1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*14 A decision will be entered specifying deficiencies of $ 589 and $ 53 in petitioner's income taxes for the taxable years ending June 30, 1987, and June 30, 1988, respectively.
P is a social club as described in
104 T.C. 341">*341 OPINION
DAWSON,
1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*15 OPINION OF THE SPECIAL TRIAL JUDGE
COUVILLION,
After a concession by petitioner, 2 the remaining issue for decision is whether petitioner, a social club exempt under
The parties submitted this case fully stipulated under Rule 122. All of the stipulated facts are so found, and those facts, 104 T.C. 341">*342 with the annexed exhibits, are incorporated herein by reference. Petitioner1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*16 was a nonprofit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Illinois with its principal place of business at Chicago, Illinois, at the time it filed its petition in this case.
Petitioner was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1957. In October 1958, petitioner was granted exempt organization status by the Internal Revenue Service as a social club described in
Petitioner's primary objective is to serve member ski clubs through the promotion of skiing activities and fellowship among skiers. Petitioner's activities include the sponsorship or support of ski trips, ski seminars, ski races and awards, and ski equipment shows, and the publication of the Midwest1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*17 Skier magazine (the magazine).
Petitioner's members include ski clubs in the greater Chicago area and individuals; associate members include taxable for-profit companies with an interest in the ski industry. During the years at issue, petitioner had approximately 95 ski clubs as members, 500 individuals as members, and 125 associate members.
Petitioner derives income from membership dues, program service fees from members and guests, investment income, and the sale of advertising space in its publication.
During each year at issue, petitioner published an annual directory issue of the magazine, plus four quarterly issues of the magazine. The annual directory of the magazine is published each year in a quantity of 18,000 magazines, and the four quarterly issues are published each year in a quantity of 4,000 or 5,000 magazines for each issue. Approximately 3,000 copies of each of these five issues (or approximately 15,000 of 35,000 total copies of all five issues) are distributed to petitioner's membership, and the remainder are distributed without charge to the skiing public. The annual directory is published each year in conjunction with a major regional ski industry show, and most1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*18 copies of the annual directory are given to nonmembers at this ski show. The remaining copies of the annual directory and the quarterly 104 T.C. 341">*343 issues of the magazine are distributed to the public primarily by placement in ski equipment shops. There is no charge to either members or nonmembers for any issue of the magazine.
Petitioner received advertising revenue associated with the publication of the magazine. The advertisers in the magazine consist primarily of ski resorts, travel agencies, ski equipment manufacturers, and other businesses related to the ski industry. Petitioner received $ 40,296 and $ 39,383 advertising revenue from its publication of the magazine in its taxable years ending June 30, 1987, and June 30, 1988, respectively. Petitioner received no other revenue from its publication during the years at issue. The amounts received by petitioner from advertising constitute gross income includable in the computation of "unrelated business taxable income" under section 512(a)(3) and do not constitute exempt function income under the same section. Neither party questions this.
Petitioner's expenses from its publication of the magazine for the taxable years ending June1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*19 30, 1987 and 1988, respectively, totaled $ 36,311 and $ 40,185. These publication expenses included the following:
Year ending | Year ending | |
June 30, | June 30, | |
1987 | 1988 | |
Supplies | $ 112 | $ 25 |
Postage and shipping | 778 | 595 |
Printing | 35,421 | 39,500 |
Travel | --- | 65 |
Totals | 36,311 | 40,185 |
None of the expenses claimed included compensation to officers, employees, or members of petitioner, nor any other fixed or overhead expenses of petitioner.
During respondent's audit of petitioner, respondent initially determined, in a letter dated October 28, 1989, that in computing petitioner's UBTI, all publication expenses were deductible, and respondent tentatively allowed, under
Respondent subsequently reconsidered her position and determined that
In the event the Court determines that
1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*22 The determinations of the Commissioner in a notice of deficiency are presumed correct, and the burden of proof is on the taxpayer to show that the determinations are incorrect. Rule 142(a);
104 T.C. 341">*345 Section 511(a) provides for the imposition of a tax on the UBTI of certain
1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*23 Section 512(a)(3)(A) provides an exception to the general rule set out in section 512(a)(1) with respect to social clubs exempt under
(A) GENERAL RULE. --In the case of an organization described in paragraph (7), (9), (17), or (20) of
Essentially, the difference between section 512(a)(1) and section 512(a)(3)(A) is that, under section 512(a)(1), UBTI consists solely of net income realized in the conduct of an unrelated trade or business, whereas under section 512(a)(3)(A) UBTI consists generally1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*24 of all income, whether or not trade or business income, with the only exception being income realized from the members in the performance of the organization's exempt functions. Thus, section 512(a)(3)(A) requires social clubs, as
104 T.C. 341">*346 Nevertheless, with regard to the deductibility of expenses in computing UBTI, the language used in section 512(a)(1) and 512(a)(3)(A) is similar. Each of those paragraphs refers to gross income "
The legislative history of section 512 explains why Congress provided an alternative method for determining the UBTI of social clubs. Prior to the Tax Reform Act of 1969, Pub. L. 91-172, 83 Stat. 487 (the Act), social clubs were not subject to a tax on unrelated business income under section 511. The Act subjected social clubs to the tax on unrelated business income for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1969. Congress broadly defined the types of gross income for which social clubs could be subject to tax and denied social clubs the exclusion from income tax for investment income by adding section 512(a)(3) to the Code. 8Congress decided that social clubs, unlike exempt organizations referred to in section 512(a)(1), should be taxed on their passive income. In effect, income derived from nonmembers was made subject to tax. See
The Act did not, however, make any changes with respect to the deductibility of expenses associated with UBTI. The "directly connected with" language is used in both section 512(a)(1) and section 512(a)(3)(A). This language contains no special rules with respect to the deductibility of expenses for social clubs.
