1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*209 Decisions will be entered for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
WOLFE,
Additions To Tax | |||
Year | Deficiency | Sec. 6651(a) | Sec. 6654(a) |
1986 | $ 1,406 | $ 352 | -- |
1987 | 1,649 | 412 | -- |
1988 | 3,001 | 750 | -- |
1989 | 2,745 | 686 | $ 187 |
1990 | 2,434 | 593 | 155 |
1991 | 2,389 | 597 | 139 |
1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*210 The issues for decision are: (1) Whether petitioner is liable for tax on her income for the years in issue as determined by respondent; (2) whether petitioner is liable for additions to tax under
FINDINGS OF FACT
Prior to consolidation of these cases, docket No. 20150-93 came on for trial on May 23, 1994. We continued that case because petitioner had failed to cooperate in the stipulation process and respondent was not prepared to try the case without a stipulation of facts. This Court had earlier participated in an extended pretrial conference to help the parties reach agreement on at least a minimal stipulation, but petitioner refused to stipulate even the most basic facts. Petitioner's refusal to stipulate undisputed facts was consistent with a purpose of delay.
On September 6, 1994, after consolidation of these cases, respondent filed a motion for order to show cause1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*211 under Rule 91(f) why proposed facts in evidence should not be accepted as established. A proposed stipulation of facts and exhibits in support thereof was attached to respondent's motion. Respondent's motion for order to show cause was granted. Petitioner filed a response, setting forth frivolous objections. At the hearing pursuant to the order to show cause, petitioner offered nothing of merit to refute respondent's proposed stipulation of facts. Respondent's order to show cause then was made absolute, and the Court ordered that the facts and evidence set forth in respondent's proposed stipulation of facts with attached exhibits are deemed admitted for purposes of these consolidated cases, with two exceptions. Paragraph 28 of the proposed stipulation of facts, concerning Activity Code 532, was deleted from the stipulation, and an additional document, a portion of the Internal Revenue Manual in effect on November 15, 1983, proposed by petitioner, was stipulated. That stipulation of facts and the exhibits attached thereto are incorporated herein by this reference.
Petitioner resided in Tinley Park, Illinois, when her petition was filed. During 1986, petitioner received wages in the1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*212 amount of $ 11,333 and nonemployee compensation in the amount of $ 1,168 from HCM Company. During 1987, she received wages in the amount of $ 15,927 from HCM Company. HCM Company did not withhold Federal income tax from the wages it paid petitioner during 1986 and 1987.
During 1988, petitioner received wages from two companies, HDM and Hamilton, Carver & Lee, Inc. (Hamilton), in the respective amounts of $ 4,786 and $ 19,074. Petitioner completed Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, and claimed "exempt" from withholding for taxable year 1988. HDM and Hamilton did not withhold Federal income tax from the wages each paid petitioner that year. Also during 1988, petitioner received a distribution in the amount of $ 76 from the HDM Company Savings and Retirement Plan.
During 1989, petitioner received wages from Hamilton in the amount of $ 20,503, plus a distribution of $ 710 from her vested portion of Hamilton's profit sharing benefits. Hamilton withheld no Federal income tax from the wages it paid petitioner that year. Petitioner also received unemployment compensation during 1989 in the amount of $ 1,708 from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
During1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*213 1990, petitioner received wages from Hackney's on Lake, Inc. (Hackney's) and Esrock Corp. (Esrock) in the respective amounts of $ 1,104 and $ 13,433. Hackney's withheld Federal income tax in the amount of $ 16 from the wages it paid petitioner that year and Esrock withheld $ 48. Petitioner also received unemployment compensation during 1990 in the amount of $ 6,972 from the Illinois Bureau of Employment Security. On November 11, 1990, and November 6, 1990, petitioner completed two Forms W-4 for 1989 and 1990, respectively. She claimed "exempt" from withholding and signed both forms. However, the parties have stipulated that petitioner "rescinded her signature", and each of the forms bears the handwritten legend "signature rescinded".
During 1991, petitioner received wages from Hackney's and Ozinga Brothers, Inc. (Ozinga) in the respective amounts of $ 3,094 and $ 14,280. Ozinga and Hackney's did not withhold Federal income tax from the wages each paid petitioner that year. Petitioner also received unemployment compensation during 1991 in the amount of $ 4,084 from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Petitioner did not file a Federal income tax return for any of the taxable1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*214 years 1986 through and including 1991. Substitute returns were prepared by respondent in connection with the subject examination of petitioner's tax liability for those years. Respondent has not made any tax assessment for those same years.
OPINION
In statutory notices of deficiency, respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner's Federal income tax for the years 1986 through and including 1991. Respondent also determined additions to tax under
Petitioner asserts frivolous tax protester-type arguments that essentially ask this Court to "look behind" the notices of deficiency and find them arbitrary and excessive. Petitioner argues that the notices of deficiency and the determinations therein are invalid because respondent: (1) Failed to identify the type of tax involved; (2) improperly prepared for petitioner1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*215 tax returns that did not satisfy the requirements of section 6020; (3) failed to follow Internal Revenue Manual procedures and did not identify the statute or regulation relied upon in issuing the statutory notices; (4) misclassified her source of income; and (5) did not issue the notices within the statutory limitations period. Petitioner also argues that the Forms W-2 filed by her employers satisfied her filing requirement for the years at issue. She did not otherwise address the determination that she failed to pay estimated taxes.
