Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., Inc. v. United States

26 Cl. Ct. 244, 69 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1385, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 232, 1992 WL 112162
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 27, 1992
DocketNo. 91-1176T
StatusPublished

This text of 26 Cl. Ct. 244 (Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., Inc. v. United States, 26 Cl. Ct. 244, 69 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1385, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 232, 1992 WL 112162 (cc 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

MARGOLIS, Judge.

This tax case comes before the court on defendant’s motion to dismiss and on plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. Defendant, through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), began a church tax examination of plaintiff in 1989, but failed to complete it within the statutory time period. Before this court, plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that it is an organization described in § 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (I.R.C.) entitled to be included in IRS publication 78, a list of organizations recognized by the IRS as qualified charitable donees. Defendant moves to dismiss, contending this court lacks jurisdiction, and plaintiff moves for summary judgment. After careful review of the record, and after hearing oral argument, this court grants defendant’s motion to dismiss and denies the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment.

FACTS

In the 1950s, the IRS revoked plaintiff’s tax-exempt status, a decision that the Court of Claims upheld in Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C. v. United States, 412 F.2d 1197, 188 Ct.Cl. 490 (1969), cert. denied, 397 U.S. 1009, 90 S.Ct. 1237, 25 L.Ed.2d 422 (1970). Consequently, plaintiff began to file corporate tax returns as a taxable entity.

Believing that circumstances had changed and that it was now operated exclusively for tax-exempt purposes, plaintiff began in 1973 to file information returns on Form 990, the information return used by exempt organizations. Plaintiff discontinued filing returns in 1980, consistent with its alleged church status and as permitted for churches by I.R.C. § 6033(a)(2).

Pursuant to I.R.C. § 7611, the IRS sent plaintiff a “Notice of Church Inquiry” on December 2, 1988, and a “Notice of Church Examination” on March 1, 1989, questioning plaintiff’s qualification for tax-exempt status. On February 27, 1991, the IRS notified plaintiff that it was unable to complete its examination within the two-year period provided by I.R.C. § 7611(c)(1)(A) and that, as a result, there would be no change in plaintiff’s tax status.

Plaintiff filed suit in this court on May 28, 1991, seeking a declaratory judgment under I.R.C. § 7428 that it is an entity described in I.R.C. § 170(c) entitled to be included in IRS publication 78, the cumulative list of organizations the IRS recognizes as qualified charitable donees. Defendant now moves to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, and plaintiff moves for summary judgment.

DISCUSSION

Plaintiff maintains that this court has jurisdiction to render a declaratory judgment in this matter under I.R.C. § 7428, which provides in subsection a in pertinent part as follows:

In a case of actual controversy involving—
(1) a determination by the Secretary—
[246]*246(A) with respect to the initial qualification or continuing qualification of an organization as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) which is exempt from tax under section 501(a) or as an organization described in section 170(c)(2)____
or
(2) a failure by the Secretary to make.a determination with respect to an issue referred to in paragraph (1),

upon the filing of an appropriate pleading ... the United States Claims Court ... may make a declaration with respect to such initial qualification or continuing qualification ____

Plaintiff also maintains that the February 27, 1991 letter in which the IRS stated that plaintiff’s tax status had not been changed (no-change letter) is a “final report” within the meaning of I.R.C. § 7611(g). That section provides that:

[a]ny final report of an agent of the Internal Revenue Service shall be treated as a determination of the Secretary under paragraph (1) of section 7428(a), and any church receiving such a report shall be treated for purposes of sections 7428 and 7430 as having exhausted the administrative remedies available to it.

Id.

Defendant seeks dismissal on jurisdictional grounds for two reasons. First, defendant argues that plaintiff’s complaint fails to set forth “a case of actual controversy” as I.R.C. § 7428(a) demands. Second, defendant asserts that the no-change letter should not be construed as a section 7611(g) final report, which allows plaintiff to sue for declaratory relief under I.R.C. § 7428(a).

Beginning with the question of whether this is a case of actual controversy, plaintiff contends that the IRS has “ ‘directly put in issue [its] classification or qualification under the sections listed in § 7428(a)(l)(A)-(C),’ ” which has “ ‘cause[d] [it] sufficient adverse consequences ... to create an actual controversy.’ ” Baptist Hospitals, Inc. v. United States, 851 F.2d 1397, 1400 (Fed.Cir.1988) (quoting Urantia Foundation v. Commissioner, 684 F.2d 521, 525 (7th Cir.1982)). Plaintiff argues that by not including it in IRS publication 78, the IRS has not provided its potential contributors with advance assurance of deductibility and thus created a case of actual controversy. As support for its contention, plaintiff cites several cases in which, according to plaintiff, the court entertained jurisdiction after the IRS failed to make a determination of tax-exempt status. See National Foundation, Inc. v. United States, 13 Cl.Ct. 486 (1987); Foundation of Human Understanding v. Commissioner, 88 T.C. 1341 (1987); World Family Corp. v. Commissioner, 81 T.C. 958 (1983); Gladstone Foundation v. Commissioner, 77 T.C. 221 (1981); Friends of the Society of Servants of God v. Commissioner, 75 T.C. 209 (1980); BBS Associates, Inc. v. Commissioner, 74 T.C. 1118 (1980); B.H.W. Anesthesia Foundation, Inc. v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 681 (1979).

Defendant counters that an actual controversy cannot exist in this case because the IRS has not taken a position which is adverse to that asserted by plaintiff. Defendant notes that the no-ehange letter does not alter the status quo, namely, that plaintiff may maintain the same tax-exempt status it did prior to and during the examination. Defendant also asserts that plaintiff is free, following the examination, to hold itself out as an entity described in I.R.C. §§ 501(c)(3) and 170(a), as it could before the examination.

This court finds merit in defendant’s position. Although plaintiff may not be pleased that the examination ended without the conclusion to which plaintiff believes it is entitled, the IRS’s failure to complete the church tax examination did not create an actual controversy. Had the IRS altered plaintiff’s “continuing qualification” in a fashion that would be adverse to plaintiff, this court could have jurisdiction under I.R.C. § 7428(a)(1)(A) to issue a declaratory judgment.1 As the facts stand, the IRS in no way changed plaintiff’s tax status be[247]*247cause plaintiff is in the same tax status position it was in before the examination began.

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Related

Maryland Casualty Co. v. Pacific Coal & Oil Co.
312 U.S. 270 (Supreme Court, 1941)
The Founding Church of Scientology v. The United States
412 F.2d 1197 (Court of Claims, 1969)
Urantia Foundation v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
684 F.2d 521 (Seventh Circuit, 1982)
B.H.W. Anesthesia Foundation, Inc. v. Commissioner
72 T.C. 681 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
BBS Associates, Inc. v. Commissioner
74 T.C. 1118 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Friends of Soc. of Servants of God v. Commissioner
75 T.C. 209 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Gladstone Foundation v. Commissioner
77 T.C. 221 (U.S. Tax Court, 1981)
World Family Corp. v. Commissioner
81 T.C. No. 60 (U.S. Tax Court, 1983)
Foundation of Human Understanding v. Commissioner
88 T.C. No. 75 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
National Foundation, Inc. v. United States
13 Cl. Ct. 486 (Court of Claims, 1987)
Founding Church of Scientology v. United States
397 U.S. 1009 (Supreme Court, 1970)

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26 Cl. Ct. 244, 69 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1385, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 232, 1992 WL 112162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/founding-church-of-scientology-of-washington-dc-inc-v-united-states-cc-1992.