Decision was entered for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
MARVEL, Judge: In separate notices of deficiency, respondent determined the following income tax deficiencies and additions to tax with respect to petitioner's Federal income taxes: 1
Addition to tax Addition to tax
Year Deficiency Sec. 6651(a)(1) Sec. 6654(a)
____ __________ _______________ _______________
1996 $ 492,138 $ 123,035 $ 26,194
1998 941 235 -0-
1999 78,215 19,554 3,785
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*60 Petitioner did not file Federal income tax returns for 1996, 1998, and 1999. As a result, respondent determined the 1996, 1998, and 1999 income tax deficiencies from information reported to him by third parties. Based on records petitioner submitted after the notices of deficiency were issued, respondent recomputed the deficiencies and additions to tax as follows:
Addition to tax Addition to tax
Year Deficiency Sec. 6651(a)(1) Sec. 6654(a)
____ __________ _______________ _______________
1996 $ 220,934 $ 55,234 $ 11,759
1998 -0- -0- -0-
1999 4,839 1,210 232
After additional concessions, 2 the issues for decision are:
(1) Whether petitioner had capital gain from the sale of real property in the taxable years 1996 and 1999 and, if so, the amount of that gain;
(2) whether petitioner is liable for additions to tax under
(3) whether2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*61 petitioner is liable for additions to tax under
(4) whether the Court should impose a penalty under
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and supplemental stipulation of facts are incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioner resided in Woodinville, Washington, when the petition was filed in this case.
Capital Gain on Sale of Real Property
In 1996, petitioner sold real estate located at 1018 Market Street, Kirkland, Washington (hereinafter, the Market Street property), and 2033 Rose Point Lane, Kirkland, Washington (hereinafter, the Rose Point Lane property). In 1999, petitioner also sold real property located at 16103 167th Avenue Northeast, Woodinville, Washington (hereinafter, the Hollywood Hill lot).
On November 20, 2003, 3 petitioner2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*62 met with Appeals Officer Jeffrey Sherrill and produced documentation establishing: (1) The cost basis of each property at issue; (2) the costs he incurred to purchase, refinance, and sell the properties; and (3) the expenditures he incurred for improvements he made to certain of the properties. Petitioner, however, did not provide the Appeals officer with any documentation to substantiate any of the other expenses petitioner claimed with respect to the properties at issue. After reviewing the information provided by petitioner, respondent recomputed petitioner's income tax deficiencies for 1996, 1998, and 1999. The pertinent facts regarding petitioner's ownership of each property, and respondent's revised position with respect to each property's adjusted basis and the gain petitioner recognized on each sale, are set forth below. 4
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*63 Market Street Property
In June 1992, petitioner purchased the Market Street property for $ 143,500. The Market Street property was a single-family residence that petitioner remodeled and converted into office space. 5 In January 1996, petitioner sold the property for $ 212,500.
Respondent added $ 1,671 for acquisition costs and $ 41,743, the cost of capital improvements, 6 to petitioner's cost basis in the Market Street property. In computing the amount realized on the sale, respondent subtracted $ 4,373 from the sale price to account for selling costs. Using an adjusted sale price of $ 208,127 and an adjusted basis of $ 186,914, respondent concluded that petitioner must recognize gain of $ 21,213 on the sale of the Market Street property.
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*64 Respondent did not include any of the following expenses, which petitioner claims should increase the Market Street property's adjusted basis, in computing petitioner's gain:
Item Cost
Maintenance for 42 mos. at $ 150/mo. $ 6,300
Utilities for 42 mos. 5,985
Mortgage interest for 42 mos. 41,679
Insurance for 42 mos. 4,200
Property taxes for 42 mos. 7,059
Personal labor of 798 hrs. at $ 20/hr. 15,960
Payment to settle asbestos claim 1,750
Remodeling expenses in excess of $ 41,743 5,757
Respondent disallowed any deductions or basis adjustments for these items on the grounds that petitioner failed to substantiate the expenses or establish that they were incurred in the course of his trade or business.
