An appropriate order of dismissal will be entered.
R mailed to P, as W's tax matters partner (TMP), a notice of final partnership administrative adjustment (FPAA) for W's 2007 taxable year. Approximately nine months later, R (through an office different from the office that mailed the FPAA) mailed to P, as W's TMP, a second FPAA for W's 2007 taxable year. The first FPAA and the second FPAA are similar in content but are different in the contact information (and a few other minor items) shown on the face. P filed his petition in response to the second FPAA but after the statutory deadline for challenging the first FPAA had expired.
140 T.C. 193">*193 THORNTON,
Respondent moves to dismiss this case for lack of jurisdiction, asserting that the petition was not filed timely within 140 T.C. 193">*194 the 90-day or 60-day period of
We hold that the second FPAA is invalid (and thus disregarded) because
Neither party requested a hearing, and we conclude that none is necessary to decide respondent's motion to dismiss. For the sole purpose of deciding that motion, we draw the following background information from petitioner's allegations in the amended petition, from the uncontroverted statements in respondent's motion to dismiss (including the exhibits attached thereto), and from the exhibits attached to petitioner's objection to respondent's motion to dismiss.
The record does not definitively establish the location of WGH's principal place of business when the petition was filed. Petitioner alleged in his amended petition that WGH's principal place of business was in Virginia (apparently at the time of the amended petition).
On March 18, 2011, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office in Hartford, Connecticut, mailed to petitioner, in his capacity as WGH's TMP, two copies of an FPAA (first FPAA) relating to WGH's 2007 taxable year. One copy was sent by 140 T.C. 193">*195 certified mail to petitioner at WGH's last known address in Manassas, Virginia, and was delivered there three days later. The other copy was sent by certified mail to petitioner at his last known address in Great Falls, Virginia, and was delivered there on March 29, 2011. The face of the first FPAA lists "March 18, 2011" in a section entitled "Date FPAA Mailed to Tax Matters Partner" and states that questions may be directed to a named IRS employee (K.M.P.) at a listed address or phone number in Connecticut. The mailing to the Manassas address included a five-page examination report not included in the mailing to the Great Falls address. The face of the first FPAA explains that the Commissioner sends an examination report only to the TMP and that any other partner should contact the TMP to get a copy of the examination report.
On December 6, 2011, an IRS office other than the Hartford office mailed to petitioner, in his capacity as WGH's TMP, a 2013 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 9">*13 copy of another FPAA (second FPAA) relating to WGH's 2007 taxable year.3 This copy was addressed to petitioner at the same Great Falls address mentioned above and, unlike the first FPAA, bears no certified mail stamp or certified mail number. Also on December 6, 2011, a revenue agent (K.D.) in an IRS office in Fairfax, Virginia, mailed to petitioner's representative (at his address, pursuant to a power of attorney or other authorization that the IRS had on file) another copy of the second FPAA. K.D. included in the mailing to the representative a one-page cover letter stating that a "Report" was enclosed and that the representative could call K.D. at her listed Virginia phone number with any question. The face of the second FPAA lists no date in the section entitled "Date FPAA Mailed to Tax Matters Partner" and states that questions may be directed to a named IRS employee (L.S.B.) at his listed address or phone number in Pennsylvania.42013 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 9">*14
The first FPAA and the second FPAA are similar in content but are different in the contact information (and a few 140 T.C. 193">*196 other minor items) shown on the face. The second FPAA does not set forth any partnership-level adjustment or determination that is not listed in the first FPAA.
Petitioner attached the second FPAA to his petition underlying this case. Petitioner also attached the second FPAA to his amended petition.
Petitioner seeks through his petition, as amended, to pursue in this Court a partnership-level proceeding under TEFRA. This Court's jurisdiction over a TEFRA partnership-level proceeding is invoked upon the Commissioner's mailing of a valid FPAA and the proper filing of a petition for readjustment of partnership items for the year or years to which the FPAA pertains.
The parties do not dispute that petitioner's petition was not filed timely as to the first FPAA or that it was filed timely as to the second FPAA. They dispute whether the second FPAA was valid so that a petition could be properly filed with respect to it. Respondent argues that the second FPAA was invalid pursuant to
We agree with respondent that the Court must dismiss this case for lack of jurisdiction because of the absence of a timely petition. While neither party has cited any case directly on point, we are mindful of the related law applicable to the mailing of two notices of deficiency.
Petitioner seeks to invoke the Court's jurisdiction to decide this case, which means that he bears the burden of proving that the Court has jurisdiction to decide the case.
Petitioner does not allege that he failed to receive timely notice of the beginning of the administrative proceeding underlying this case.
The petition was not filed timely as to the first FPAA. Accordingly, we will grant respondent's motion and dismiss this case for lack of jurisdiction on the ground that a timely petition was not filed as required by
1. Subsequent section references are to the applicable versions of the Internal Revenue Code.↩
2. Pursuant to an order of this Court dated March 15, 2012, petitioner subsequently filed an amended petition on April 17, 2012.↩
3. The first FPAA specifically lists the mailing address of the IRS office which mailed that FPAA. The second FPAA does not do similarly. The faces of the FPAAs indicate that they were mailed by different IRS offices.↩
4. While the second FPAA states that questions may be directed in writing to L.S.B. at his address listed on the heading of the FPAA, no such address is listed.
5. Former (f) Further Deficiency Letters Restricted.--If the Commissioner has mailed to the taxpayer notice of a deficiency as provided in subsection (a) of this section, and the taxpayer files a petition with the Board within the time prescribed in such subsection, the Commissioner shall have no right to determine any additional deficiency in respect of the same taxable year, except in the case of fraud, and except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, relating to assertion of greater deficiencies before the Board, or in
6. The cases cited
7. While the first FPAA and the second FPAA are similar in content, neither is a "duplicate copy" of the other within the meaning of