Estate of Kanter v. Comm'r

2007 T.C. Memo. 21, 2007 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 21
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 1, 2007
DocketNo. 712-86, 1350-87, 31301-87, 33557-87, 3456-88, 32103-88, 16421-90; 26251-90, 20211-91, 21555-91, 21616-91, 1984-92, 16164-92, 23743-92; 7557-93, 22884-93
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2007 T.C. Memo. 21 (Estate of Kanter v. Comm'r) 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 Kanter v. Comm'r, 2007 T.C. Memo. 21, 2007 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 21 (tax 2007).

Opinion

ESTATE OF BURTON W. KANTER, DECEASED, JOSHUA S. KANTER, EXECUTOR, AND NAOMI R. KANTER, ET AL., 1, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Estate of Kanter v. Comm'r
No. 712-86, 1350-87, 31301-87, 33557-87, 3456-88, 32103-88, 16421-90; 26251-90, 20211-91, 21555-91, 21616-91, 1984-92, 16164-92, 23743-92; 7557-93, 22884-93
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 2007-21; 2007 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 21;
February 1, 2007, Filed

[EDITOR'S NOTE: PART 5 OF 5. THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SPLIT INTO MULTIPLE PARTS ON LEXIS TO ACCOMMODATE ITS LARGE SIZE. EACH PART CONTAINS THE SAME LEXIS CITE.]

Ballard v. Comm'r, 429 F.3d 1026, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 23640 (11th Cir., 2005)Estate of Lisle v. Comm'r, 431 F.3d 439, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 25217 (5th Cir., 2005)Estate of Kanter v. Comm'r, 406 F.3d 933, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 8064 (7th Cir., 2005)
Haines, Harry A.

*419 ISSUE VII. Whether Kanter Received Unreported Income From Equitable Leasing Co., Inc., During 1983 (STJ report at 128-129)

FINDINGS OF FACT

Respondent determined in the notice of deficiency issued to the Kanters for 1983 that Kanter failed to report income of $ 635,250 for that year. As discussed in detail below, this adjustment is attributable to respondent's determination that Kanter attempted to assign to THC and Zion income he earned from transactions involving Equitable Leasing Co., Inc. (Equitable Leasing).

Joel Mallin (Mallin) was a good friend and former law partner of Kanter who organized and promoted various equipment leasing transactions through Equity Leasing, his wholly owned company. Kanter, Transcr. at 4749; Mallin, Transcr. at 5172-5175. Mallin's leasing transactions were highly leveraged, and the residual value of the leased equipment provided the ostensible paper profit on his investors capital. Mallin, Transcr. at 5175-5186.

During 1983, Kanter allowed Mallin to include Zion as an investor in some of Equitable Leasing's offerings so that the offering would be fully subscribed and could close. Kanter, Transcr. at 4752. During 1983, Kanter also introduced additional*420 investors to Mallin so that Equitable Leasing could complete certain transactions. Kanter, Transcr. at 4753, Mallin, Transcr. at 5213-5215.

During 1983, Equitable Leasing transferred funds totaling at least $ 635,250 to THC and Zion, as follows:

DateAmountPayeeExhibit
1/04/83$ 317,250Zion9203; 146, at 6 (AJE 32)
1/24/839,500THC 9203; 146, at 2 (AJE 8)
6/01/836,500Zion9203; at 9
6/30/83302,000THC 9203; 148, at 12

Exh. 146, at 2 (AJE 8), provides an entry for $ 24,500 and states "Commission Income Consulting Fees to reclass C/R from Equitable Leasing on 9/21/82 & 1/25/83." It appears this $ 24,500 entry pertains to a $ 15,000 item from September 1982 combined with the $ 9,500 item dated January 24, 1983. As previously discussed, Zion was a subsidiary of THC during the year 1983.

THC's accounting records related to these transactions are inconsistent and contradictory. THC recorded about half of the funds it received from Equitable Leasing as loans and the other half as commissions. Exh. 146, at 2, 6 (AJE's 8 and 32); Exh. 148, at 12 (listing loans of $ 8,000 and $ 302,000 on June 27 and 30, 1983, respectively). However, THC's*421 records also include an adjusting journal entry for $ 310,000 (which probably includes the $ 302,000 transferred to THC on June 30, 1983, and the $ 8,000 listed as a loan on June 27, 1983, see Exh. 148, at 12) and which appears to read: "N/P-Equitable Leasing, Commission Income, to reclassify funds from Eq. Leasing [date illegible]." Exh. 146, at 11 (AJE 59).

Mallin paid commissions to Kanter (through payments to THC and Zion) in exchange for Kanter's assistance in recruiting investors for his leasing transactions. Kanter, Transcr. at 4753; Mallin, Transcr. at 5213-5214.

OPINION 143

*422 The provision of section 61 that gross income includes all income from whatever source derived would encompass fees and commissions earned as compensation for services. THC and Zion received payments from Equitable Leasing which were labeled inconsistently as commissions and/or loans.

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

Related

Welch v. Helvering
290 U.S. 111 (Supreme Court, 1933)
Holland v. United States
348 U.S. 121 (Supreme Court, 1955)
Snow v. Commissioner
416 U.S. 500 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Boyett Et Ux. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
204 F.2d 205 (Fifth Circuit, 1953)
United States v. Charles A. Esser
520 F.2d 213 (Seventh Circuit, 1975)
ESTATE OF
431 F.3d 439 (Fifth Circuit, 2005)
Hague Estate v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
132 F.2d 775 (Second Circuit, 1943)
Leavell v. Commissioner
1996 T.C. Memo. 117 (U.S. Tax Court, 1996)
Sutherland v. Commissioner
32 T.C. 862 (U.S. Tax Court, 1959)
Meneguzzo v. Commissioner
43 T.C. 824 (U.S. Tax Court, 1965)
Estate of Mason v. Commissioner
64 T.C. 651 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Weimerskirch v. Commissioner
67 T.C. 672 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Nicholas v. Commissioner
70 T.C. 1057 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2007 T.C. Memo. 21, 2007 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-kanter-v-commr-tax-2007.