Each of the notices of deficiency in these cases unambiguously identifies both the amounts of the deficiencies and the years involved. Each statutory notice tells the taxpayer all that is required.3 See
1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*217 Petitioner's frivolous contentions do not involve the exceptions to the general rule summarized above nor do they otherwise warrant our reviewing respondent's administrative procedures. None of the notices fails to identify the subject tax; each clearly describes the "Kind of Tax" involved as "INDIVIDUAL INCOME". The alleged substitute returns are forms that were included in the notices of deficiency and that detailed the adjustments determined by respondent. The forms in question merely facilitated the processing of the notices and did not serve as substitute returns under section 6020. Nothing in the Internal Revenue Code requires the Secretary to file a return pursuant to section 6020 before assessing a deficiency.
1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*218 Petitioner's assertions that respondent failed to identify the statute or regulation relied upon in issuing the notices, and that respondent failed to observe all of the requirements of the Internal Revenue Manual also are without merit. Lack of reference or citation to the Internal Revenue Code does not invalidate a notice of deficiency. See
Finally, petitioner's contention that the notices of deficiency were not timely issued is frivolous. Petitioner contends that the Forms W-2 filed by her employers with the1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*219 Internal Revenue Service satisfied her filing requirement and triggered the limitations period for assessment. In support of this argument, petitioner referenced Income Tax regulations in effect during 1946. For taxable years 1944 through 1947, Income Tax regulations provided that individuals required to file were to file their tax returns on Form 1040 or, under certain circumstances, on a Form W-2. 51996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*220 Sec. 29.51-2, Regs. 111 (1943), as amended by
During the taxable years in issue, the Income Tax regulations prescribed the use of a Form 1040 or, under limited circumstances, a Form 1040A.
We hold that the wages and other income attributed to petitioner in the notices of deficiency are taxable income. See
Petitioner's general protester-type arguments1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*222 have been rejected by this Court and others, including the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, to which appeal in this case lies. See
Respondent's determinations of the deficiencies in these cases are sustained.
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for additions to tax under
Petitioner did not file a Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, a Form 1040A, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, or a Form 1040EZ, Income Tax Return for Single Filers with No Dependents, for any of the taxable years at issue. Petitioner did not offer any evidence or testimony to the contrary, but argued instead that the Forms W-2 filed by her employers with the Internal Revenue Service satisfied her filing obligations. As discussed above, the filing by another of a Form W-2 does not satisfy the requirements for filing an individual income tax return. See
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for additions to tax under
The parties stipulated that for each of the taxable years at issue, with the exception of 1990, Federal income tax was not withheld from the wages attributed to petitioner herein. During 1990, Hackney's withheld Federal income tax in the amount of $ 16 on wages of $ 1,104 and Esrock withheld Federal income tax in the amount of $ 48 on wages of $ 13,433. There is no showing in the record that petitioner made estimated tax payments for any of the years in issue. Petitioner offered no evidence or testimony to refute the stipulated facts. Petitioner has not satisfied her burden of proof. Respondent is sustained on this issue.
At trial respondent moved for sanctions under
The records in these cases establish that petitioner sought to delay these proceedings by refusing to stipulate even the most basic elements of the cases and that she raised only frivolous factual and legal arguments. Her claims that the notices of deficiency failed to identify the type of tax involved and that her source of income was misclassified, for example, contradicted the record. Petitioner demonstrated that she was able to research the law, yet she took positions contrary to established law and unsupported by a reasoned colorable argument. See
In her trial memorandum and posttrial briefs, petitioner makes two arguments that we address summarily. First, petitioner contends that the "additions to tax under
1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 209">*227
1. These cases were consolidated for purposes of trial, briefing, and opinion by order of this Court dated Aug. 19, 1994.↩
2. All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years at issue, unless otherwise indicated. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
3. Each notice contains a description that satisfies sec. 7522, which provides for the general content of tax due, deficiency, and other notices. We note that this provision was originally enacted as sec. 7521(2) by sec. 6233(a) of the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988, Pub. L. 100-647, 102 Stat. 3342, 3735, applicable to mailings made on or after January 1, 1990, and was redesignated as sec. 7522 by sec. 11704(a)(3) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-508, 104 Stat. 1388, 1388-519.↩
4. Petitioner submitted a copy of one of respondent's internal files monitoring the status of her purported deficiencies. The file references an "activity code" number that can be correlated to the manufacture of pistols and revolvers. Petitioner gleans from this that her source of income was misclassified. However, none of the notices of deficiency attribute income to petitioner from the manufacture of pistols and revolvers.↩
5. Specifically, the regulations provided that for taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1943, the return was to be on Form 1040, except in the case of a taxpayer entitled to elect, and who so elected, to use the Form W-2 (Rev.). Sec. 29.51-2, Regs. 111 (1943), as amended by
6. The amended regulations provided that for taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1947, the return was to be on Form 1040, except in the case of a taxpayer entitled to elect, and who so elected, to use the Form 1040A. Sec. 29.51-2, Regs. 111 [
7.
8. Sec. 7214 provides that any officer or employee of the U.S. convicted of certain criminal acts in connection with any revenue law of the U.S. may be dismissed from office or discharged from his employment and fined not more than $ 10,000, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both. It also provides for damages against such officer or employee in favor of the party injured by such officer's or employee's actions.↩