1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*119
Petitioners sold a 35-acre tract of land, on which they lived and conducted an airport operation, to a church in 1958 for a cash downpayment of $ 1,000 and notes totaling $ 181,600, payable in monthly and annual installments, without interest, over a period of years. Petitioners received $ 2,600 on the purchase price during 1958, which they included in gross receipts from their business on their original income tax return for 1958 which, due to reasonable cause, was not filed until October 1959. After auditing petitioners' returns for 1958 and 1959, respondent determined that the entire gain on the sale of the property was taxable to petitioners as long-term capital gain in 1958. Thereafter, on August 11, 1961, petitioners filed an amended return for 1958 reporting the sale as a capital transaction and electing to report the gain thereon on the installment method.
42 T.C. 72">*73 Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners' income tax for the year 1958 in the amount of $ 40,199.98, and in additions to tax under
The primary issue for decision is whether petitioners are entitled to return gain and pay tax on their gain from the sale of a 35-acre tract of land in 1958 on the installment method. If it is held that petitioners are not to employ the installment method of returning taxable gain from the sale, we must determine whether two notes received by petitioners1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*122 in 1958 as consideration for the sale of the property had an ascertainable fair market value; and if so, what that value was in 1958.
Secondary issues for decision are whether petitioners are liable for the additions to tax under
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly. Petitioners, John P. Reaver and Opal P. Reaver (hereinafter respectively referred to as John and Opal), were husband and wife who resided in Panama City, Fla., in 1958. They filed a joint Federal income tax return for the year 1958 with the district director of internal revenue, Jacksonville, Fla., on October 22, 1959. They filed an amended joint Federal income tax return for the year 1958 on August 11, 1961. They did not file a declaration of estimated tax for the year 1958.
In 1958 John operated an airport in Panama City, Fla. The business was conducted on a tract of land on 11th Street in Panama City. The property covered approximately 35 acres of land. Located on the property was a hangar for aircraft and a one-story concrete building near the hangar which1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*123 served as a shop for the repair of aircraft and as an office for the business. Also on the property was a two-bedroom residence where John and Opal lived.
Opal assisted John in the operation of the airport. She was a mechanical engineering draftsman, a licensed pilot, and a licensed airplane mechanic. She repaired aircraft and maintained the books and records of the business. In their business, John and Opal rebuilt 42 T.C. 72">*74 damaged aircraft, arranged for charter flights, and offered flight instruction. Their airport was known as a fixed base operation, and they could offer night flying instructions to students. They also had aircraft for rent.
In January 1958 John's health deteriorated and he was unable to work at the airport for a full day. A physical examination in the early part of 1958 revealed that he had a serious heart condition and he was advised by a local physician to contact a heart specialist in Philadelphia, Pa. In May 1958 John went to Philadelphia for examinations. He was told that his heart condition was serious and that it required surgery. He was advised to stay in Philadelphia for observation, but John and Opal had to return to Panama City to arrange 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*124 their affairs before John could spend the necessary time in Philadelphia for preliminary examinations and for the operation for his heart condition. In late June 1958 John returned to Philadelphia for the preliminary examinations and for observation to determine if he could undergo the operation. On July 24, 1958, the operation was performed and John was permitted to return to Panama City in August 1958. However, he was told he could not engage in work until early 1959. Whether the operation had been a success was not known in August 1958 when John left Philadelphia. During John's hospitalization in Philadelphia, Opal stayed with him in Philadelphia for approximately 3 weeks during the critical stage of his illness, but she thereafter had to return to Panama City to take care of their child and the airport business.
In 1958 members of the Central Baptist Church, Inc., Panama City (hereafter called Central Baptist), became interested in having the church purchase the property used by petitioners for their airport. They approached John with their idea of purchasing the property and after first refusing, John then agreed to sell the property to the church. Central Baptist was formed1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*125 April 28, 1958, as a successor to the Oakland Terrace Baptist Church, which was formed in May 1957. In April 1958 the membership of Central Baptist was approximately 75. On June 20, 1958, John and Opal and Central Baptist executed a contract of sale for petitioners' 35-acre tract in Panama City for a total purchase price of $ 182,600. Central Baptist paid petitioner the sum of $ 250 in cash and agreed to pay the further sum of $ 750 in cash within 20 days after execution of the contract of sale. Central Baptist was to execute promissory notes in the amount of $ 181,600 for the balance of the purchase price. On June 25, 1958, John and Opal executed a deed for their 35-acre tract and delivered the deed to Central Baptist. On the same date Central Baptist executed two promissory notes payable to John and Opal. The first note was in the principal sum of $ 13,400 and provided that Central Baptist was to pay this principal sum in 24 monthly installments, the first 5 42 T.C. 72">*75 payments being in the amount of $ 400 each, and the remaining 19 monthly payments in the amount of $ 600 each. The note was noninterest bearing. This note contained a "Guaranty" stating that nine individuals1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*126 jointly and severally promised to pay the note which was endorsed by the nine individuals. The second note was in the principal sum of $ 168,200 which was payable in annual installments of $ 15,800 on September 1, 1960, and thereafter in eight annual installments of $ 19,050 each. The note was noninterest bearing and was not endorsed by any individuals.
