Filed: Mar. 17, 2000
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: 114 T.C. No. 11 UNITED STATES TAX COURT JANET N. MOORE, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 16440-99L. Filed March 17, 2000. P was an officer of a corporation that failed to pay Federal trust fund taxes. R determined that P is liable for a penalty pursuant to sec. 6672, I.R.C., equal to the unpaid taxes. After R initiated a collection action against P, P received a due process hearing with R's Boston Appeals Office. R issued a determination letter to P stating t
Summary: 114 T.C. No. 11 UNITED STATES TAX COURT JANET N. MOORE, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 16440-99L. Filed March 17, 2000. P was an officer of a corporation that failed to pay Federal trust fund taxes. R determined that P is liable for a penalty pursuant to sec. 6672, I.R.C., equal to the unpaid taxes. After R initiated a collection action against P, P received a due process hearing with R's Boston Appeals Office. R issued a determination letter to P stating th..
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114 T.C. No. 11
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
JANET N. MOORE, Petitioner v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 16440-99L. Filed March 17, 2000.
P was an officer of a corporation that failed to
pay Federal trust fund taxes. R determined that P is
liable for a penalty pursuant to sec. 6672, I.R.C.,
equal to the unpaid taxes. After R initiated a
collection action against P, P received a due process
hearing with R's Boston Appeals Office. R issued a
determination letter to P stating that R would proceed
with collection. P filed a petition for review of R's
administrative determination with the Court. R filed a
motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.
Held: The Court's jurisdiction to review an
administrative determination respecting a collection
matter is limited to cases where the underlying taxes
are of a type over which the Court normally has
deficiency jurisdiction. Secs. 6320(c), 6330(d),
I.R.C. Held, further, because the Court lacks
jurisdiction over the penalty that R is attempting to
collect, the Court lacks jurisdiction to review the
administrative determination in dispute.
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Janet N. Moore, pro se.
John R. Mikalchus and Kerry Bryan, for respondent.
OPINION
COHEN, Chief Judge: This case was assigned to Chief Special
Trial Judge Peter J. Panuthos pursuant to the provisions of
section 7443A(b)(4) and Rules 180, 181, and 183. Unless
otherwise indicated, section references are to sections of the
Internal Revenue Code as amended, and Rule references to the Tax
Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Court agrees with and
adopts the opinion of the Special Trial Judge, which is set forth
below.
OPINION OF THE SPECIAL TRIAL JUDGE
PANUTHOS, Chief Special Trial Judge: This matter is before
the Court on respondent's motion to dismiss for lack of
jurisdiction. As discussed in detail below, we shall grant
respondent's motion.
Background
Janet N. Moore (petitioner) was an officer of Atlas Elevator
Company (Atlas). Atlas failed to pay over to the Government what
respondent refers to as Federal trust fund taxes (Federal
Insurance Contributions Act taxes under sections 3101 et seq.,
and employee income tax withholding under sections 3401 through
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3406 and 3509) for the periods ending March 31, 1994, and June
30, 1995. Respondent subsequently determined that petitioner was
liable for a penalty pursuant to section 6672 equal to the unpaid
taxes.1
Respondent subsequently initiated a collection action
against petitioner. On September 2, 1999, respondent's Boston
Appeals Office issued a notice of determination to petitioner
stating in pertinent part:
We have reviewed the proposed collection action for the
periods [May 31, 1994 and June 30, 1995]. This letter
is your legal Notice of Determination, as required by
law. * * *
If you want to dispute this determination in court, you
have 30 days from the date of this letter to file a
complaint in the appropriate United States District
Court for a redetermination.
* * * * * * *
Summary of Determination:
1. It has been determined that all requirements of
administrative procedure and applicable law have been
met with regards to the proposed collection action.
1
Sec. 6672(a) provides in pertinent part:
SEC. 6672(a). General Rule.-–Any person required
to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over any
tax imposed by this title who willfully fails to
collect such tax, or truthfully account for and pay
over such tax, or willfully attempts in any manner to
evade or defeat any such tax or the payment thereof,
shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law,
be liable to a penalty equal to the total amount of the
tax evaded, or not collected, or not accounted for and
paid over. * * *
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2. You have offered funds for settlement which are
currently being litigated in the Atlas Elevator
bankruptcy case. Receipt of these funds by the Service
is dependent on bankruptcy law. The funds will not be
sufficient to liquidate the entire corporate debt.
Your personal financial statement indicates an ability
to make monthly payments in the amount of $1,424 per
month. Payments to junior creditors and college
education expenses have been disallowed. You have
declined to pay this amount and have offered no other
alternatives other than settlement for whatever funds
the Bankruptcy Court turns over.
3. The proposed collection action is approved to the
limit of $1,424 per month. This amount balances your
concerns about the intrusiveness of the collection
action with the need for the efficient collection of
taxes. Any contemplated seizure of your personal
residence is not approved. * * * [Emphasis added.]
On September 30, 1999, petitioner filed with the Court a
petition for review of respondent's determination letter. The
petition states in pertinent part that the amount that respondent
is attempting to collect from petitioner is unreasonable due to
financial hardship.
