Estate of Kahn v. Commissioner

60 T.C. No. 102, 60 T.C. 964, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 20, 1973
DocketDocket No. 3860-67
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 60 T.C. No. 102 (Estate of Kahn 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
Estate of Kahn v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. No. 102, 60 T.C. 964, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55 (tax 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

Goffe, Judge:

On June 27, 1973, this Court entered a decision pursuant to our opinion filed on December 4,1972. Petitioners have filed a motion to approve a bond to stay assessment and collection pending review of our opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals, such bond to be secured by collateral instead of a surety.

In our decision we determined deficiencies in income tax due from petitioners for the taxable years 1956, 1957, and 1958 aggregating $618,746.62, and additions to the tax under the provisions of section 6653(b) of the Code1 due from petitioners aggregating $344,744.28.

Petitioners, in their motion, allege that because of the size of the deficiencies in tax and the value of the assets owned by petitioners, they are unable to secure a surety. They ask the Court to accept in lieu of a surety a pledge of collateral consisting of corporate securities and a secured promissory note. They recite hardships that will result if the relief they seek is not granted, such as sale of stocks and bonds at a time when the market is depressed and loss of the sole sources of support of petitioner Gertrude Kahn, a widow.

Petitioners ask that the amount of the bond be fixed at $1,237,493.24.

Petitioners and respondent disagree on two points: (1) The amount of the bond required, and (2) the nature of the collateral that this Court can accept in lieu of a surety on the bond.

Both of the issues are controlled by section 7485 of the Internal Kevenue Code of 1954, as amended, which is as follows:

SEO. 7486. BOND TO STAX ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION.
(a) Upon Notice of Appeal. — Notwithstanding any provision of law imposing restrictions on tbe assessment and collection of 'deficiencies, the review under section 7483 shall not operate as a stay of assessment or collection of any portion of the amount of the deficiency determined hy the Tax Court unless a notice of appeal in respect of such portion is duly filed hy the taxpayer, and then only if the taxpayer—
(1) on or before the time his notice of appeal is filed has filed with the Tax Court a bond in a sum fixed by the Tax Court not exceeding double the amount of the portion of the deficiency in. respect of which the notice of appeal is filed, and with surety approved by the Tax Court, conditioned upon the payment of the deficiency as finally determined, together with any interest, additional amounts, or additions to the tax provided for by law, or
(2) has filed a jeopardy bond under the income or estate tax laws.
If as a result of a waiver of the restrictions on the assessment and collection of a deficiency any part of the amount determined by the Tax Court is paid after the filing of the appeal bond, such bond shall, at the request of the taxpayer, be proportionately reduced.
(b) Cross References.—
(1) For requirement of additional security notwithstanding this section, see section 7482(c) (3).
(2) For deposit of United States bonds or notes in lieu of sureties, see 6 U.S.C. 15.

It is customary for tills Court to set the amount of the bond equal to the deficiency in tax plus additions to the tax and interest from the date of filing the return to a date 2^ years from the date the notice of appeal is required to be filed. Barnes Theatre Ticket Service, Inc., 50 T.C. 28 (1968). Because of the length of time interest has accrued on the deficiencies, the application of that rule in this case would require a bond in an amount larger than double the amount of the deficiency in tax and addition to tax, the upper limit prescribed by section 7485 (a) (1). Accordingly, the amount of the bond in this case shall be set at double the amount of the deficiency. The parties disagree on what the term “deficiency” means in this context. Petitioners contend that it means only the deficiency in tax. Respondent contends that it means deficiency in tax and any addition to tax. We held in Barnes Theatre Ticket Services, Inc., supra, that in setting the amount of the bond, it was our customary practice to make the bond adequate to cover not only the deficiency in tax and interest but also the addition to tax. We conclude that the same practice is applicable to the limitation on the maximum amount of the bond. The term “deficiency” is defined as the amount of “tax” imposed by subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code in excess of the amount Shown on the return plus amounts previously assessed less any rebates. Sec. 6211(a). Any reference to “tax” imposed by the Internal Revenue Code (including subtitle A) is deemed to refer to additions to the tax. Sec. 6659 (a) (2).

Aside from our holding in Barnes Theatre Ticket Service, Inc., supra, and our tracing of the meaning of the word “deficiency” as used in section 7485, we believe that any other construction would not be in harmony with the purpose of section 7485. The purpose of that section is to protect the United States during the pendency of an appeal so that when the appeal becomes final, there will be adequate security for collection of the amounts finally determined to be owed, if any, by the taxpayer to the U.S. Government. There is no reason to believe that payment of an addition to the tax should not be any less secured than a deficiency in tax is secured.

We hold, therefore, that the amount of the bond shall be set at double the amount of the deficiency in income tax and addition to the tax under the provisions of section 6653 (b), or $1,926,981.80.

The second point of disagreement between the parties centers around surety for the bond. Petitioners ask us to accept in lieu of a surety, collateral consisting of marketable stocks, bonds, mutual fund certificates, stocks in closely held corporations, and a promissory note secured by a real estate mortgage.

Respondent contends that section 7485(b)(2) precludes us from accepting in lieu of a surety on the bond, any security other than that prescribed by 6 U.S.C. sec. 15, which permits collateral security consisting solely of obligations of the United States or those guaranteed by the United States.

We agree with respondent. Section 7485(b), set forth in full above, specifically provides for United States bonds or notes in lieu of sureties. Although section 7485(b) does not specify that only U.S. obligations qualify for security, a reading of 6 U.S.C. sec. 15, which specifies in detail which obligations of the United States will qualify, convinces us that section 7485 (b) was intended to be exclusive. 6 U.S.C. sec. 15 provides as follows:

SEC. 15. Bonds or notes of United States in lieu of recognizance, stipulation, bond, guaranty, or undertaking; place of deposit; return to depositor; contractors’ bonds

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Estate of Kahn v. Commissioner
60 T.C. No. 102 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
60 T.C. No. 102, 60 T.C. 964, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-kahn-v-commissioner-tax-1973.