DocketNumber: Docket No. 15479-11.
Judges: Chiechi
Filed Date: 2/12/2014
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 11/14/2024
Decision will be entered for petitioner.
During its taxable year 2005, P, an S corporation, maintained an employee stock ownership plan. R determined that 2005 was a "nonallocation year" within the meaning of
142 T.C. 110">*110 CHIECHI,
The issues remaining for decision for P's taxable year 2005 are:
(1) Does
(2) Has the period of limitations under
All of the facts in this case, which the parties submitted under
Petitioner, an S corporation, had its principal place of business in Michigan at the time it filed the petition.
On January 1, 1998, John H. Eggertsen (Mr. Eggertsen) purchased for $500 all 500 shares of the outstanding stock of J & R's Little Harvest, Inc. (J & R's Little Harvest).
On January 1, 1999, J & R's Little Harvest established an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) known as the J & R's Little Harvest Employee Stock Ownership Plan (J & R's Little Harvest ESOP). On December 10, 1999, Mr. Eggertsen transferred the 500 shares of stock of J & R's Little Harvest that he had purchased on January 1, 1998, to J & R's Little Harvest ESOP.
On a date not established by the record, J & R's Little Harvest changed its name to Law Office of John H. Eggertsen P.C.
Effective on January 1, 2002, the trust agreement for J & R's Little Harvest ESOP was amended to provide, inter alia: (1) "All 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*5 references in the Trust Agreement to 'J & R's Little Harvest, Inc.' shall mean Law Office of John H. Eggertsen, P.C.", and (2) "All references in the Trust Agreement to 'J & R's Little Harvest Employee Stock Ownership Plan' shall mean Law Office of John H. Eggertsen, n, P.C. ESOP." Around April 26, 2006, petitioner filed Form 1120S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation, for its taxable year 2005 (2005 Form 1120S). Petitioner attached to that form Schedule K-1, Shareholder's Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc. 142 T.C. 110">*112 In petitioner's 2005 Form 1120S, petitioner showed, inter alia, that during 2005 the ESOP owned 100% of the stock of petitioner. On 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*6 a date not established by the record during 2006, the ESOP in question filed Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan (employee benefit plan 2005 annual return), for its taxable year 2005. The ESOP in question attached to that form Schedule E, ESOP Annual Information. The ESOP in question also attached to the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return Schedule I, Financial Information--Small Plan, and Schedule SSA, Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants With Deferred Vested Benefits. In the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return, the ESOP in question showed that (1) its effective date was January 1, 1999; (2) it was maintained by petitioner during 2005; (3) it had three participants during 2005, two of whom were not identified and were described as "Active participants" and one of whom was identified as Kerry C. Duggan and described as "Other retired or separated participants entitled to future benefits"; (4) it held assets at the end of 2005 valued at $401,500; and (5) its assets consisted exclusively of "Employer securities". On a date not established by the record, the ESOP in question filed an amended Form 5500 (amended employee benefit plan 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*7 2005 annual return) for its taxable year 2005. The ESOP in question attached to that form Schedule I. In the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return, the ESOP in question showed information that was identical in most respects to the information that it had showed in the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return, except that (1) the ESOP in question did not identify in the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return the individual described in that return as "Other retired or separated participants entitled to benefits", and (2) the ESOP in question showed in the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return that it held assets at the end of 2005 valued at $868,833, which included "Employer securities" valued at that yearend at $401,500. The ESOP in question was not required to, and did not, describe in the amended employee benefit plan 2005 142 T.C. 110">*113 annual return any of the other assets that it held at the end of 2005 and their respective yearend values.2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*8 Petitioner did not file Form 5330, Return of Excise Taxes Related to Employee Benefit Plans (Form 5330), for its taxable year 2005. Respondent filed a substitute for Form 5330 for petitioner for that taxable year. That substitute for Form 5330 did not contain any entries except those for "Filer tax year beginning" and "ending", "Name of filer", address of filer, "Filer's identifying number", "Name of plan", "Name and address of plan sponsor", "Plan sponsor's EIN", "Plan year ending", and "Plan number". On April 14, 2011, respondent issued to petitioner a notice of deficiency (notice) with respect to petitioner's taxable year 2005. In that notice, respondent determined, inter alia: For the plan year ending December 31, 2005, Mr. John Eggertsen is a disqualified person, under Under 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*9 Petitioner bears the burden of establishing that the determinations in the notice that remain at issue are erroneous. We must decide (1) whether We turn first to whether If -- * * * (3) there is any allocation of employer securities which violates the provisions of Following these four clauses, the taxing clause of there is hereby imposed The critical point: although Thus, not only the taxing provision of 4 The word "ownership" refers to [Reproduced literally.] (1) there is a prohibited allocation of qualified securities by any employee stock ownership plan or eligible worker-owned cooperative, (2) there is an allocation described in (3) there is any allocation of employer securities which violates the provisions of (4) any synthetic equity is owned by a disqualified person in any nonallocation year, there is hereby imposed a tax on such allocation or ownership equal to 50 percent of the amount involved. Neither party maintains that during 2005 any of the events that are described in As we understand petitioner's position, petitioner acknowledges that 2005 is a nonallocation year within the meaning of Our conclusion is supported not only by the applicable sections of the Code but also by the legislative history of Petitioner argues that even if we were to conclude, which we have, that * * * * Applying that definition, the ESOP had its first "nonallocation year" in 1999 when 100% of the ESOP stock was allocated to the account of Mr. Eggertsen, who was a "disqualified person." * * * Each plan year after 1999, until June 30, 