DocketNumber: Docket Nos. 2696-64, 2202-66
Judges: Dawson
Filed Date: 3/11/1975
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 11/14/2024
Deceased taxpayer was a partner, with a 30-percent interest, in two partnerships. A partnership return was filed showing gross receipts from sales and contracting income in the amount of $ 3,545,911.45. The deceased taxpayer and his surviving spouse filed a joint Federal income tax return showing items of gross income in the total amount of $ 91,531.15, of which $ 90,845.89 was partnership gross income. The amount omitted from the joint return was $ 45,733.28. Petitioners contend the "amount of gross income stated in the return" was $ 91,531.15. Respondent contends it was $ 1,106,896.07. The determination of whether petitioner wife is entitled to the benefit of the "innocent spouse" provision of
1. The meaning of the phrase "amount of gross income stated in the return" used in
2.
3. The total of the amounts received from the sale of goods and services prior to diminution by the cost of such goods and services disclosed in the return of the partnership in the amount of $ 1,106,210.81 is included in the amount of gross income ($ 1,106,896.07) stated in the joint return of the deceased taxpayer and the surviving spouse.
4. Since $ 45,733.28 is not in excess of 25 percent of the amount stated in the joint return, the surviving spouse does not qualify for relief under
5. The gross-receipts requirement does not establish an arbitrary and unreasonable classification. Thus,
63 T.C. 585">*586 The severed issues in these cases were assigned to and heard by Commissioner Charles R. Johnston pursuant to
OPINION OF THE COMMISSIONER
Respondent determined the following deficiencies and additions to tax against petitioners for the taxable years 1955 through 1960:
Docket | Additions to tax | |||||
No. | Year | Deficiencies | under sec. 6653(b) 2696-64 | 1959 | $ 9,547.71 | $ 5,266.92 |
1960 | 14,367.61 | 7,183.81 | ||||
2202-66 | 1955 | 48,594.11 | 24,762.81 | |||
1956 | 14,224.40 | 7,598.20 | ||||
1957 | 11,234.48 | 6,142.87 | ||||
1958 | 7,062.26 | 4,056.34 |
Upon motion by respondent, without objection by petitioners, these cases were consolidated for trial, briefs, and opinion.
The principal issue to be decided herein is whether there was omitted from gross income an amount properly includable in the joint return of Herman Klein and Bebe Klein for the taxable year 1955 which is attributable to Herman Klein and which is in excess of 25 percent of the amount of gross income stated in the return as provided in
FINDINGS OF FACT
All the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.
The petitioners are the Estate of Herman Klein, deceased, Bebe Klein, Malcolm B. Klein, and Ira K. Klein, executors, and Bebe Klein, as surviving wife. The addresses of the above-named individuals at the time of the filing of the petition were as follows: 63 T.C. 585">*587
Bebe Klein | 201 East 83d Street |
New York, New York | |
Malcolm B. Klein | 31 Dorchester Street |
Huntington Station, New York | |
Ira K. Klein | 107 Jackson Place |
Paramus, New Jersey |
Herman Klein died August 30, 1964. The Surrogate's Court of New York County, N.Y., on October 19, 1964, granted letters testamentary on the Estate of Herman Klein to Bebe Klein, Malcolm B. Klein, and Ira K. Klein who duly qualified and were acting as executors at the time of the submission of this proceeding.
Herman Klein, during the year 1955, was engaged in the manufacture of dresses as a 30-percent partner in the partnerships of Miss Smart Frocks and C & S Dress Co., and as a stockholder in Miss Smart Frocks, Inc. A partnership return, Form 1065, for the taxable year beginning May 1, 1954, and ending April 29, 1955, of Miss Smart 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 184">*188 Frocks and C & S Dress Co., using the accrual method of accounting, was filed with the district director of the Upper Manhattan District, New York, N.Y. For the year ending April 29, 1955, the partnership return of Miss Smart Frocks and C & S Dress Co. showed sales in the amount of $ 3,545,911.95 and a schedule for the C & S Dress Co. included in the partnership return showed gross income from contracting in the amount of $ 141,457.40. The petitioners' joint income tax return for the taxable year 1955 did not show the amount of partnership sales or the amount of gross income from contracting, included in the partnership return.
Herman Klein and Bebe Klein timely filed a joint return for the taxable year 1955 with the district director of the Upper Manhattan District, N.Y. The joint return showed the following items of gross income:
Interest | $ 191.21 |
Royalties | 494.05 |
Partnership | 90,845.89 |
Total | 91,531.15 |
The joint income tax return of Herman and Bebe Klein for the taxable year 1955 failed to include the following items in income, all of which are attributable to Herman Klein: 63 T.C. 585">*588
Dividend income | $ 21,994.29 |
Other income | 5,200.00 |
Interest income | 43.25 |
In addition to the preceding items, the petitioners' 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 184">*189 joint income tax return failed to include in income Herman Klein's proportionate share of corrected net partnership income from Miss Smart Frocks and C & S Dress Co. for the taxable year ended April 29, 1955, in the amount of $ 18,495.74 which resulted from the disallowance of various claimed deductions on the partnership return.
ULTIMATE FINDINGS OF FACT
The petitioners omitted the following items from gross income on their joint income tax return for the taxable year 1955:
Dividend | $ 21,994.29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income | 5,200.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income | 43.25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 184">*190 petitioners reported the following items of gross income:
The amount omitted from gross income does not exceed 25 percent of the sum of $ 1,106,896.07. 63 T.C. 585">*589 Petitioner Bebe Klein does not meet the requirements of Code OPINION The petitioners contend that the amount omitted from gross income was "in excess of 25 percent of the amount of gross income stated in the return." They base this contention on the grounds that the amount of gross income stated in the joint return of Herman Klein and Bebe Klein was $ 91,531.15 and the amount omitted was $ 45,733.28. Respondent stipulated that the amount omitted from the joint return was $ 45,733.28. However, the respondent contends that the "amount of gross income stated in the return" is $ 1,106,896.07. He computes this sum as follows:
The 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 184">*191 difference between the parties arises over the meaning of the phrase "amount of gross income stated in the return" found in 63 T.C. 585">*590 Petitioners argue that the language of Petitioners further argue that Petitioners also contend that the legislative history of Petitioners next argue that the policy considerations behind 63 T.C. 585">*592 Another contention made by petitioner is that if Congress had intended that In An act of Congress is not lightly to be set aside, and doubt must be resolved in its favor. So much is familiar learning. Moreover, the presumption in favor of validity is particularly strong in the case of a revenue measure. * * * 63 T.C. 585">*593 It is with this injunction we approach petitioners' arguments on the constitutionality of the application of We certainly must agree with the proposition stated in the cases cited by petitioners 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 184">*200 that a Federal taxing statute may be so arbitrary and capricious as to cause it to fall before the due process of law clause of the But the question here is whether in the application of In The gross-receipts test in 63 T.C. 585">*595 In adopting We think it is constitutionally permissible for Congress to take one step at a time in adopting a relief provision, addressing itself first to the phase of the problem which seems to it most egregious. We hold petitioners have failed to sustain their burden of overcoming the presumption of the validity of Footnotes
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