LAUBER, Judge.
In this collection due process (CDP) case, petitioner timely sought review pursuant to section 6330(d)(1)
JaNean Del'Andrae served as the chief financial officer of petitioner, Del-Co Western (Del-Co or petitioner), and is married to Del-Co's principal share-holder. On February 16, 2011, she was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (District Court) on three counts of tax evasion.
In connection with her plea, Del'Andrae agreed to pay restitution of $88,152.50 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on account of Del-Co's 2004 and 2005 tax liabilities. Of this sum she agreed that $49,845.37 was payable on account of Del-Co's 2004 tax liability and that $38,307.13 was payable on account of Del-Co's 2005 tax liability. She also agreed to pay additional restitution, to be determined at sentencing, on account of her 2005 joint income tax liability.
On July 11, 2012, the District Court entered judgment against Del'Andrae, ordering her to pay total restitution of $136,509.50. This amount comprised $88,152.50 on account of Del-Co's 2004 and 2005 tax liabilities, as set forth above, plus $48,357 of restitution for evasion of her 2005 joint income tax liability. Del'Andrae wrote a check for $136,509.50, dated July 10, 2012, and drawn on Del-Co's bank account, in payment of the restitution ordered by the District Court.
On March 25, 2011, the IRS issued Del-Co a notice of deficiency for 2004, and Del-Co timely petitioned this Court. On February 14, 2013, the Court entered a stipulated decision determining against Del-Co for 2004 a deficiency of $70,021 and penalties of $44,145, for a total liability of $114,166.
A CDP hearing was held, but petitioner was unable to satisfy the settlement officer (SO) that any portion of its $114,166 tax liability for 2004 had been paid. Petitioner raised no other issues. On February 7, 2014, the IRS issued Del-Co a notice of determination sustaining the levy. Del-Co timely petitioned this Court.
After this CDP case was docketed, respondent credited $49,845.37 to petitioner's 2004 account. This was the full amount of the credit available from the restitution payment that Del'Andrae had made on behalf of Del-Co for 2004. Respondent contends that petitioner has now received the full relief it requested for 2004, the sole tax year at issue in this case, and hence that there is no remaining controversy to sustain the Court's jurisdiction.
Petitioner opposes the motion to dismiss, contending that the $38,307.13 restitution payment that Del'Andrae made on behalf of Del-Co for 2005 should also be applied toward Del-Co's liability for 2004. Petitioner bases this contention on the assertion that the section 6501(a) period of limitations on assessment against it for 2005 has expired, with the supposed result that the restitution payment Del'Andrae made toward Del-Co's 2005 tax liability has given rise to an overpayment or credit in the amount of $38,307.13. Petitioner recognizes that, in case of fraud, section 6501(c) allows the IRS to assess the tax "at any time." But petitioner asserts that the conceded fraud of Del'Andrae, its chief financial officer, should not be imputed to it for this purpose.
Respondent agrees that the SO erred in neglecting to credit petitioner's 2004 account with the $49,845.37 restitution payment that Del'Andrae made on its behalf for 2004. Respondent has now rectified this error by crediting Del-Co's 2004 account with the full amount of that restitution payment. Not satisfied with this relief, petitioner contends that the IRS should also credit its 2004 account with the $38,307.13 restitution payment that Del'Andrae made on its behalf for 2005. Because there is a genuine controversy between the parties on this latter issue, this case is not moot.
The gravamen of respondent's motion is that this Court lacks jurisdiction to consider the issue that petitioner wants us to decide, namely, its asserted entitlement to a credit from 2005 against its 2004 tax liability. We will accordingly recharacterize respondent's motion to dismiss as a Rule 121 motion for summary judgment on this jurisdictional question. Doing so will not prejudice petitioner, since all relevant facts are agreed and the dispositive question is a legal issue that petitioner fully addressed in responding to the motion. We conclude that there are no disputed issues of material fact concerning this question and that a decision may appropriately be rendered as a matter of law.
Where (as here) there is no dispute as to the taxpayer's underlying tax liabilities, we review the IRS determination in a CDP case for abuse of discretion.
In appropriate circumstances, we may determine in a CDP case whether a credit available from another tax year should be applied to the taxpayer's liability for the year before the Court (here, 2004). But we can do this only when a credit from another tax year indisputably exists; we do not have jurisdiction under section 6330 to "determine an overpayment of an unrelated liability."
Neither the IRS nor any court has determined that Del-Co overpaid its tax for 2005. Indeed, the propositions upon which petitioner relies for its contention that the statute of limitations bars assessment of additional tax against it for 2005 seem highly debatable.
Petitioner received all of the relief to which it was entitled for 2004 when respondent credited its 2004 account with the $49,845.37 of restitution that Del'Andrae paid on account of its 2004 tax liability.
To reflect the foregoing,