Burt v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Burt)

237 B.R. 914, 42 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1379, 1999 Bankr. LEXIS 1070
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedAugust 19, 1999
DocketBankruptcy No. 97-46294; Adversary No. 98-4215
StatusPublished

This text of 237 B.R. 914 (Burt v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Burt)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burt v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Burt), 237 B.R. 914, 42 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1379, 1999 Bankr. LEXIS 1070 (Miss. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

DAVID W. HOUSTON, III, Bankruptcy Judge.

On consideration before the court' is a determination of the dischargeability of delinquent federal taxes for the years 1991 and 1992, owed by the debtor, Amzi Burt, Jr., to the United States of America, acting by and through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the matter having been submitted to the court by agreement of the parties through a stipulation of undisputed facts; and the court, having reviewed same, finds as follows, to-wit:

I.

The court has jurisdiction of the subject matter of and the parties to this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334 and 28 U.S.C. § 157. This is a core proceeding as defined in 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(I).

II.

The parties have stipulated to the following facts:

1. Amzi Burt, Jr., filed Chapter 13 Case No. 93-40777 on March 17,1993; it was dismissed June 5, 1996. The automatic stay was in effect the following number of days:
1993 — 289
1994 — 365
1995 — 365
1996 — 157 (February had 29 days)
1,176 days
2. Amzi Burt, Jr., filed Chapter 13 Case No. 97-42049 on April 29, 1997; it was dismissed October 23, 1997. The automatic stay was in effect the following number of days: 1997 — 178.
The previous bankruptcy filings prevented the IRS from collecting the taxes at issue for a combined total of 1,354 days or 3.709 years.
3. The present Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Case No. 97-46294, was filed on December 17,1997.
4. The balance of the debtor’s 1991'fed-eral tax liability is $4,385.94, as of April 20,1999.
5. The balance of the debtor’s 1992 federal tax liability is $53,668.86, as of April 22,1999.
6. The debtor did not receive an extension for filing his 1991 federal income tax return.
7. The debtor did receive an extension to August 15, 1993, to file his 1992 federal income tax return, which was thereafter filed on April 18,1995.

The stipulated dismissal dates for Case No. 93-40777 and Case No. 97-42049 are incorrect. Case No. 93-40777 was actually dismissed on June 3, 1996, two days before the stipulated date of June 5, 1996. Accordingly, the automatic stay was in effect for 1,174 days rather than 1,176 days as stipulated. Case No. 97-42049 was actually dismissed on September 24, 1997, which is 29 days earlier than the stipulated dismissal date of October 23, 1997. Accordingly, the automatic stay was in effect for a total of 149 days rather than 178 days as stipulated. Therefore, the two previous bankruptcy filings prevented the IRS from collecting the taxes at issue for a combined total of 1,323 days or 3.62 years.

III.

Section 523(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

11 U.S.C. § 523. Exceptions to discharge.
(a) A discharge under § ... 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—
(1) for a tax or a customs duty — •
[916]*916(a) of the kind and for the period specified in § 507(a)(2) or § 507(a)(8) of this title, whether or not a claim for such tax was filed or allowed;

11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)(A).1

Section 507(a)(8), which sets forth the priority of certain taxes, is set forth as follows:

11 U.S.C. § 507. Priorities.
(a) The following expenses and claims have priority in the following order:
(8) Eighth, allowed unsecured claims of governmental units, only to the extent that such claims are for—
(A) a tax on or measured by income or gross receipts—
(i) for a taxable year ending on or before the date of the filing of the petition for which a return, if required, is last due, including extensions, after three years before the date of the filing of the petition;
(ii) assessed within 240 days, plus any time plus 30 days during which an offer in compromise with respect to such tax that was made within 240 days after such assessment was pending, before the date of the filing of the petition; or
(in) other than a tax of a kind specified in section 523(a)(1)(B) or 523(a)(1)(C) of this title, not assessed before, but assessable, under applicable law or by agreement, after the commencement of the case;

The issue presented for adjudication is whether the three year “look back” period contained in § 507(a)(8)(A) should be tolled for the periods of time during which the debtor’s previous bankruptcy cases were pending.

The three year limitations provision of § 507(a)(8)(A), applicable ordinarily to the pending Chapter 13 case, would begin December 17, 1994. This adversary proceeding relates to the dischargeability only of 1991 and 1992 taxes which would have become due on April 15, 1992, and August 15,1993, (the date as extended) respectively. If the running of the three year period is not tolled because of the debtor’s previous bankruptcy filings, the 1991 and 1992 taxes would be dischargeable because both became due more than three years before the filing of the present bankruptcy case, and no longer would be considered priority claims.

Numerous published opinions have addressed the issue of whether the three year period of § 507(a)(8)(A)(i) is tolled by the filing of a prior bankruptcy case. Most of the decisions have held that the limitations period is tolled. See; In re Taylor, 81 F.3d 20 (3d Cir.1996); Montoya v. U.S. (In re Montoya), 965 F.2d 554 (7th Cir.1992); U.S. v. Richards (In re Richards), 994 F.2d 763 (10th Cir.1993); In re Waugh, 109 F.3d 489 (8th Cir.1997); In re McMillan, 204 B.R. 835 (Bankr.M.D.Ga.1996); In re Darden, 202 B.R.715 (Bankr.E.D.Va.1996); In re Cowart, 199 B.R. 799 (Bankr.M.D.Fla.1996); In re Brickley, 70 B.R. 113 (9th Cir. BAP 1986); In re Grogan, 158 B.R. 197 (Bankr.E.D.Cal.1993); Molina v. U.S., 99 B.R.

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Bluebook (online)
237 B.R. 914, 42 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1379, 1999 Bankr. LEXIS 1070, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burt-v-internal-revenue-service-in-re-burt-msnb-1999.