Rose Point Lane Property
In January 1987, petitioner purchased the Rose Point Lane property for $ 495,000. In March 1996, petitioner sold the property for $ 1,065,000. The Rose Point Lane property was a waterfront2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*65 residence in which petitioner and his spouse resided from January 1988 through March 1996.
Respondent increased petitioner's cost basis in the Rose Point Lane property by $ 1,311 for certain acquisition costs and $ 2,782 for costs related to refinancing the property and decreased the basis by $ 66,027 to account for deferred gain from the sale of petitioner's previous residence. 7 In computing the amount realized on the sale, respondent subtracted $ 60,516 from the sale price to account for selling costs. Using an adjusted sale price of $ 1,004,484 and an adjusted basis of $ 433,066, respondent concluded that petitioner must recognize gain of $ 571,418 on the sale of the Rose Point Lane property.
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*66 Respondent did not include any of the following expenses, which petitioner claims should increase the adjusted basis of the Rose Point Lane property, in computing petitioner's gain: 8
Item Cost
Landscaping and repairs $ 21,750
Maintenance for 100 mos. at $ 150/mo. 15,000
Refinancing expenses (three times) 26,500
Mortgage interest 325,100
Insurance for 100 mos. 11,150
Property taxes for 100 mos. 104,167
Personal labor of 1500 hrs. at $ 20/hr. 30,000
Settlement charges for utilities 200
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*67 Respondent concluded that the costs petitioner allegedly incurred for landscaping and repairs, maintenance, utilities, and personal labor did not constitute capital improvements that must be added to the property's basis. Respondent disallowed any basis adjustments for the remaining expenses for lack of substantiation.
Hollywood Hill Lot
In April 1996, petitioner purchased two adjacent parcels of real property, one of which had a home situated on it, for $ 732,500. 9 Petitioner and his spouse resided in the home, located at 16109 167th Avenue Northeast, Woodinville, Washington, after selling the Rose Point Lane property. Petitioner improved the empty lot adjacent to the home, the Hollywood Hill lot, by constructing a fence around the property. In October 1999, petitioner sold the Hollywood Hill lot for $ 235,000.
Respondent concluded that petitioner's cost basis in the Hollywood Hill lot was $ 185,000, 2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*68 approximately 25 percent of the total purchase price of both lots. 10 Respondent added to petitioner's cost basis $ 431, which represented 25 percent of the costs incurred in the purchase of both lots, and $ 5,974 for the cost of constructing a fence on the Hollywood Hill lot. In computing the amount realized on the sale, respondent subtracted $ 9,957 from the sale price to account for selling costs. Using an adjusted sale price of $ 225,043 and an adjusted basis of $ 191,405, respondent concluded that petitioner must recognize gain of $ 33,638 on the sale of the Hollywood Hill lot.
Respondent did not include the following expenses, which petitioner claims should increase the adjusted basis of the Hollywood Hill2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*69 lot, in computing petitioner's gain on the sale: 11
Item Cost
Settlement charges for property taxes due $ 4,582
Maintenance for 43 mos. at $ 100/mo. n.1 4,300
Personal labor of 430 hrs. at $ 20/hr. 8,600
Property taxes for 43 mos. 6,987
n.1 According to petitioner, the maintenance performed on
the Hollywood Hill lot was routine, such as mowing, and was not part
of the development of the property for ultimate resale.
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*70 Respondent disallowed any deduction or basis adjustment for the settlement charges for property taxes because petitioner failed to substantiate the expense, and respondent disallowed any adjustments for the remaining items.
