Coggin v. Comr. of IRS

71 F.3d 855, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 346, 1996 U.S. App. LEXIS 131, 1996 WL 207
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedJanuary 4, 1996
Docket94-6551
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 71 F.3d 855 (Coggin v. Comr. of IRS) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coggin v. Comr. of IRS, 71 F.3d 855, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 346, 1996 U.S. App. LEXIS 131, 1996 WL 207 (11th Cir. 1996).

Opinion

GARTH, Circuit Judge:

The United States Tax Court disallowed certain deductions taken by the taxpayer, John C. Coggin, III, on his 1980, 1981 and 1982 federal income tax returns. The Tax Court assessed deficiencies in the amount of $128,941.30; and additions to tax, pursuant to I.R.C. §§ 6653 (Additions to Tax for Negligence and Fraud) & 6661 (Additions to Tax for Substantial Understatement of Liability), in the amount of $15,144.05, plus 50% of the interest due on the deficiencies for the 1981 and 1982 tax years. Coggin appealed the Tax Court decision, asserting two alternative grounds for reversal: (1) the three-year statute of limitations barred assessment and collection of the alleged deficiencies; and (2) the Tax Court erred in disallowing his claimed deductions and in assessing penalties and additions to tax.

The Tax Court rejected Coggin’s statute of limitations defense, holding that Coggin’s attempted termination of his agreements to extend the limitations period was ineffective. Specifically, the Tax Court found that Cog-gin, in an effort to mislead the IRS, had mailed the termination notices, Form 872-T, to the wrong division within the district office. Reasoning that the incorrectly addressed termination notices were ineffective, the Tax Court concluded that the notice of deficiency, issued by the Commissioner with *857 in ninety days of the discovery of the termination notices, was timely. We will affirm the decision of the Tax Court.

This court has jurisdiction to review the final order of the Tax Court pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7482(a)(1). Venue is proper pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7482(b)(1)(A).

I.

The relevant facts, which are either stipulated by the parties or taken from the Tax Court’s opinion, are as follows. The taxpayer, John C. Coggin, is an experienced tax and natural resources attorney, who has represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has authored various articles on taxation of natural resources. Since 1974, Coggin has performed legal work for clients in the coal industry and, in fact, has prepared tax opinions for various coal-mining limited partnerships. According to his biography, published in the Martindell-Hubbell. Law Directory, Coggin served on the American Bar Association (ABA) Committee on Natural Resources, Taxation Section, and chaired the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Coal Taxation.

During the late 1970s, Coggin began performing substantial legal work for Richard W. McIntyre, including legal services for two coal-mining limited partnerships that had been organized by McIntyre: Energy Resources, Limited (ERL) and Virginia Partnership, Limited (VPL). Coggin prepared tax opinions, which were included in the private placement offering materials for both partnerships. Coggin also played a key role in negotiating certain coal lease and sublease agreements on behalf of ERL and VPL. In addition, Coggin participated as a limited partner in both ERL and VPL.

ERL and VPL, in 1979 and 1980 respectively, entered into lease agreements to mine and market, as lessee or sublessee, all of the coal underlying certain land in Kentucky and Virginia. These lease transactions, which were the subject of two Tax Court opinions, are described in detail in Walden v. Commissioner, 55 T.C.M. (CCH) 332, 1988 WL 17671 (1988), and Bauman v. Commissioner, 55 T.C.M. (CCH) 435, 1988 WL 23559 (1988). Under these lease agreements, ERL and VPL were obligated to pay annually, irrespective of production, certain advance royalties to lessors or sublessors. Initial royalty payments would be in the form of cash and recourse promissory notes; subsequent payments, however, would be in the form of nonrecourse promissory notes, which would not mature for twenty to thirty years.

