2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*319 Respondent's Motion for Summary Judgment was granted.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
KROUPA, Judge: This matter is before the Court on respondent's Motion for Summary Judgment under
Background
The record shows and/or the parties do not dispute the following. 2
Petitioner failed to file timely Federal income tax returns for 1992 and 1993. He filed the returns for2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*320 both years on August 5, 2001.
On August 2, 2001, 3 days before filing the 1992 and 1993 returns, petitioner filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. In his Schedule E, Creditors Holding Unsecured Priority Claims, petitioner listed his liability to respondent as $10,960 3 plus penalties and interest for the taxable years 1992, 1993, and 1994 4 On November 6, 2001, the bankruptcy court issued an order stating that petitioner "is/are granted a discharge under
Respondent assessed petitioner's tax liabilities for 1992 and 1993 on November 26 and October 1, 2001, respectively; the assessments amounted to $ 15,779 for 1992 and $ 6,092 for 1993.
On April 15, 2002, respondent sent petitioner Notices of Intent to Levy for 1992 and 1993. On May 30, 2002, petitioner sent respondent Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process Hearing, in which he contested the collection proceedings with respect to the years at issue and requested a
On January 17, 2003, respondent sent petitioner a Notice of Determination, stating there was no record that petitioner's liabilities were discharged in bankruptcy and indicating respondent's intent to proceed with the levy with respect to the years at issue. 5
Petitioner filed his amended petition contesting the Notice of Determination with this Court on February 26, 2003. In the petition, petitioner contended that his liabilities for 1992 and 1993 were discharged in the bankruptcy proceedings.
On July 25, 2003, respondent filed a Motion for Summary Judgment arguing that petitioner's tax obligations2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*322 for 1992 and 1993 were precluded from discharge under the Bankruptcy Code.
Discussion
Summary judgment is intended to expedite litigation and avoid unnecessary and expensive trials. See, e.g.,
Where the validity of the underlying liability is not at issue, the Court will review the administrative determination2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*323 for abuse of discretion. See
Respondent argues that petitioner's tax liabilities were not discharged in the bankruptcy proceedings because they are precluded from discharge under
As a preliminary matter, we note that we have jurisdiction to decide whether a tax liability for which collection is at issue in a
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*325 Respondent argues that because petitioner filed his Federal tax returns on August 5, 2001, which is both after their original due dates and after August 3, 1999 (the commencement of the 2 years prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition), the discharge of these liabilities is disallowed by
In his petition, petitioner does not dispute that the filing of an overdue return after the commencement of the 2-year period would preclude discharge of his tax liabilities. Rather, petitioner argues that respondent was aware of his tax liabilities for the years in question and assessed them prior to 2001. 7 Specifically, petitioner seems to claim that respondent had filed substitute-for-returns (SFRs) on behalf of petitioner for the years 1992 and 1993, long before the commencement of the 2-year period preceding the filing of the bankruptcy petition. The dates on which those SFRs were made, according to petitioner, are the relevant reference dates in the determination of when the returns were filed for purposes of
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*326 To avoid the application of
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*327 We conclude that, because petitioner's late filings of the 1992 and 1993 Federal tax returns took place after the commencement of the 2-year period preceding the filing of the bankruptcy petition, petitioner's tax liabilities for those years were not discharged in the bankruptcy proceedings. See
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 319">*328 To reflect the foregoing,
An appropriate order and decision will be entered.
1. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
2. At the time he filed the petition, petitioner resided in Sausalito, California.↩
3. All dollar amounts have been rounded to the nearest dollar.↩
4. The taxable year 1994 is not at issue here.↩
5. The Notice of Determination stated, in the section captioned "Issues Raised by the Taxpayer" that "[y]ou contend that the liabilities at issue were discharged in bankruptcy, but there is no record of that."↩
6.
(a) A discharge under
(1) for a tax or a customs duty --
* * * * * * *
(B) with respect to which a return, if required --
(i) was not filed; or
(ii) was filed after the date on which such return was last due, under applicable law or under any extension, and after two years before the date of the filing of the petition; * * *.↩
7. In his motion for summary judgment, respondent fails to respond to petitioner's argument. It appears that respondent is convinced that we may not review these issues since, he argues, they were not raised in the
8. Petitioner states in his amended petition that "the IRS had in fact knowledge and assessment data for the 1992 [and 1993] tax [years], as evidenced by a subsequent (1994) tax year 'Notice of Levy * * *' dated 08.16.98." (Emphasis omitted.)↩
9. Petitioner's claim that respondent had assessed his 1992 and 1993 liabilities prior to 2001 seems to be based, in its entirety, on a Form 668-W(c), Notice of Levy on Wages, Salary, and Other Income, (Notice of Levy) for the tax period ending Dec. 31, 1994, that respondent issued petitioner on Sept. 8, 1998. The Notice of Levy clearly indicates, however, that the unpaid tax liabilities levied upon are those solely attributable to 1994. As such, the Notice of Levy does not pertain to 1992 or 1993 and thus does not provide any basis for petitioner's contention that his tax liabilities for those years were assessed prior to 2001.
Further, the Forms 4340, Certificate of Assessments, Payments, and Other Specified Matters, submitted by respondent with his motion for summary judgment, reflect that no assessment for 1992 and 1993 had been made prior to 2001, and do not indicate that any collection proceedings have been previously instituted for those years. Form 4340 identifies relevant assessments, payments, and other specified matters that appear in the official record of the IRS with respect to a taxpayer. For purposes of summary judgment, a Form 4340 is presumptive proof of the validity of the information contained therein, absent contrary evidence. See
10. None of the cases we have found dealing with