2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*24 Respondent's cross-motion for summary judgment was granted and petitioner's motion for summary judgment was denied.
P, a nonresident alien residing in Israel during 1997,
1998, and 1999 (years in issue), became entitled to 20 annual
payments of $ 722,000 each by virtue of a 1992 purchase of a $ 1
ticket that won a lottery sponsored by the State of California.
P received a payment of $ 722,000 from the California State
Lottery in each of the years in issue. P filed U.S. Federal
income tax returns for those years in which he took the position
that the payments were not subject to U.S. tax.
R determined that the payments were subject to U.S. tax
under
each year in issue. P contends that the payments constitute
"annuities" within the meaning of par. (5) of art. 20 of
the Income Tax Convention, Nov. 20, 1975, U.S.-Isr., Hein's No.
KAV 971, at xxii (treaty) and are therefore exempt from U.S. tax
pursuant to paragraph (2) of Article 20 of the treaty, which
provides that "annuities" shall be taxable only in the
jurisdiction in which2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*25 the recipient resides.
Held: The payments at issue are not
"annuities" as that term is defined in the treaty,
because they were not paid "under an obligation to make the
payments in return for adequate and full consideration" as
provided in the treaty. Accordingly, the payments are subject to
U.S. tax as determined by R.
122 T.C. 404">*405 OPINION
GALE, Judge: This case is before us on the parties' cross-motions for summary judgment under
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*26 Summary judgment is intended to expedite litigation and avoid unnecessary and expensive trials.
In support of their respective motions, each party has submitted a memorandum of points and authorities. A hearing on the motions was also held.
122 T.C. 404">*406 The parties do not dispute that, at the time of filing of the petition, petitioner was a resident of Israel. 2
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*27 During 1992, while residing in California, petitioner, an Israeli citizen, purchased a California State Lottery ticket for $ 1. That ticket won the "Super Lotto" lottery, entitling petitioner to receive annual payments of $ 722,000 from the California State Lottery for 20 years. Petitioner did not have a choice as to the timing or manner of payment of his lottery winnings.
During 1997, 1998, and 1999 (years in issue), petitioner resided in Israel. For each of the years in issue, petitioner received payments of $ 722,000 in California State Lottery winnings but did not report these amounts as income on his Federal income tax returns (filed as a nonresident alien). For purposes of computing his Israeli income tax liability for the years in issue, petitioner took the position that the payments were lottery winnings, exempt from Israeli income tax. Petitioner did not pay any Israeli income tax on account of the payments.
In a notice of deficiency, respondent determined that the lottery payments were includible in petitioner's taxable income pursuant to
In general, "interest * * *, dividends, rents, salaries, wages, premiums, annuities, compensations, remunerations, emoluments, and other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits, and income" received by a nonresident alien from sources within the United States and that are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, are subject to a 30-percent tax.
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*29 The provisions of the Internal Revenue Code are applied to a taxpayer, however, "with due regard to any treaty obligation of the United States which applies to such taxpayer."
Article 20 -- Private Pensions and Annuities
* * * * * * *
(2) Alimony and annuities paid to an individual who is a
resident of one of the Contracting States shall be taxable only
in that Contracting State.
* * * * * * *
(5) The term "annuities", as used in this Article,
means a stated sum paid periodically at stated times during
life, or during a specified number of years, under an obligation
to make the payments in return for adequate and full
consideration (other than services rendered).
Petitioner's position is that the payments he received during the years at issue from the California State Lottery were an "annuity" within the meaning of the treaty and therefore exempt from taxation by the United States under Article2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*30 20(2) thereof. While respondent does not dispute that petitioner was a resident of Israel, entitled as such to the benefits of the treaty, respondent nonetheless contends that the treaty provides no exemption for the payments at issue because they are not an "annuity" as defined in the treaty. Consequently, the payments are taxable under
To support his position that the payments constitute an annuity, petitioner relies on our decision in
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*32 In Estate of Gribauskas, in holding that annual payments of a lottery prize were an "annuity" for purposes of
122 T.C. 404">*409 By contrast, the definition of "annuities" provided in the U.S.-Israel Income Tax Treaty requires that the obligation to make the payments have arisen "in return2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*33 for adequate and full consideration". Consequently, the fact that the payments at issue in this case may qualify as an annuity for purposes of
The term "adequate and full consideration" is not defined in the treaty. Thus, pursuant to Article 2(2) of the treaty, the term "shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the laws of the Contracting State whose tax is being determined"; here, the United States.
