Centre for International Understanding v. Commissioner

84 T.C. No. 21, 84 T.C. 279, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 25, 1985
DocketDocket Nos. 7520-84X, 7521-84
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 84 T.C. No. 21 (Centre for International Understanding 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
Centre for International Understanding v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. No. 21, 84 T.C. 279, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119 (tax 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

CANTREL, Special Trial Judge:

These cases are presently before the Court2 on petitioners’ motion to consolidate filed in each of the above cases on August 6, 1984, pursuant to Rule 141(a).3 Respondent agrees that these cases be consolidated.

The motion presents an issue of first impression in that it involves consolidating a declaratory judgment case with a case that includes transferee liability and excise and income tax deficiencies determined against the Centre itself and three directors individually. (The latter case, for clarity, will hereinafter be referred to as the deficiency case. Jurisdiction is not an issue in either proceeding.)

The petition in the deficiency case is based upon the issuance on December 27, 1983, of five notices of deficiency and one notice of transferee liability, as follows:

Petitioner TYE Deficiency
Centre Dec. 31, 1979 $212,334.17
Centre, transferee, of the ■ Dec. 31, 1976 3,075.57
assets of Colonial Woods Dec. 31, 1978 2,556.41
Apartments, Co., Transferor Oct. 16, 1979 189,695.06
1st Tier (initial deficiency) 2d Tier (additional deficiency)
Centre Dec. 31, 1977 $3,642.01 $29,006.00
Dec. 31, 1978 4,932.02 30,296.00
Dec. 31, 1979 10,975.09 86,599.25
Beatrice Jacoby Dec. 31, 1977 2,334.50 42,346.00
Dec. 31, 1978 2,280.00 45,496.00
Dec. 31, 1979 2,525.00 60,496.00
Morton G. Witzigreuter Dec. 31, 1977 4.346.30 53,842.00
Dec. 31, 1978 4,004.40 56,992.00
Dec. 31, 1979 3,962.00 71,992.00
Harold B. Bamburg Dec. 31, 1977 3.471.30 48,842.00
Dec. 31, 1978 2,804.40 48,992.00
Dec. 31, 1979 3,587.00 68,992.00

The purpose and scope of these actions are very different, so that we must examine the consequences to the parties and this Court if we were to grant the motion. In the declaratory judgment case, the Court will review under the authority of section 74284 respondent’s final determination that the Centre is not an organization described in section 501(c)(3) and therefore is not exempt from tax under section 501(a). The Centre was initially classified as a private operating foundation under section 4942(j)(3) on February 20, 1972. A trial may be available to the Centre because this is a revocation case. Rule 217; see Western Catholic Church v. Commissioner, 73 T.C. 196 (1979), affd. without published opinion 631 F.2d 736 (7th Cir. 1980); cf. Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Inc. v. Commissioner, 69 T.C. 570 (1978).

The deficiency case involves excise and income tax liabilities determined against the Centre itself and as transferee of the assets of Colonial Woods Apartment Co., a corporation wholly owned by the Centre; along with excise tax deficiencies determined against individual directors of the Centre for the tax years 1977-79. A necessary finding in this case will be whether the Centre was an exempt organization during the years in dispute (1976-79).5 Once that finding is made, however, other substantial issues will also need to be resolved, including- the Centre’s tax liability as transferee of assets of a wholly owned corporation, unrelated business income attributable to the Centre, amounts of certain deductions, application of the alternative minimum tax, and self-dealing between the directors and the Centre. Singular disposition of the declaratory judgment case will also leave these other issues to be decided in the deficiency case.

Petitioners argue and respondent concurs that consolidation would be the most efficient way to deal with these two cases, which involve some of the same issues of law and fact. The parties also agree that the declaratory judgment case is a revocation case, not a determination with respect to the initial or continuing qualification of an organization as an exempt organization. A trial may be available to the Centre, and the declaratory judgment case need not be submitted solely on the basis of the administrative record. Thus, procedural difficulties from consolidation that would arise in these cases, if one part of the action were limited to a review of the administrative record, are not present. Petitioners further cite as support for their position Rule 215(c), which prohibits joinder of parties in an exempt organization case, but leaves consolidation to be governed by Rule 141. (See also, the last sentence of Rule 210(a).)

Respondent favors consolidation for many of the same reasons as petitioners. Respondent asserts that duplication of evidence will be the result of the declaratory judgment case proceeding prior to the deficiency case, and that evidence dealing with the three directors introduced in the declaratory judgment case will not produce any result binding on them in the deficiency cáse because they are not parties in the former case.6 Respondent recognizes, however, that some, but not all, of the issues involving the individual directors of the Centre are similar in both cases. Some of the same general areas of fact and law will be covered in both proceedings, with emphasis on different aspects of these issues.

The question of consolidation rests in the sound discretion of the Court. Odend’hal v. Commissioner, 75 T.C. 400, 402 (1980); Cohen v. Commissioner, 176 F.2d 394 (10th Cir. 1949). In cases where petitioners are the same, there is a common trial site, the interests of petitioners are not adverse, all petitioners are represented by the same counsel, and where the same issues of fact and law, witnesses, and documentary evidence will be present, then consolidation generally will promote judicial economy and save substantial time and expense for the parties.

In deciding whether to consolidate the particular cases before us, we must look to the purposes and scope of the different actions. The purposes of a declaratory judgment case pursuant to section 7428 have been set out in the legislative history and in such cases as New Community Sr. Citizen Housing v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 372, 375-376 (1979). In enacting section 7428, Congress showed primary concern that a taxpayer have prompt judicial review of respondent’s determination that it is not exempt from tax, either initially or in the situation where respondent revokes a taxpayer’s exempt status. Another consideration was to give prompt judicial review for organizations faced with respondent’s withdrawal of advance assurances that contributions would be deductible. New Community Sr. Citizen Housing v. Commissioner, supra.

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Bluebook (online)
84 T.C. No. 21, 84 T.C. 279, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/centre-for-international-understanding-v-commissioner-tax-1985.