Bollella v. Commissioner

1965 T.C. Memo. 162, 24 T.C.M. 858, 1965 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 168
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 18, 1965
DocketDocket No. 2497-63.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1965 T.C. Memo. 162 (Bollella 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
Bollella v. Commissioner, 1965 T.C. Memo. 162, 24 T.C.M. 858, 1965 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 168 (tax 1965).

Opinion

Carmine Bollella and Teresa Bollella v. Commissioner.
Bollella v. Commissioner
Docket No. 2497-63.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1965-162; 1965 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 168; 24 T.C.M. (CCH) 858; T.C.M. (RIA) 65162;
June 18, 1965
*168

The petitioners in the conduct of their grocery business did not keep adequate books and records for the taxable years 1956 through 1959, but did keep correct records for the years 1960 and 1961. The respondent reconstructed the petitioners' gross profit from the operation of the business for the years 1956 through 1959 upon the basis of the petitioners' experience during the taxable years 1960 and 1961, determining that gross profit was substantially understated in the income tax returns for each of the taxable years 1956 through 1959.

Held, that the respondent's method of reconstructing the total purchases, total sales, and gross profit from the business was reasonable.

Held, further, that the petitioners have not shown error in the respondent's action in increasing the gross profit for the years in question on account of merchandise withdrawn from the business for personal consumption by the petitioners and the families of their two sons.

Held, further, that some part of the underpayment in tax for each of the taxable years 1956 through 1959 was due to fraud and that the petitioners are liable for additions to tax on account thereof.

Anthony L. Lutomski, Guardian Bldg., Detroit, *169 Mich., for the petitioners. Ronald S. Supena, for the respondent.

ATKINS

Memorandum Findings of Fact and Opinion

ATKINS, Judge: The respondent determined deficiencies in income tax, and additions to the tax under section 6653(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, for the taxable years and in amounts as follows:

Additions to
TaxableTax Under
YearDeficiencySection 6653
1956$ 4,409.24$ 2,204.62
19578,484.894,242.45
19589,815.204,907.60
19592,228.701,114.35
1961981.50
$25,919.53$12,469.02

The issues are: (1) whether petitioners understated their taxable income from the operation of a grocery store in each of the taxable years 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1961; and (2) whether any part of any underpayment of tax for any of the years 1956 through 1959 is due to fraud.

Findings of Fact

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are incorporated herein by this reference.

The petitioners are husband and wife residing in Detroit, Michigan. For each of the taxable years 1956 through 1961 they filed a joint income tax return with the district director of internal revenue at Detroit, Michigan. Teresa Bollella is a petitioner only by reason of having filed joint returns with her husband and hereinafter *170 Carmine Bollella will be referred to as the petitioner.

Petitioner, a citizen of the United States, was born in Italy. His formal education was limited to one year. He came to the United States about 1910, at the age of 15, and began working as a water boy for a motor company. In 1930 he began selling fruit as a street vendor. In 1941, he purchased, for $3,000, a retail grocery business in Detroit known as the A. & E. Market (hereinafter referred to as the store). Since that time, and up until the time of trial, he has owned and operated this business. His wife did not participate in the conduct of the business.

For several years following 1941 petitioner, with the help of his daughter, purchased whatever merchandise was needed. In 1949 petitioner's son, Oswald, began to help his father in the management of the business. Petitioner's other son works full time at the store and, in addition, petitioner employs cashiers. During the years in question, and thereafter, petitioner went down to the store every day, made whatever purchases were necessary, worked for three or four hours, and then went home.

In the years in question, petitioner's son Oswald was manager of the store and either *171 Oswald or his brother collected the day's receipts at the close of business. A checking account was maintained for the business and receipts therefrom were deposited in such account weekly. Both the petitioner and Oswald were authorized to draw checks on this account, but Oswald customarily signed the checks, including those in payment of sales taxes and income taxes.

Oswald maintained whatever books and records the store had, but for none of the years 1956 through 1959 were such records adequate to establish the amount of sales or purchases. For the years 1960 and 1961 Oswald maintained substantially correct records of purchases and sales made. For 1960 the petitioner's total sales amounted to cost plus 22% of cost, and for 1961 they amounted to cost plus 24% of cost.

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1965 T.C. Memo. 162, 24 T.C.M. 858, 1965 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bollella-v-commissioner-tax-1965.