The term "adequate and full consideration" appears extensively in the Internal Revenue Code, generally followed by the phrase "in money or money's worth", 7 in a multitude of contexts. 8 The term is generally used to connote a purchase or exchange of property that is bona fide and at an arm's- length price, as distinguished from a gift or other transfer of property between persons who do not transact at arm's length. A definition of "adequate2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*34 and full consideration" appearing in the regulations under
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*35 Petitioner contends that the consideration element of the treaty definition has been met here by virtue of the fact that the California State Lottery received "adequate and full consideration" for the payments made to petitioner from all purchasers of tickets for the lottery he won. According to petitioner, the terms of the treaty do not require that the recipient of the lottery payments be the source of the consideration; rather, it is sufficient if the payor (California State Lottery) received adequate and full consideration from any source -- in this case, the other purchasers of lottery tickets.
We do not believe petitioner's theory comports with the language of the treaty. The California State Lottery's "obligation" to make the payments at issue was not "in return for" any consideration provided by the nonwinning purchasers of lottery tickets. The consideration provided by these purchasers was in return for, and fully expended for, a chance to win the lottery; i.e., a wager. Cf.
Petitioner argues in the alternative that, if the treaty is construed to require that "adequate and full consideration" come from the recipient of the lottery payments, then he provided such consideration because he paid the full, undiscounted price for the winning lottery ticket; namely, $ 1. We disagree. Petitioner's contention mischaracterizes the transaction which gave rise to his right to the lottery payments. The $ 1 paid by petitioner was not "adequate and full consideration" for the right to 20 annual payments of $ 722,000. One dollar bears no "reasonable relationship" to the value of such a right, nor was the right transferred to him "in return for" the $ 1 of consideration he provided. The $ 1 paid by petitioner was the consideration for the ticket itself; i.e., for the wager. This $ 1 consideration was fully expended for, and secured only, a
2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*38 Petitioner also relies upon
Petitioner here reasons that, since the District Court in Estate of Shackleford rejected the argument that a $ 1 lottery ticket constituted only "part of the purchase price" (within the meaning of
Petitioner's reliance on
We therefore hold that the payments petitioner received from the California State Lottery were not an annuity within the meaning of the U.S.-Israel Income Tax Treaty because the payments did not arise from the exchange of adequate and full consideration; rather, they were the result of winning a wager. Thus, the sums were not paid "under an obligation to make the payments in return for adequate2004 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 24">*41 and full consideration" (emphasis added) within the meaning of Article 20(5) of the treaty.
As the treaty is silent with respect to gambling winnings, and petitioner has failed to establish that the payments at 122 T.C. 404">*413 issue were an "annuity" within the treaty's meaning, the treaty does not prevent the United States from imposing a tax under
An appropriate order and decision will be entered.
1. Unless otherwise indicated, all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, and all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code for the taxable years in issue.↩
2. The parties have stipulated that review of this case shall be by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.↩
3. We note that whether annual payments of State lottery winnings are categorized under
4. Petitioner has not claimed he was in the business of gambling or that the lottery winnings were effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business within the meaning of
5. Although the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed our decision in Estate of Gribauskas insofar as it held that the lottery prize must be valued pursuant to the valuation tables prescribed in
6. Petitioner notes that in Estate of Gribauskas, we described our holding as a conclusion that annual payments of lottery winnings "constitute an annuity for tax purposes and within the meaning of
7. The meaning of the phrase "in money or money's worth", when it follows "adequate and full consideration", has been interpreted to confine the scope of "consideration" to money or its equivalent; i.e., to exclude a mere promise or agreement as consideration. See, e.g.,
8. See, e.g.,
9. The conclusion that the $ 1 consideration was expended for the wager itself is consistent with the definition of "wager" for purposes of