Alexander v. Commissioner

97 T.C. No. 15, 97 T.C. 244, 1991 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 74
United States Tax Court·Decided August 6, 1991·No. Docket No. 27679-89·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

OPINION

Raum, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in income tax for 1985 in the amount of $4,717 against Karl R. Alexander III (Alexander) and Mary T. Dupre (Dupre), husband and wife, who had filed a joint return for that year. Respondent also determined a deficiency in the amounts of $663 and $1,824 against Alexander for his 1982 and 1983 taxable years, respectively, and against Dupre in the amount of $2,487 for her 1982 taxable year. They were single individuals during the earlier taxable years and had filed separate returns for those years. The only matter in dispute is whether petitioners are entitled to a credit against their 1985 income taxes for qualified rehabilitation expenditures made in that year. The earlier years are involved only by the way of carrybacks, which are not otherwise in dispute. The case was submitted on the basis of a set of stipulated facts and exhibits.

On November 30, 1984, petitioners purchased property at 1932 Mt. Vernon Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for $72,560. The property consisted of land and a building. The parties have stipulated that petitioners’ building is a “certified historic structure.” The term “certified historic structure” is defined in section 48(g)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.1 On December 1, 1984, petitioners began renovating their building. The renovations were designed to convert the building into two separate living units, one consisting of the first floor and the other of the second, third, and fourth floors.

Petitioners modified the first floor of the building considerably. At the time they purchased the property, the first floor was uninhabitable. The seller had used the entire first floor for furniture refinishing and storage, and it contained no plumbing, bathroom, or kitchen facilities. When petitioners had finished rehabilitating the first floor, it was a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with separate heat, plumbing, hot water, gas, and electric service, and hardwood floors throughout. The parties have referred to the first floor as the “rental portion,” and they have stipulated that “The rental portion was placed in service on April 1, 1985.”

In contrast to the first floor, the three upper floors were habitable at the time petitioners purchased the building, but were in need of what the parties have characterized in their stipulation as “cosmetic repairs.” These floors contained three working bathrooms, two kitchens, and working heating, electric, and gas service. All of these facilities were still in use at the time the stipulation of facts was filed, except that the third floor kitchen had been removed. The renovations completed on the upper floors included completely new walls in one room on the second floor, plaster-patching and painting walls throughout, installing new hardwood floors in the front portion of the second floor, and installing a new refrigerator and a gas clothes dryer. The parties have characterized the second, third, and fourth floors as the “personal use” portion of the property, in which petitioners began to reside in February 1985, and where they continued to reside when the petition herein was filed. Petitioners claimed a credit against their income tax for “qualified rehabilitation expenditures” in the amount of $9,866. Because petitioners did not have sufficient income in their 1985 taxable year to absorb the entire amount of this credit, the remainder was available for carryback to their prior taxable years. Each petitioner carried back 50 percent of the unused credit to his or her prior individual taxable years. Thus, Dupre carried $2,487 back to her 1982 taxable year. Similarly, Alexander carried back $663 to his 1982 taxable year and carried the remaining $1,824 of his 50 percent back to his 1983 taxable year. Respondent determined that petitioners were not entitled to the credit. We sustain respondent’s determination.

Section 38 allows an income tax “business” credit, which includes the investment credit determined under section 46(a). Pertinent provisions of the Code appear in the margin.2 Section 46 provides in relevant part that the amount of the investment tax credit for any taxable year shall include 25 percent of the amount of “qualified rehabilitation expenditures” incurred with respect to a “certified historic structure.” See sec. 46(a) and (b)(4). Expenditures do not constitute “qualified rehabilitation expenditure[s]” unless they are incurred “in connection with the rehabilitation of a qualified rehabilitated building.” Sec. 48(g)(2). In order to be a “qualified rehabilitated building,” a building must, inter alia, have been “substantially rehabilitated.” Sec. 48(g)(l)(A)(i). Respondent determined that the $9,866 investment tax credit claimed by petitioners is not allowable “because you have failed to establish that you have satisfied the substantial rehabilitation test regarding rehabilitation expenses exceeding the adjusted basis of the building.”

In order for a building to have been “substantially rehabilitated,” section 48(g)(l)(C)(i) provides that the qualified rehabilitation expenditures during the statutorily prescribed period must “exceed the greater of — (I) the adjusted basis of such building (and its structural components), or (II) $5,000.” The parties have stipulated that “The total building basis (i.e., original cost) before the rehabilitation is $68,975.00.”3 Because the adjusted basis of the building exceeded $5,000, petitioners’ qualified rehabilitation expenditures were required to exceed such adjusted basis in order for those expenditures to qualify for the credit. However, the parties have stipulated that “petitioners incurred and paid expenses to rehabilitate the building in the total amount of $51,610.” Even assuming that this entire amount constituted “qualified rehabilitation expenditure^],” it still does not exceed the adjusted basis of $68,975. Accordingly, the claimed credit must be disallowed by reason of section 48(g)(l)(C)(i).

Petitioners contend, however, that the building should be considered as consisting of two separate parts, (1) the first floor rental apartment, and (2) the personal residential portion above; and that when the building is thus bifurcated, the credit is available because the expenditures attributable to the rental unit exceed the allocable portion of the adjusted basis of that unit. In terms of specific figures, the parties have stipulated that “$39,465 is attributable, through specific identification of costs, to rehabilitation of the rental portion.” And petitioners have allocated $21,607 of the adjusted basis of the building to the rental portion.4 Plainly, petitioners are entitled to prevail if the building is thus to be fragmented for the purpose of the credit. The $39,465 expenditure portion certainly exceeds the $21,607 portion of the adjusted basis of the building. However, we reject petitioners’ arithmetically correct argument as based on the false premise that the building may be divided for this purpose.

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Alexander v. Commissioner, 97 T.C. No. 15, 97 T.C. 244, 1991 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 74 (tax 1991).

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