Adams v. Commissioner

72 T.C. 81, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 139
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 11, 1979
DocketDocket Nos. 6976-74, 6977-74, 6978-74, 6979-74, 6980-74, 6981-74
StatusPublished
Cited by42 cases

This text of 72 T.C. 81 (Adams v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adams v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 81, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 139 (tax 1979).

Opinions

SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION

Fay, Judge:

On May 17,1974, respondent mailed to petitioner, Paul W. Adams, six statutory notices of deficiency in which he determined various chapter 42 excise tax deficiencies under Code section 49411 against petitioner, individually and as transferee of Automatic Accounting Co. (Automatic), a corporation wholly owned by petitioner. The asserted deficiencies arose out of several alleged “acts of self-dealing” between a private foundation and petitioner and Automatic.

Subsequent to the filing of the petitions in these cases, a trial was held in Bridgeport, Conn., on October 18, 1977. Thereafter the parties submitted briefs, and on May 30, 1978, our findings of fact and an opinion were filed in which we, in part, sustained respondent’s determination: (1) That several acts of self-dealing occurred between petitioner and Automatic and a private foundation; and (2) that petitioner was subject to the 5-percent excise tax under section 4941(a)(1) with respect to such acts. Adams v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 373 (1978). As yet, final decisions have not been entered in these cases.

In his statutory notices, respondent further asserted a 200-percent excise tax under section 4941(b)(1) for the same acts of self-dealing. However, because of the wording of the statute under which the 200-percent tax is imposed, a serious question was raised as to the authority of this Court to enter a decision determining a section 4941(b)(1) tax liability. Thus, in our opinion of May 30, 1978, we did not decide petitioner’s liability for the 200-percent excise tax under section 4941(b)(1) with respect to those acts of self-dealing for which petitioner was liable for the 5-percent excise tax under section 4941(a)(1). Instead, we requested that the parties submit briefs discussing our authority to determine a section 4941(b)(1) tax. Adams v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 446 (1978). In accordance with this request, supplemental original and reply briefs were received from the parties. Following from all this, our opinion herein deals primarily2 with the question of petitioner’s liability for tax under section 4941(b)(1) for those acts of self-dealing set forth in our opinion dated May 30,1978.3

Generally speaking, section 501(a) exempts from Federal income taxation certain organizations, including private foundations as defined by section 509, which are operated for charitable purposes and “no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.” Prior to 1970, compliance with this latter prohibition was insured, at least in part, by section 503 which imposed arm’s-length standards of conduct on dealings between a private foundation and its founders and major contributors. Penalties for violation of these standards included the loss of the foundation’s exempt status for a minimum of 1 year, and the disallowance of deductions to donors for contributions during such period. Adams v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 373, 379 (1978).

The subjective element present in the arm’s-length standard created many problems in enforcement. These problems led to its eventual elimination in 1969 and replacement with a general prohibition on any transactions between a private foundation and a “disqualified person.” S. Rept. 91-552 (1969), 1969-3 C.B. 423, 442-443.4 The penalties for noncompliance with this general prohibition include, inter alia, a graduated series of excise taxes found in section 4941.5 Thus, a transaction between a private foundation and a “disqualified person,”6 even though entered into and conducted in accordance with arm’s-length standards, is considered an “act of self-dealing” and subject to the imposition of excise taxes under section 4941. Further, under the 1969 legislation, the penalties added by section 4941 were shifted from the foundation to the disqualified person.

Simply stated, there are two levels of sanctions contained in section 4941. Section 4941(a)(1) levies against the self-dealer a first-level excise tax equal to 5 percent of the “amount involved” with respect to each act of self-dealing. This first-level tax is imposed for each year, or part thereof, beginning on the date of the self-dealing and continuing until the earlier of the date the self-dealing is corrected, or the Government sends a deficiency notice regarding the transaction. Following the imposition of the first-level tax, the self-dealer is given the opportunity to correct the act of self-dealing within the “correction period.”7 “Correction” usually entails undoing the transaction to the extent possible. Sec. 4941(e)(3). If correction of the act is not timely made, subsection (b)(1) imposes upon the self-dealer a second-level tax equal to 200 percent of the “amount involved.” It is the timing of the imposition of this second-level tax which presents us with our primary problem herein.

As previously mentioned, in his statutory notices, respondent has determined deficiencies against petitioner in the section 4941(b)(1) second-level tax with respect to those acts of self-dealing for which we, in our opinion dated May 30, 1978, held petitioner liable for the section 4941(a)(1) first-level tax. In seeking a redetermination of these asserted second-level tax liabilities, petitioner, in essence, is contending that there is no “deficiency” in the second-level tax as that term is defined in section 6211(a). For the reasons set forth below, we agree with petitioner.

We begin by noting that section 7442 limits the jurisdiction of this Court to that conferred upon it by statute. Adams v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 446, 447 (1978). With a few exceptions pertaining to declaratory judgments8 and refunds of certain overpayments,9 our statutory jurisdiction consists of authority to redetermine the correct amount of a “deficiency” as determined by the Commissioner. Sec. 6214(a). The term “deficiency,” as it relates to the present case, is defined in section 6211(a) to mean “the amount by which the tax imposed by * * * chapter 42” exceeds that shown on the return. (Emphasis added.) The time at which the determination of the existence of the deficiency is made is the date of the mailing of the statutory notice by the Commissioner. Heasley v. Commissioner, 45 T.C. 448, 456 (1966). Thus, if the Commissioner asserts a deficiency in tax and, because of the particular facts of a case or the applicable law, the tax asserted has not been imposed as of the date of the statutory notice, there is no “deficiency” as defined in section 6211(a). Put simply, in the absence of a “deficiency” the taxpayer must prevail. We must therefore decide whether on the date of the mailing of the statutory notices of deficiency in this case there existed a deficiency in tax under section 4941(b)(1) as determined by respondent.

Section 4941(b)(1) provides that where a first-level tax under subsection (a)(1) is imposed on an act of self-dealing, and such act is not corrected within the “correction period,” there is then imposed an additional tax.10 The term “correction period” is defined in section 4941(e)(4) to mean:

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Bluebook (online)
72 T.C. 81, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adams-v-commissioner-tax-1979.