2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*258 Decision was entered for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
LARO, Judge: Petitioner petitioned the Court to redetermine respondent's determination of a $ 47,036 deficiency in his 1998 Federal income tax and additions thereto of $ 10,279, $ 2,970, and $ 2,067 under
1. Whether petitioner may use the filing status of "Married filing joint return". We hold that he may not.
2. Whether petitioner realized losses on certain stock2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*259 transactions. We hold that he did not.
3. Whether petitioner may deduct a loss of $ 86,889 from an S corporation named Only Kids, Inc. (Only Kids). We hold that he may not.
4. Whether petitioner may deduct certain itemized expenses in amounts greater than allowed by respondent. We hold that he may not.
5. Whether petitioner is liable for the additions to tax under
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some facts were stipulated. The stipulated facts and the accompanying exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference. We find the stipulated facts accordingly. Petitioner was married throughout the subject year and resided in Memphis, Tennessee, when his petition was filed. He has not filed a Federal income tax return for 1995 through 2000.
Petitioner is the president, chief executive officer, and sole shareholder of Only Kids. Only Kids was incorporated on November 4, 1988, and it filed a 1998 Form 1120S, 2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*260 U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation, reporting a loss of $ 86,889. That return also reported that Only Kids had been an S corporation since the year of its incorporation and that as of the end of its 1998 taxable year, December 31, 1998, its balance sheet included capital stock, additional paid-in-capital, and a retained deficit in the amounts of $ 425,000, $ 2,049,649, and $ 2,053,361, respectively. That balance sheet did not list any loans to Only Kids from petitioner.
Only Kids paid wages of $ 99,692 to petitioner during 1998. Petitioner also received during 1998 other items of gross income. First, he received interest and dividends of $ 99 and $ 463, respectively. Second, he received $ 39,056 from Donaldson Lufkin & Arnold (DLA) and $ 16,349 from U.S. Clearing (USC) for sales of stock. The proceeds from DLA were for sales in the respective amounts of $ 3,237, $ 10,255, $ 3,354, $ 2,512, $ 3,193, $ 9,775, and $ 6,730. The proceeds from USC were for sales in the respective amounts of $ 6,487 and $ 9,862. As to the sales of $ 3,237, $ 10,255, $ 3,193, and $ 9,775, petitioner's basis in the underlying stock was $ 4,371, $ 8,738, $ 3,775, and $ 10,493, respectively, and his2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*261 gain or loss on the sales was ($ 1,134), $ 1,517, ($ 582), and $ 718, respectively. The record does not establish petitioner's basis as to the stock underlying any of the other sales. Nor does the record establish petitioner's holding period as to any of the sales.
In the notice of deficiency, respondent determined petitioner's gross income on the basis of income reported to respondent by petitioner's payors. That income included the amounts of wages, interest, dividends, and stock proceeds stated above. 2 Respondent also determined in the notice of deficiency that petitioner's filing status was "Married filing separate return".
OPINION
1. Burden of Proof
Taxpayers generally must prove the Commissioner's determinations wrong in order to prevail.
We do not find that petitioner maintained adequate records, satisfied applicable substantiation requirements, or cooperated2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*263 with respondent. Accordingly, we hold that
2. Filing Status
Section 1(a) allows married individuals to elect to compute their Federal income tax liability on the basis of a joint return. We conclude that petitioner is not entitled to compute his 1998 Federal income tax liability as such in that he has never filed a 1998 tax return. See
3. Stock Sales
A taxpayer such as petitioner must recognize gain or loss on each sale of stock in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and his basis.
Petitioner argues that he is entitled to recognize losses on sales of stock not mentioned above. We disagree. The record does not establish that petitioner had any other such sales of stock during the relevant year. In that petitioner has not disproved respondent's determination that his stock proceeds are taxable in full, with the exception of our findings above as to basis, that those proceeds were the only sales proceeds received by petitioner during the subject year, and that petitioner's gains and losses from his stock sales were short-term capital gains and losses, we sustain respondent's determination as to this issue.
4. Loss From Only Kids
The pro rata share of an S corporation's loss passes through to its shareholders.
Petitioner argues that he is entitled to deduct an $ 86,889 loss from Only Kids and that the 1998 Form 1120S, a single bank statement, and his testimony establish his basis in Only Kids. We disagree with petitioner when he asserts that he has established that he has a basis in Only Kids. The Form 1120S does not contain sufficient information for us to establish that he has any basis in
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 258">*267 5. Itemized Expenses
Petitioner argues that he is entitled to deduct certain itemized expenses (i.e., medical expenses, real estate taxes, and home mortgage interest) in amounts greater than allowed by respondent. In addition to his general burden of proof discussed above, petitioner must prove his entitlement to any deduction, e.g., by maintaining sufficient records to substantiate his claimed deductions.
6. Additions to Tax
a.
Respondent bears the burden of production with respect to this addition to tax.
Respondent has satisfied his burden of production in that the record establishes that petitioner has never filed a 1998 tax return. Petitioner must establish reasonable cause in order to prevail as to the portion of the addition to tax for which he bears the burden of proof. Petitioner has failed to present any persuasive evidence establishing that his failure to file that return timely was due to reasonable cause and was not due to willful neglect. Respondent, in turn, also has failed to introduce any evidence establishing to the contrary; i.e., that petitioner's failure to file timely was not due to reasonable cause or was due to willful neglect. We sustain respondent's determination as to the addition to tax under
b.
The record establishes that petitioner failed to pay the required amount of estimated tax for 1998. We conclude that respondent has met his burden of production as to this issue. Given that the record does not establish that any of the referenced exceptions applies, we conclude that petitioner has failed to meet his burden of proof and sustain respondent's determination as to this issue. See
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All arguments made by the parties and not discussed herein have been rejected as meritless.
Decision will be entered under
1. Unless otherwise indicated, section references are to the applicable versions of the Internal Revenue Code, Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, and dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.↩
2. As to the stock proceeds, respondent gave petitioner credit for the bases mentioned above and treated the gains and losses as short-term capital gains and losses.↩
3. We are mindful that petitioner, as the only shareholder of Only Kids, obviously had to have at least once invested in the corporation and that Only Kids' 1998 Form 1120S reported that Only Kids' balance sheet as of December 31, 1998, listed capital stock and additional paid-in-capital of $ 425,000 and $ 2,049,649, respectively. In that the record contains no credible evidence to persuade us that the amounts listed on the balance sheet are correct, we decline to find those amounts as facts. We also note that petitioner has never filed a tax return for 1995 through 2000 and that the record does not establish his taxable income for any of the nondocketed years. Petitioner, therefore, has failed to establish that any basis that he may have acquired in Only Kids' stock and debt before the subject year was not reduced to zero because of losses claimed in those earlier years.↩