Petitioner's Failure To File Income Tax Returns and Related Correspondence
Petitioner failed to file Federal income tax returns for 1996, 1998, and 1999. On April 2, 1997, petitioner mailed an 11-page letter to the Department of the Treasury in Washington, D. C., requesting that it provide him with the "taxing statutes" that impose on him any Federal income tax liability or require him to file a Federal income tax return. The letter also contained typical tax-protester arguments regarding the constitutionality of the Federal tax laws and quotations from the Code, Income Tax Regulations, and caselaw relating to the authority of the Federal Government to impose an income tax. On June 16, 1997, petitioner mailed the same letter requesting the taxing statutes to the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Ogden, Utah, office.
On May 15, 2002, respondent sent petitioner a 30-day notice stating that the IRS had not received petitioner's 1999 Federal income tax return. In2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*71 the letter, respondent also proposed an income tax deficiency and additions to tax for petitioner's 1999 taxable year and advised petitioner of the Code sections that required him to file a return and provide certain information to the IRS. In response to respondent's 30-day notice, on June 14, 2002, petitioner mailed to the IRS's Ogden, Utah, office another copy of the 1997 letter requesting the taxing statutes. In addition, petitioner mailed a 15-page letter dated June 14, 2002, to the IRS's Ogden, Utah, office requesting an administrative appeal and reiterating his tax-protester arguments.
By letter dated November 6, 2002, respondent informed petitioner that the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that the Federal income tax laws are constitutional and that persons who fail to comply with those laws may be subject to civil and criminal penalties. In addition, respondent notified petitioner of respondent's intent to issue notices of deficiency for petitioner's 1996, 1998, and 1999 taxable years. On March 26, 2003, respondent issued three separate notices of deficiency for petitioner's 1996, 1998, and 1999 taxable years. Because petitioner had not filed Federal income tax returns2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*72 or produced any basis documentation before respondent issued the notices of deficiency, respondent computed the gain petitioner must recognize on the sale of each property without allowing petitioner any basis in the properties at issue.
Petitioner's Conduct During Litigation
On June 24, 2003, the petition in this case was filed. In the petition, petitioner contested the notices of deficiency for 1996, 1998, and 1999 and included several pages of typical tax-protester arguments. On July 31, 2003, respondent filed a motion to strike portions of the petition on the grounds that it contained immaterial, frivolous, and nonjusticiable arguments and that it did not contain clear and concise assignments of error or lettered statements of the facts upon which to base assignments of error, as required by
By letter dated February 5, 2004, respondent advised petitioner that he considered several of the arguments in the petition to be immaterial and frivolous and that he would request that the Court award damages under
At trial, we warned petitioner on several occasions that we would not entertain any arguments at trial or on brief regarding the source of the Federal taxing authority or the basis for respondent's contention that income from the sale of property is taxable under the laws of the United States. We further explained to petitioner that personal labor is neither includable in basis nor deductible as an expense, that any arguments regarding the tax treatment of personal labor are frivolous, inappropriate, and a waste of time, and that we would consider any such arguments in deciding the motion to impose sanctions under
Following the trial, we directed the parties to prepare and submit a supplemental stipulation of facts and to address the application of
On June 28, 2004, petitioner's posttrial memorandum was filed. In the posttrial memorandum, petitioner argued that "respondent has refused at all times verbally or upon documents to set forth any laws which authorizes [sic] him to take the actions or make claims for his process of income tax assessments" and that "it is self evident that nothing within the language of the respondent's Supplemental Stipulations of Facts is based upon any United States tax law, statutes or regulations." Petitioner also continued to advance arguments regarding the tax treatment of personal labor in his posttrial memorandum. On July 28, 2004, we filed petitioner's answering posttrial memorandum, which contained 27 pages of tax- protester arguments similar to those that he had been warned against making at trial and which had been stricken from his petition.
OPINION
A. Gain From the Sale of Real Property in2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*75 General
Gross income means all income from whatever source derived, including gains derived from dealings in property.
The amount realized is the sum of any money received plus the fair market value of any other property received, reduced by the expenses of selling the property.
A taxpayer is also required2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*76 to keep permanent books of account or records that are sufficient to establish the amount of gross income, deductions, and other information required to be shown on an income tax return.
