D'Avanzo v. United States

67 Fed. Cl. 39, 96 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5464, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 2005 WL 1793414
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJuly 26, 2005
DocketNo. 00-776T
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 67 Fed. Cl. 39 (D'Avanzo v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
D'Avanzo v. United States, 67 Fed. Cl. 39, 96 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5464, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 2005 WL 1793414 (uscfc 2005).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GEORGE W. MILLER, Judge.

Andrew M. and Linda J. D’Avanzo are plaintiffs in this tax refund case that is before the Court after trial held on August 13 and November 5, 2004. United States Court of Federal Claims Rule (“RCFC”) 52(a) governs “actions tried upon the facts,” and provides that findings of fact may be “based on oral or documentary evidence ... and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge of [sic] the credibility of the witness.” RCFC 52(a). The Court heard testimony from plaintiff1 Andrew D’Avanzo and received affidavits from Sylvia Ware, the real estate agent for plaintiffs’ Boca Raton property; Tom Campbell, Mr. D’Avanzo’s former supervisor at Kurzweil Applied Intelligence (“Kurzweil”); and Theodore McNeff, a former tenant of the South Avenue property. For the reasons set forth below, the Court directs the entry of judgment for plaintiffs in the amount of $8,304.84 plus interest as provided by law.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs filed a complaint on December 26, 2000, seeking a refund of taxes for 1994 of $9,185.84. In its First Amended Answer, filed May 24, 2004, defendant “admits that plaintiffs are entitled to claim certain deductions and to recover the resulting overpayment of $8,304.84.” Am. Ans. If 1. Specifically, defendant admitted that “plaintiffs are entitled to Schedule E, line 26, real estate losses of $25,000 (rather than the $32,258.31 claimed), a charitable deduction of $15 (rather than the $2,415 claimed), and Schedule A, line 23, ‘Miscellaneous Deductions’ of $8,123.56 (rather than the $10,045.76 claimed).” Id. at n. *. The Court of Federal Claims has jurisdiction over this tax refund case pursuant to the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a) (2000). Hinck v. United States, 64 Fed.Cl. 71, 74-76 (2005).

During the course of discovery, plaintiffs found a receipt for $2,442 in real estate taxes purportedly paid in 1994 on a parcel of unimproved property, which had not been reported on Schedule A. Plaintiffs also claimed that on their 1994 tax return they reported as gross income dividends of $220.71 paid by an insurance company, which dividends plaintiffs now contend are nontaxable as a partial return of premiums paid. Plaintiffs did not present these arguments to the Internal Revenue Service in their claim for refund, i.e., their 1994 income tax return, Form 1040, filed October 15, 1998. Accordingly, for the reasons set forth in defendant’s July 12, 2004 filing, the Court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over these newly-articulated claims. See Order, filed July 13, 2004.

The issues remaining for trial were the following:

[41]*411. Did Andrew D’Avanzo satisfy the requirements to qualify as a real estate professional as set forth in § 469(c)(7)2 and the material participation requirement of § 469(c)(1)(B) such that plaintiffs were entitled to deduct unlimited Schedule E rental losses3?
If the Court resolved that issue in favor of plaintiffs, then the following subsidiary questions remained to be resolved:
A. Did certain replacements or improvements relating to two of the rental properties constitute capital assets the cost of which was required to be recovered through depreciation deductions, or were the costs of the replacements or improvements fully deductible in 1994 when they were incurred and the items placed in service?
B. Did plaintiffs satisfy the substantiation requirements of § 274 with respect to $943.40 in automobile and local travel expenses claimed on Schedule E?
2. Were $1,922.20 of plaintiffs’ rental real estate expenses properly deducted as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A, line 22, rather than on Schedule E?
3. Were plaintiffs entitled to deduct on Schedule A unsubstantiated cash donations to a church allegedly totaling $2,400?

DISCUSSION

1. Plaintiffs Were Not Entitled to Deduct Unlimited Real Estate Losses on Schedule E Because Mr. D’Avanzo Failed To Satisfy the Requirements To Qualify as a Real Estate Professional

A. Real Estate Professional

Section 469(a) generally disallows any passive activity loss for a taxable year. A “passive activity loss” is defined as the excess of the aggregate losses from all passive activities for the taxable year over the aggregate income from all passive activities for that year. § 469(d)(1). A passive activity is any trade or business in which the taxpayer does not materially participate. § 469(c)(1). Rental activity is treated as a per se passive activity without regard to whether the taxpayer materially participates. § 469(c)(2), (4).

Under § 469(c)(7)(B), the rental activities of a taxpayer in a real property trade or business (real estate professional) are not per se passive activities under § 469(c)(2), but rather are treated as a trade or business, subject to the material participation requirements of § 469(c)(1). See Treas. Reg. § 1.469-9(e)(l). A taxpayer qualifies as a real estate professional under § 469(e)(7)(B) if:

(i) more than one half of the personal services performed in trades or businesses by the taxpayer during such taxable year are performed in real property trades or businesses in which the taxpayer materially participates, and
(ii) such taxpayer performs more than 750 hours of services during the taxable year in real property trades or businesses in which the taxpayer materially participates.

In the case of a joint return, the requirements for qualifying as a real estate professional are satisfied if either spouse separately satisfies them for a given year. § 469(c)(7)(B). Thus, if either spouse qualifies as a real estate professional, his or her rental property activities are not characterized as per se passive activities under § 469(c)(2). But the qualifying spouse’s rental activities are still treated as passive activity under § 469(e)(1) unless the taxpayer [42]*42materially participated in the activity.4

Section 469(h)(1) defines material participation as regular, continuous, and substantial involvement in the operations of an activity. In determining whether a taxpayer materially participates in an activity, the participation of his or her spouse is taken into account. § 469(h)(5). Material participation must be satisfied with regard to each separate interest in rental real estate unless the taxpayer has made an election to treat all interests in rental real estate as a single rental activity. § 469(c)(7)(A); see also Treas. Reg. § 1.469-9(g). For the year in issue, plaintiffs did not elect to treat their five rental properties5 as a single rental real estate activity. Transcript of Proceedings, D’Avanzo v. United States, No. 00-776 C (Aug. 13 and Nov. 5, 2004) (“Trial Tr.”) at 30. Hence, plaintiffs activities were required to be regular, continuous, and substantial with respect to each property.

B. Plaintiffs Failed To Satisfy the Substantiation Requirement

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67 Fed. Cl. 39, 96 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5464, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 2005 WL 1793414, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davanzo-v-united-states-uscfc-2005.