2005, was also a "nonallocation year," because 100% of the stock continued to be allocated to Mr. Eggertsen, who continued to be a "disqualified person." * * * * Thus, if any excise tax is due under the Respondent's theory of this case, it is with respect to 1999, not 2005. The parties agree that at all relevant times, including during 2005, (1) all of the stock of petitioner was allocated to Mr. Eggertsen under the ESOP in question, and (2) Mr. Eggertsen was a "disqualified person". The parties also agree that 2005 is a nonallocation year within the meaning of We turn now to the statute of limitations issue. Respondent issued the notice to petitioner on April 14, 2011. The period for the assessment of any tax imposed by 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*19 We must decide whether respondent issued the notice to petitioner before or after the date that is three years from the later of the ownership that gives rise to the excise tax under The ownership in the present case that gives rise to the excise tax under In We conclude here, as we did in We shall examine the record before us in order to determine whether respondent was notified of all of the details necessary for respondent to conclude that during 2005 one or more disqualified persons owned at least 50% of all of the stock of petitioner and that that year is the first nonallocation year with respect to the ESOP in question. The record contains the 2005 Form 1120S that petitioner filed around April 26, 2006, the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return that the ESOP in question filed on a date not established by the record during 2006, and the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return that the ESOP in question filed on a date not established by the record.2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*24 We consider only the 2005 Form 1120S and the employee benefit plan 2005 annual 142 T.C. 110">*121 return in order to determine whether those returns contained all of the details necessary for respondent to conclude that during 2005 one or more disqualified persons owned at least 50% of all of the stock of petitioner and that that year is the first nonallocation year with respect to the ESOP in question.2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*25 of the ESOP in question was January 1, 1999; (2) during 2005 petitioner maintained the ESOP in question; (3) during 2005 the ESOP in question (a) held 100% of the stock of petitioner valued at $401,500 and (b) had three participants.2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*26 Because respondent knew that the effective date of the ESOP in question was January 1, 1999, we find that respondent necessarily also knew that the first year to which On the record before us, we find that respondent necessarily knew that 2005 was a nonallocation year within the meaning of On the record before us, we find that the information contained in the 2005 Form 1120S and the information contained in the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return provided all of the details necessary for respondent to conclude that during 2005 one or more disqualified persons owned at least 50% of all of the stock of petitioner and that that year was the first nonallocation year with respect to the ESOP in question. On that record, we further find that the 2005 Form 1120S and the employee benefit plan 2005 annual 2014 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3">*28 return notified the Secretary under 142 T.C. 110">*123 We turn next to when the Secretary was notified under On the record before us, we find that the date on which the Secretary was notified under Based upon our examination of the entire record before us, we find that the period of limitations under We have considered all of the contentions and arguments of the parties that are not discussed herein, and we find them to be without merit, irrelevant, and/or moot. To reflect the foregoing and a concession of respondent,
1. All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code (Code) in effect for the year at issue. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
2. We shall refer to J & R's Little Harvest ESOP, the trust agreement for which was amended effective on January 1, 2002, as the ESOP in question.↩
3. The amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return required the ESOP in question to disclose only certain assets specified in that return that it held at the end of 2005, including "Employer securities", and the respective yearend values of any such assets. The ESOP in question was not required to disclose in that return all of the assets that it held at the end of 2005 and the respective yearend values of all of those assets.
4. Petitioner and respondent agree that the phrase "nonallocation year described in
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8. The section involved in
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10. We shall not use the regulations under
11. The record does not establish the respective IRS offices with which petitioner filed the 2005 Form 1120S and the ESOP in question filed the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return and the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return. Respondent does not contend that any of those returns was filed with the wrong IRS office.
12. We shall not consider the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return in determining whether respondent was notified of all of the details necessary for respondent to conclude that during 2005 one or more disqualified persons owned at least 50% of all of the stock of petitioner and that that year is the first nonallocation year with respect to the ESOP in question. That is because the record does not establish when that return was filed. We note that the information that the ESOP in question showed in the amended employee benefit plan 2005 annual return is identical in all material respects to the information that it showed in the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return.↩
13. In the 2005 Form 1120S, petitioner showed, inter alia, that during 2005 the ESOP in question owned 100% of the stock of petitioner. In the employee benefit plan 2005 annual return, the ESOP in question showed that (1) its effective date was January 1, 1999; (2) it was maintained by petitioner during 2005; (3) it had three participants during 2005, two of whom were not identified and were described as "Active participants" and one of whom was identified as Kerry C. Duggan and described as "Other retired or separated participants entitled to future benefits"; (4) it held assets at the end of 2005 valued at $401,500; and (5) its assets consisted exclusively of "employer securities". The employee benefit plan 2005 annual return did not show whether or how the assets that the ESOP in question held during 2005 were allocated among the three participants in that ESOP during that year.
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