B.
If property (in this section called "old residence") used by the
taxpayer as his principal residence is sold by him and, within a
period beginning 2 years before the date of such sale and ending
2 years after such date, property (in this section called "new
residence") is purchased2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*77 and used by the taxpayer as his
principal residence, gain (if any) from such sale shall be
recognized only to the extent that the taxpayer's adjusted sales
price (as defined in subsection (b)) of the old residence
exceeds the taxpayer's cost of purchasing the new residence.
The "adjusted sales price" is the amount realized reduced by expenses for work performed on the old residence to assist in its sale.
C. Petitioner's Arguments
Petitioner argues that for purposes of calculating the amount of gain, if any, he must recognize on the sale of each property, he is entitled to increase his adjusted basis in each property for expenses related to his ownership and use of the properties. Other than petitioner's own testimony, the only evidence petitioner offered to substantiate the expenses respondent disallowed were the settlement statements from the purchase and sale of each property and various receipts for improvements he made to the Market Street property and the Hollywood Hill lot. These settlement statements and receipts, however, do nothing more than affirm respondent's revised position as to each property's adjusted basis and sale price. Petitioner made no effort whatsoever at trial to prove the existence or amount of the expenses he argues should be added to each property's adjusted basis. 14In the absence of any corroborating evidence, we are not required to accept petitioner's self-serving testimony.
In addition, petitioner cites no authority to support his position that the expenses he allegedly incurred for landscaping, routine maintenance and repairs, utilities, and insurance, with respect to either the Rose Point Lane property or Hollywood Hill lot, may be added to the adjusted basis of either property. Petitioner did not prove that these expenses were for permanent improvements that have a useful life or that they increased the value of the property substantially beyond the taxable years in question.
With respect to petitioner's argument that the cost of his personal labor should increase his adjusted basis in the properties at issue, no provision of the Code authorizes an increase in basis for the cost of a taxpayer's personal labor, and we have consistently held that the cost of a taxpayer's personal labor shall not be considered in computing adjusted basis, regardless of whether the property is held for the production of income or as a principal residence.
D. Basis Adjustment Under
Respondent concluded that petitioner must recognize gain of $ 571,418 on the sale of the Rose Point Lane property. In arriving at that figure, respondent adjusted petitioner's cost basis in the Rose Point Lane property to account for acquisition and refinancing costs2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*81 and deferred gain from the sale of petitioner's previous residence, and adjusted the sales price to account for the cost of selling the property. Because petitioner reinvested a portion of the sale proceeds from the Rose Point Lane property in a new residence, however, petitioner must recognize gain on the sale of the Rose Point Lane property only to the extent that its adjusted sales price exceeds the cost of purchasing the residence adjacent to the Hollywood Hill lot.
The adjusted sales price of the Rose Point Lane property was $ 1,004,484, and the cost of purchasing the residence adjacent to the Hollywood Hill lot was $ 548,794. See
2005 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 59">*82 E. Conclusion
Petitioner has failed to produce any evidence to prove the existence or amount of the expenses he argues should be added to each property's adjusted basis or to prove that respondent's revised adjusted basis calculations were in error. We conclude, therefore, that upon selling the properties at issue petitioner is not entitled to recover any expenses in excess of those allowed by respondent as adjustments to basis. Based on the Court's review of the evidence, however, we further conclude that petitioner is entitled to an adjustment under
II.
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for an addition to tax under
Respondent has met his burden of production under
III.
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for an addition to tax under
We rejected an identical argument in
Petitioner admits that he failed to make any payments of estimated tax for 1996 or 1999, and no exception relieving him of liability for the
IV.
Petitioner's arguments regarding the constitutionality of the Federal tax laws, the authority of the Federal Government to impose an income tax, and the tax treatment of personal labor are contrary to well-established law. We shall not address these assertions "with somber reasoning and copious citation of precedent; to do so might suggest that these arguments have some colorable merit."
