An appropriate order and decision will be entered.
MORRISON,
Before trial the Court issued a partial summary judgment order stating that Huminski earned unreported income during the years at issue in the same amounts as those underlying the deficiencies determined in the notice of deficiency. Although Huminski had previously opposed this judgment, he does not in his posttrial brief make any further challenges to the deficiency determinations. Therefore, we sustain the deficiency determinations. Similarly, he does not in his posttrial brief contest the IRS's determinations that he is liable for the additions to tax under
Some facts have been deemed stipulated under
Huminski earned a bachelor of science degree and a two-year degree in mechanical design. He took an additional year of education courses to be a certified secondary-education teacher, but he2012 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 56">*58 was never certified.
From 1990 to 1995 Huminski received compensation from various companies for making technical drawings of machinery. During these years he filed federal income-tax returns in which he reported the compensation he received for his services. He paid the tax he reported.
From 1996 until 2005, Huminski testified, he was unemployed.2
*305 Beginning in 2005 Huminski began making technical drawings for Mid-State Machine & Fabricating Corp. This company will be referred to as Mid-State Machine.
For tax years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, Huminski filed Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. These purported returns were "zero" returns in that on each return he listed zero as the amount of his wages, total income, adjusted gross income, taxable income, and total tax.3 To each of his purported returns he attached a self-created form, labeled "Corrected Form 1099-MISC", on which he claimed that he received no income from Mid-State Machine.
However, during2012 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 56">*59 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, Huminski received $160,043.93, $87,175, $90,796.85, and $79,550, respectively, for services performed for Mid-State Machine. For each year Mid-State Machine issued a Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, to Huminski reflecting the correct amount it paid him. For each year Huminski received the correct Form 1099-MISC from Mid-State Machine before he submitted to the IRS the form he labeled "Corrected Form 1099-MISC".
*306 The IRS did not treat Huminski's purported returns as valid returns. Rather, pursuant to
On November 3, 2009, the IRS mailed a notice of deficiency to Huminski regarding his 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 tax years. Huminski filed a timely petition with the Court.
The IRS determined that Huminski is liable for additions to tax under
Although Huminski mailed the IRS what purported to be tax returns, he filled in zeros for all lines where he should have reported income, and the IRS treated the Forms 1040 as invalid returns. The majority of Courts of Appeals, as well as this Court,2012 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 56">*60 have held that, generally, a return that contains only zeros is not a valid return.
In deciding whether a failure to file is fraudulent under
The instant case involves many indicators of fraud. For example, Huminski failed to file valid returns for the years at issue. Huminski failed to make any payments for those years. As he was an independent contractor, Huminski was supposed to prepay2012 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 56">*61 his tax in quarterly installments.
*308 On brief Huminski argues that his conduct was not fraudulent because he genuinely believed that if someone files an income-tax return that is based on personal knowledge, then the correctness of the return cannot be questioned by the IRS or the courts. Although he testified that this was his belief, we find his testimony incredible. Huminski did not have a good-faith misunderstanding of the law. Huminski knew of his legal duty to file tax returns and pay tax and sought to avoid it. Huminski has no defense to the fraudulent-failure-to-file additions to tax.
We find that the IRS has established fraud by clear and convincing evidence. Thus, Huminski is liable for the additions to tax under
The IRS moved that the Court impose a penalty against Huminski pursuant to
*309 Huminski's posttrial brief, signed by2012 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 56">*62 a lawyer that he had retained after trial, is free of frivolous arguments. We decline to impose the penalty against Huminski, although we warn him that making such arguments before this Court in the future will likely result in the imposition of the penalty against him.
Huminski is liable for the deficiencies, the additions to tax under
To reflect the foregoing,
1. We need not address the IRS's alternative contentions, which were asserted in its amended answer, (1) that if the additions to tax under
2. We do not find as a matter of fact whether this testimony was truthful as it does not affect our conclusions.↩
3. The one exception is that on his purported return for 2007, Huminski wrote the words "Not Applicable" in the line for wages.↩