As indicated, respondent filed a motion to dismiss for lack
of jurisdiction. Respondent contends that the Court's
jurisdiction to review administrative determinations respecting
collection matters is limited to cases where the underlying tax
liability is of a kind within the Court’s normal deficiency
jurisdiction. Respondent asserts that the Court lacks
jurisdiction over the Federal trust fund taxes at issue in this
case, and, therefore, the Court lacks jurisdiction to review
respondent's administrative determination to proceed with
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collection against petitioner. Petitioner filed an objection to
respondent's motion to dismiss.
This matter was called for hearing at the Court's motions
session in Washington, D.C. Counsel for respondent appeared at
the hearing and argued in support of the motion to dismiss. No
appearance was made by or on behalf of petitioner at the hearing.
Discussion
Section 6321 provides that, if any person liable to pay any
tax neglects or refuses to pay the same after demand, the amount
shall be a lien in favor of the United States upon all property
and rights to property, whether real or personal, belonging to
such person. Section 6323 generally requires the Commissioner to
file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien with the appropriate State
office or the local Federal District Court.
Section 6331(a) provides that, if any person liable to pay
any tax neglects or refuses to pay such tax within 10 days after
notice and demand for payment, the Secretary is authorized to
collect such tax by levy upon property belonging to the taxpayer.
Section 6331(d) provides that the Secretary is obliged to provide
the taxpayer with notice, including notice of the administrative
appeals available to the taxpayer, before proceeding with
collection by levy on the taxpayer's property.
In the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act
of 1998 (RRA 1998), Pub. L. 105-206, sec. 3401, 112 Stat. 685,
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746, Congress enacted new sections 6320 (pertaining to liens) and
6330 (pertaining to levies) to provide due process protections
for taxpayers in tax collection matters. Sections 6320 and 6330
are effective with respect to collection actions initiated more
than 180 days after July 22, 1998 (January 19, 1999). See RRA
1998 sec. 3401(d), 112 Stat. 750.
Section 6320(a)(1) requires the Commissioner to provide
notice to a person described in section 6321 of the filing of a
notice of lien under section 6323. Section 6320(a)(3) and (b)
provides that the person described in section 6321 is entitled to
notice of and the opportunity for an administrative review of the
lien in the form of an Appeals Office due process hearing.
Section 6330 provides for a similar due process hearing where the
Commissioner has proposed to levy on the taxpayer's property.
Section 6320(c) adopts the procedures set forth in section
6330(c), (d), and (e) governing the issues that may be raised in
a due process hearing and the means for obtaining judicial review
of the matter. See Goza v. Commissioner, 114 T.C. ___ (2000).
Section 6330(d) provides for judicial review of an
administrative determination respecting a collection matter in
pertinent part as follows:
SEC. 6330(d). Proceeding After Hearing.--
(1) Judicial review of determination.-–The person
may, within 30 days of a determination under this
section, appeal such determination–-
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(A) to the Tax Court (and the Tax Court shall
have jurisdiction to hear such matter); or
(B) if the Tax Court does not have
jurisdiction of the underlying tax liability, to a
district court of the United States.
If a court determines that the appeal was to an incorrect
court, a person shall have 30 days after the court
determination to file such appeal with the correct court.
In short, section 6330(d) provides that a taxpayer may file a
petition for review of the Commissioner's administrative
determination with the Tax Court where the Court has jurisdiction
of the underlying tax liability.
The Court's deficiency jurisdiction generally is limited to
the redetermination of income, estate, and gift taxes. See secs.
6211, 6213(a). While Congress clearly intended for section 6330
to provide an opportunity for judicial review of collection
matters, we interpret section 6330(d)(1)(A) and (B) together to
mean that Congress did not intend to expand the Court's
jurisdiction beyond the types of taxes that the Court may
normally consider. Thus, section 6330(d)(1)(A) and (B) provides
for Tax Court jurisdiction except where the Court does not
normally have jurisdiction over the underlying liability.
The Tax Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, and we may
exercise our jurisdiction only to the extent authorized by
Congress. See Naftel v. Commissioner,
85 T.C. 527, 529 (1985).
In the present case, respondent is attempting to collect Federal
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trust fund taxes from petitioner by way of a penalty imposed
under section 6672.
Section 6672(c)(2) contemplates that the Federal District
Court or the Court of Federal Claims shall have jurisdiction to
determine a taxpayer's liability for a penalty imposed under that
section. The Tax Court does not have jurisdiction to redetermine
the taxes that respondent is attempting to collect in this case.
See Henry Randolph Consulting v. Commissioner,
112 T.C. 1 (1999).
Consistent with section 6330(d)(1), it follows that this
Court does not have jurisdiction to review the administrative
determination at issue herein. However, petitioner is not
without a remedy. Pursuant to the final flush language of
section 6330(d)(1), petitioner has 30 days from the date of the
Court's order dismissing this case to file an appeal with the
appropriate Federal District Court.
To reflect the foregoing,
An order of dismissal
will be entered.