On his 1980, 1981 and 1982 federal income tax returns, Coggin claimed deductions with respect to his investment in ERL and VPL of $90,259, $84,297, and $74,105 for each respective tax year. The Examination Division of the IRS District Director’s Office at Birmingham, Alabama, initiated an audit of Cog-gin’s 1980 return and subsequently extended the scope of the audit to include Coggin’s 1981 and 1982 returns. The Examination Division challenged the deductions related to the coal-mining limited partnerships, as well as certain alimony and interest deductions taken by Coggin on his 1980 return.

Coggin acceded to the Commissioner’s proposed adjustments regarding the alimony and interest deductions, and agreed to pay the $2,500 deficiency assessed by the IRS. On February 10, 1986, Coggin forwarded his $2,500 payment to Marilyn Toney, a revenue officer in the Collection Division of the Birmingham District Director’s Office. Revenue officers, such as Ms. Toney, do not examine returns, but rather collect delinquent taxes after they have been assessed. Other than advising Coggin of the balance due on his assessed tax liability related to the disallowed alimony and interest deductions on his 1980 return, Ms. Toney did not discuss any aspect of the continuing audit of Coggin’s 1980, 1981 and 1982 income tax returns. After Coggin paid the assessment, Ms. Toney and Coggin did not have any further conversations.

During the course of the audit, at the request of the IRS, Coggin agreed to waive the three-year statute of limitations for assessment of deficiencies. Specifically, Cog-gin and the IRS entered into a series of agreements to extend the time during which *858 the IRS could make an assessment. 1

With respect to the 1981 tax year, Coggin, on April 22, 1986, executed Form 872 (Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax), which extended the limitations period to September 30, 1987. Specifically, the Form 872 executed by Coggin provided in pertinent part:

The amount of any Federal Income tax due on any return made by or for the above taxpayer(s) for the period(s) ended December 31,1981 may be assessed at any time before September 30, 1987_ This agreement ends on the earlier of the above expiration date or the assessment date of an increase in the above tax that reflects the final determination of tax and the final administrative appeals consideration....

With respect to the 1980 and 1982 tax years, Coggin, on October 25, 1984 and April 22, 1986 respectively, executed a separate Form 872-A (Special Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax) for each tax year. In contrast to Form 872, Form 872-A extends the limitations period indefinitely rather than for a time certain. Specifically, Form 872-A contained the following language:

The amount of any Federal Income tax due on any return made by or for the above taxpayer(s) for the period(s) ended [either December 31, 1980 or December .31,1982] may be assessed on or before the 90th day after: (a) the Internal Revenue Service office considering the case receives Form 872-T, Notice of Termination of Special Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax, from the taxpayer(s), or (b) the Internal Revenue Service mails Form 872-T to the taxpayer(s); or (c) the Internal Revenue Service mails a notice of deficiency....

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kaplan v. Regions Bank
M.D. Florida, 2019
United States v. Guy Ennis Smith
Eleventh Circuit, 2018
United States v. Lawrence Foster
878 F.3d 1297 (Eleventh Circuit, 2018)
Max v. Northington (In Re Northington)
876 F.3d 1302 (Eleventh Circuit, 2017)
Title Max v. Gustavius A. Wilber
Eleventh Circuit, 2017
United States v. Carlos Fernandez
606 F. App'x 977 (Eleventh Circuit, 2015)
United States v. Delvis Bermudez
536 F. App'x 869 (Eleventh Circuit, 2013)
Curtis G. Lockett v. Commissioner of IRS
306 F. App'x 464 (Eleventh Circuit, 2009)
Estate of Marvin E. Greenfield v. Comm'r IRS
297 F. App'x 858 (Eleventh Circuit, 2008)
United States v. White
335 F.3d 1314 (Eleventh Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Richard Poirier, Jr.
321 F.3d 1024 (Eleventh Circuit, 2003)
Sleiman v. Comr. of IRS
187 F.3d 1352 (Eleventh Circuit, 1999)
Ripley v. Commissioner
103 F.3d 332 (Fourth Circuit, 1996)
Silverman v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
86 F.3d 260 (First Circuit, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
71 F.3d 855, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 346, 1996 U.S. App. LEXIS 131, 1996 WL 207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coggin-v-comr-of-irs-ca11-1996.