In 1958 Central Baptist paid to petitioners, in consideration for the property, $ 1,000 in cash under the contract of sale and the total amount of $ 1,600 in payments on the first installment note.
At some time in 1958, prior to concluding the sale of the property to Central Baptist, John discussed the sale of the property with a certified public accountant in Panama City. The accountant explained to him generally the installment method of accounting for gain on a deferred payment sale but suggested to John that if a deferred payment sale was completed in 1958 that John come back to see him before his 1958 tax return was due to be filed and he would prepare his return for him.
Central Baptist began to move into the property shortly after June 25, 1958, but because of John's illness and his absence from Panama City, Opal could not1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*127 move the business from the property entirely and Central Baptist occupied only one-half of the hangar building where they began conducting church services. Petitioners' airport business was conducted in the other half of the hangar. Opal was in charge of the business and of the move from the property.
In 1959 Opal undertook preparation of petitioners' 1958 income tax return, but she was delayed in completing the return because some of the records of the business had been moved to a warehouse during her absence when Central Baptist began to occupy the hangar. Opal filed petitioners' joint income tax return for 1958 on October 22, 1959. She did not request an extension of time within which to file the return for 1958 which was due April 15, 1959, but she wrote a letter of transmittal to the district director of internal revenue, Jacksonville, Fla., explaining her reasons for filing their return out of time. Petitioners' original return for 1958 was accepted by respondent as having been filed out of time for reasonable cause.
Opal's failure to prepare, and petitioners' failure to file, a timely return for 1958 was due to reasonable cause and was not due to willful neglect.
In preparing1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*128 petitioners' return Opal used records which had been maintained for the airport business. She used one book which she maintained which consisted of sheets of notebook paper tied together with twine, with one sheet for each month of the year 1958, upon 42 T.C. 72">*76 which were recorded cash receipts and disbursements, the sources of receipts or payees of payments, and generally what a payment or a receipt was for. The cash downpayment and the monthly payments received in 1958 from Central Baptist were entered in this book simply as cash receipts from Central Baptist. Opal had had no education or training in bookkeeping and was not familiar with a double entry set of books. In preparing petitioners' return for 1958 she summarized the amount of cash received as shown in her record book, including the $ 2,600 received from Central Baptist, and entered this amount as gross receipts of the business on the 1958 income tax return. She made minor errors in addition in adding the monthly summaries in her record book.
In 1960 an internal revenue agent examined petitioners' returns for 1958 and 1959. This examination was completed on or about November 3, 1960. Working from petitioners' records, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*129 including the record book from which Opal had prepared the 1958 return, the examining officer determined that Opal had overstated gross receipts of the business in the amount of $ 3,791.51, the principal adjustment being the elimination of the $ 2,600 received from Central Baptist on the sale of the 35-acre tract from gross receipts of the airport business. The agent also corrected other errors made by Opal and made other adjustments in arriving at his corrected taxable income, some of which increased income and some of which decreased income. He also determined that petitioners realized a gain from the sale of a capital asset, the 35-acre tract, in 1958 in the amount of $ 79,499.37.
After Opal and John discussed their 1958 and 1959 returns with the examining officer, they contacted the certified public accountant with whom John had talked in early 1958. The accountant prepared an amended return for petitioners for each of the years 1958 and 1959. The amended return for 1958 was the same as the original return except that the sale of the 35-acre tract to Central Baptist was specifically reported as a capital transaction, the gross profit on the sale was computed, and the gain 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*130 was accounted for on the installment method.
In his notice of deficiency for the year 1958 respondent determined that petitioners realized gain on the sale of the 35-acre tract in the amount of $ 79,499.13; that a deduction for taxes in the amount of $ 452.84 is not allowable; that because of adjustments to petitioners' reported adjusted gross income, medical expenses in the amount of $ 2,298.54 are not allowable; and that petitioners realized income from their airport business in the amount of $ 704.04 less than that reported by them on their 1958 return.
