million net of petitioners' retained residence. By subtracting $2.56 million from that value, Mr. Dumler assumed that petitioners would enjoy the profit from the ultimate sale of all 24 dwelling units, despite the fact that they had conveyed to Mr. Warfield the right to enjoy the profit from the sale of the 16 units corresponding to the 16 development rights he had purchased. There is no logical or evidentiary support for this assumption.
11. In judging a taxpayer's liability for a penalty, we assess his good faith and reasonable reliance as of the date his original return was filed, without regard to any amended return for that year.
12. Respondent notes that the complete disallowance of petitioners' claimed charitable contribution deductions arguably gives rise to a "gross valuation misstatement," which under
13. Since petitioners did not obtain a "qualified appraisal" as required by