To reflect the foregoing and concessions of the parties,
An appropriate order will be issued granting respondent's motion for sanctions, and an appropriate decision will be entered under
1. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. All monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest dollar.↩
2. Petitioner concedes that in 1996 he received $ 71 of interest income and $ 117 of capital gain from the sale or exchange of stock.↩
3. The notices of deficiency were mailed to petitioner on Mar. 26, 2003.↩
4. In addition to the three properties petitioner sold in 1996 and 1999, in October 1998, petitioner sold his interest in a time-share condominium for $ 12,500. The time-share condominium was located at L-16-C Ellowee, Manson, Washington (hereinafter, the Ellowee Time-share), and petitioner had purchased it in August 1992, for $ 19,750. After taking into account acquisition and disposition costs, respondent determined that petitioner sustained a loss of $ 9,892 on the sale of the Ellowee Time-share. Because respondent conceded that there is no deficiency in 1998, and petitioner did not dispute respondent's determination with respect to the Ellowee Time- share property in his petition or trial memorandum or advance any arguments regarding the Ellowee Time-share at trial, we do not decide any issues relating to petitioner's 1998 taxable year. See
5. Petitioner testified that he used the office space to conduct his business of importing shoes and leather goods and that he never resided at the Market Street property.↩
6. Petitioner originally claimed in his petition an amount of $ 62,500 for capital improvements, but he maintained in his trial memorandum and at trial that he incurred expenses of $ 47,500 to improve the Market Street property. We assume, therefore, that petitioner has waived any argument regarding the difference between the two figures.↩
7. Petitioner purchased his previous residence, located at 332 4th Ave. S., Kirkland, Washington, in August 1978 for $ 57,000, and petitioner sold it in January 1988 for $ 134,500. In computing petitioner's gain on the sale of the residence, respondent increased petitioner's basis by $ 140 for acquisition costs and adjusted the sale price downward by $ 11,333 to account for disposition costs.↩
8. In the petition, petitioner claimed he incurred improvement expenses of $ 75,000, but he did not argue in his trial memorandum, at trial, or in his posttrial memoranda that he was entitled to any deductions or basis adjustments for improvements. Petitioner also failed to produce any evidence on this point at trial. We conclude, therefore, that petitioner has abandoned this argument. See
9. The cost of purchasing the residence, taking into account $ 1,294 of acquisition costs, was $ 548,794.↩
10. The parties stipulated that respondent had determined that petitioner's basis in the Hollywood Hill lot was $ 185,000 and that it was 25 percent of the combined purchase price of the two adjacent lots. In fact, the amount respondent allowed as basis is 25.26 percent of the combined purchase price.↩
11. In the petition, petitioner also claimed expenses of $ 31,500 for mortgage interest and $ 12,000 for "improvements", but he did not argue that he was entitled to any deductions or basis adjustments for these expenses in his trial memorandum, at trial, or in his posttrial memoranda. We conclude, therefore, that petitioner has abandoned these arguments. See
Petitioner argued for the first time at trial that in addition to the cost of the fence, which respondent added to the property's adjusted basis, he expended approximately $ 7,000 for the services of the engineer who designed a septic system for the Hollywood Hill lot, which was never installed. Petitioner offered no documentary evidence to substantiate the expense, did not otherwise amend his petition to reflect any change in the nature or amount of the expenses he claims, and did not present any arguments regarding the expenses in his posttrial memoranda. As a result, we do not consider petitioner's argument.↩
12. Petitioner has not established that he meets the requirements of
13.
14. Petitioner did not allege alternatively or prove that any of the expenses in question were business expenses deductible under
15. Accordingly, petitioner's basis in his new residence must be reduced by $ 115,728, the amount of unrecognized gain on the sale of the Rose Point Lane property.
16. Because respondent has now conceded that petitioner does not owe any income tax deficiency or addition to tax for 1998, we do not address respondent's original 1998 determination.↩