There is no dispute between the parties with respect to the amount of petitioners' gain on the sale of the 35-acre tract if the sales price stated in the contract is paid in full.
42 T.C. 72">*77 No part of the deficiency herein is due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations pertaining to the determination of petitioners' income tax liability. Petitioners' failure to report the sale of the 35-acre tract as a capital transaction and their failure to elect to report the income therefrom, and set forth the computation of gross profit thereon, on the installment method was not due to negligence or intentional disregard1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*131 of rules and regulations.
OPINION
The primary issue for decision is whether petitioners are entitled to report their gain on the sale of a 35-acre tract of real estate in 1958 on the installment basis under
Based on all the evidence, we have found as a fact that petitioners' failure to file their original return for 1958 on time was due to reasonable cause, which respondent does not dispute; and also that petitioners' failure to report the transaction and the amounts received therefrom as the sale of a capital asset on their original return for 1958 was not due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations.
The controlling regulation is
42 T.C. 72">*78 (b)
Respondent's primary argument in this case is that petitioners, having failed to elect to report their profit on the sale on the installment basis on a
Respondent's primary argument finds support in some of the language used in earlier opinions of this Court, see
The Courts of Appeals which dealt with this problem under the 1939 Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder, Regs. 118, sec. 39.44-3, which were effective until December 17, 1958, also generally refused to apply the strict rule relied on by respondent. So far as we can determine only two circuit courts were squarely faced with the issue under the prior regulations, and in each instance both of them declined to apply the strict rule. See
Most of the above cases which have not applied the forfeiture rule, all of which were decided under the prior regulations, were decided on the basis that neither the statute nor the regulations specifically required that an election to use the installment method be made in a timely return for the year of sale or be forfeited, and that, Congress having provided other penalties for failure to report income and for failure to file returns on time, it was not intended that the privilege of installment reporting be denied a taxpayer for similar negligent or nonnegligent omissions.
A review of the legislative history of the installment reporting provisions, which we will not take the time to recite herein, indicates that there is justification for the above-expressed view.
The application of the installment basis as provided in the committee amendment should eliminate necessity for appraisals of the obligations of the purchaser in deferred-payment sales * * * save in cases where, because of a large initial payment * * * the property sold and serving as security for the unpaid balance has a value adequate to give the obligations a market value. [S. Rept. No. 52, 69th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 19 (1926), 1939-1 C.B. (Part 2) 332, 347.]
Section 212(d) was made retroactive and it appears that many taxpayers who were dealers in personal property filed amended returns for prior years reporting sales on the installment basis, which caused considerable administrative confusion. See
Neither the statute nor the regulations specifically require that the taxpayer must elect to report a casual sale of real estate on the installment method in a timely filed return. As previously noted, the installment sale provisions in both the 1939 Code and
The regulation promulgated in 1958 under
The Commissioner has been given rather broad rule-making authority by
In
Generally, an election is to be exercised when the occasion for doing so arises. See
On the authority of our recent decisions in
Our conclusion above makes it unnecessary for us to consider petitioners' alternative contention that the notes of the church received for the unpaid balance of the purchase price had no commercial negotiability and therefore are not to be considered as part of the amount realized, relying on
The second issue is whether petitioners are liable for an addition to tax for negligence under
It is doubtful, in view of our conclusion on the principal issue, that there will be much, if any, underpayment of tax for the year 1958. In any event the evidence indicates that petitioners' books and records were of the single entry type kept1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119">*147 by many small businesses, and the revenue agent was apparently able to make his proposed 42 T.C. 72">*83 adjustments in petitioners' income by working from those books and records. There is no indication that income was omitted from the books or that expenditures were duplicated. The evidence indicates that the entries in the books and records did reflect the correct income if properly applied. Respondent offered no convincing explanation as to why the books and records were not adequate. We have found as a fact that no part of the underpayment of tax, if any, was due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations. It follows that the addition to tax under
The final issue for decision is whether petitioners are liable for an addition to tax for failure to file a declaration of estimated tax for the year 1958. The amount involved is small and petitioners offered no evidence nor arguments with respect to this issue. We held in
1. All statutory references are to the 1954 Code unless otherwise noted.↩
2. There is no question that the sale otherwise met the requirements for installment reporting contained in
3. As hereinafter noted, the reason for eliminating the necessity of appraising the deferred obligations of the purchaser is admirably illustrated in this case.↩
4. See, however, fn. 2 of the Court of Appeals' opinion in
5. Opal had never discussed this with an accountant and John did not tell her of his conversation with the accountant early in 1958.↩