Brenner v. Commissioner

1967 T.C. Memo. 239, 26 T.C.M. 1210, 1967 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 23
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 28, 1967
DocketDocket No. 5224-64.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1967 T.C. Memo. 239 (Brenner 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
Brenner v. Commissioner, 1967 T.C. Memo. 239, 26 T.C.M. 1210, 1967 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 23 (tax 1967).

Opinion

Abe and Sarah R. Brenner v. Commissioner.
Brenner v. Commissioner
Docket No. 5224-64.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1967-239; 1967 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 23; 26 T.C.M. (CCH) 1210; T.C.M. (RIA) 67239;
November 28, 1967
David M. Scheffer and Nathan Wald, 80 Federal St., Boston, Mass., for the petitioners. Rufus E. Stetson, for the respondent.

TANNENWALD

Memorandum Findings of Fact and Opinion

TANNENWALD, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in and additions to the income tax of petitioners for the following years in the following amounts:

Addition to
tax under
YearTaxSec. 6653(a) 1
1959$2,547.50$127.38
19602,504.91125.25
19611,529.9276.50
*24

After certain concessions by petitioners, three issues remain for our consideration: (1) Where was petitioner's "home" for purposes of determining the deductibility of certain expenses incurred while traveling "away from home"? (2) Has petitioner adequately substantiated various deductions? (3) Are petitioners properly subject to the addition to tax pursuant to section 6653(a)?

Findings of Fact

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners, Abe and Sarah R. Brenner, are husband and wife and maintained a residence in Brookline, Massachusetts, at all times materially relevant herein, which constituted their legal residence at the time the petition herein was filed. Their Federal joint income tax returns for each of the taxable years 1959, 1960, and 1961 were filed with the district director of internal revenue for the district of Massachusetts. All references to "petitioner" shall be deemed to refer to Abe Brenner.

During the years relevant herein, petitioner was employed as a salesman for William E. Bixby, Bixby Box Toe, Bixide Rubber Company, Donnell Bixby, and Sewall*25 & Son. These companies were commonly owned and engaged in the manufacture and sale of components for shoes. Sewall & Son was located at Brunswick, Maine, Donnell Bixby at Auburn, Maine, and the remaining three companies at Haverhill, Massachusetts, in the Boston area. Petitioner worked on a commission basis and reported business receipts for the years in question as derived from the following sources:

Sources195919601961
Sewall & Son$15,039.44$11,627.02$18,736.89
Donnell Bixby430.46787.48
W. E. Bixby Co.5,300.003,694.731,975.50
Bixby Box Toe2,650.001,979.361,250.65
Bixide, Inc.7,850.00744.64
Total$31,269.90$18,045.75$22,750.52

Petitioner's customers were located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. Although his activities fluctuated somewhat, his typical itinerary during the years in question was to call upon customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire on Mondays; customers in New Hampshire and Maine on Tuesdays; customers in Maine on Wednesdays and Thursdays; and to retrace his route south on Fridays. He would spend at least half a day on Saturday visiting customers in the Boston area, and would*26 also report to the Haverhillbased headquarters of his companies every weekend.

Petitioner usually stayed over the weekend at his apartment in Brookline. During the years involved herein, he paid rent of approximately $145 per month on such apartment. He did not deduct any portion of the Brookline apartment rent nor the cost of any of his non-business-connected meals eaten in the Boston area. On Monday morning he would start his weekly trip north, usually stopping to spend Monday night at the Sherwood Hotel, in Dover, New Hampshire. His travels on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were so arranged that it was feasible for him to spend each of these nights in Brunswick, Maine. From January through May of 1959, petitioner spent these nights in motels or hotels in and around the Brunswick area.

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Bluebook (online)
1967 T.C. Memo. 239, 26 T.C.M. 1210, 1967 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brenner-v-commissioner-tax-1967.