104 T.C. 341">*347 Keeping in mind the aforementioned principles1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*27 and history, the Court addresses the Treasury regulations that are at issue in this case.
(a)
Further,
(1) In general. Under section 513 (relating to the definition of unrelated trade or business) and § 1.513-1, amounts realized by an exempt organization from the sale of advertising in a periodical constitute gross income from an unrelated trade or business activity involving the exploitation of an exempt activity, namely, the circulation and readership of the periodical developed through the production and distribution of the readership content of the periodical. * * *
Respondent's position is that
1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*30 Respondent's attempt to limit the application of the regulation does not take into account the legislative history of section 512(a)(3)(A). The Senate report explains the extension of the unrelated business income tax to social clubs in two separate sections, one dealing with income from business activities and one dealing with investment income and other income from nonmembers. See S. Rept. 91-552,
In recent years, many of the exempt organizations not now subject to the unrelated business income tax--such as * * * social clubs * * *--have begun to engage in substantial commercial activity. * * * it is difficult to justify taxing a university or hospital which runs a public restaurant or hotel or other business and not tax a country club or lodge engaged in similar activity. * * * Both the House bill and1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*31 the committee amendments extend the unrelated business income tax to all exempt organizations * * * [S. Rept. 91-552,
Thus, Congress sought to include the business income of a social club within UBTI.
From the structure of the legislative history, it appears that Congress wished to extend the concept of UBTI to two 104 T.C. 341">*349 types of income associated with social clubs: (1) Income from an unrelated trade or business and (2) investment income and other income from nonmembers. Moreover, there are different policy justifications for the extension of each aspect of UBTI to social clubs: (1) To tax business income, Congress relied on the policy that the business income of all exempt organizations, including social clubs, should be taxed; (2) to tax investment and other income, Congress relied on the policy of not subsidizing social clubs. See S. Rept. 91-552,
In addition, there is nothing in these regulations specifically stating that the same principles regarding the deductibility of expenses are not equally applicable to all exempt organizations, whether the UBTI of such organizations comes under section 512(a)(1) or section 512(a)(3)(A).
Respondent also argues that if petitioner, as a
Moreover, the parties have agreed as to all items of petitioner's gross income from unrelated business activity. As petitioner points out, there are safeguards in
1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 14">*36 The parties stipulated that, in the event the Court determined that
1. Unless otherwise indicated, section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years at issue. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
2. Petitioner earned interest income for the years ending June 30, 1987, and June 30, 1988, in the amounts of $ 945 and $ 1,353, respectively. Petitioner concedes that it is liable for unrelated business income taxes on this investment income.↩
3.
4. Although petitioner paid the amounts of $ 589 and $ 53, respectively, for the 2 years at issue, the notice of deficiency stipulated into evidence does not state that petitioner agreed to a waiver and assessment for these amounts. Consequently, petitioner has not been assessed for these amounts.↩
5. The Court notes that the parties have framed the issue as whether or not
6. Sec. 513(a) defines an "unrelated trade or business" as any trade or business the conduct of which is not substantially related to the exercise or performance by such organization of its exempt purposes.
Sec. 512(b), which provides modifications to the determination of unrelated business taxable income, is not pertinent to the issue in this case.↩
7. Additionally, sec. 512(a)(3)(A) does not allow an exclusion for investment income as is permitted under sec. 512(b). The modifications provided in sec. 512(b) that are applicable to social clubs (i.e., sec. 512(b)(6), (10), (11), (12)), do not involve the exclusion of income from investments.↩
8. Prior to the Act, sec. 512(a) provided:
SEC. 512(a). DEFINITION. --The term "unrelated business taxable income" means the gross income derived by any organization from any unrelated trade or business (as defined in section 513) regularly carried on by it, less the deductions allowed by this chapter which are directly connected with the carrying on of such trade or business, both computed with the exceptions, additions, and limitations provided in subsection (b). * * *↩
9. Since the advertising took up 39.823 percent of the linear space of petitioner's publications, respondent contends only 39.823 percent of the claimed publication expenses is deductible, as noted earlier.↩
10.