Fry v. Commissioner

1991 T.C. Memo. 51, 61 T.C.M. 1812, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 76
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 11, 1991
DocketDocket No. 46185-86
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1991 T.C. Memo. 51 (Fry 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
Fry v. Commissioner, 1991 T.C. Memo. 51, 61 T.C.M. 1812, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 76 (tax 1991).

Opinion

PHILLIP S. FRY and K. SUSAN FRY, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Fry v. Commissioner
Docket No. 46185-86
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1991-51; 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 76; 61 T.C.M. (CCH) 1812; T.C.M. (RIA) 91051;
February 11, 1991, Filed

*76 Decision will be entered under Rule 155.

Phillip S. Fry, pro se. 1
David W. Otto and S. Mark Barnes, for the respondent.
PARR, Judge.

PARR

MEMORANDUM FINDING OF FACTS AND OPINION

Respondent determined deficiencies in and additions to petitioners' joint Federal income taxes as follows:

Additions to Tax 
YearDeficiencySection 6653(b) 2Section 6654(a)
1977$ 108,999.00$ 54,499.50$ 3,878.57
1978604,924.70302,462.3519,311.18
19791,102,594.23551,297.1246,092.03

Respondent determined a separate deficiency of $ 2,436,382.86 and additions *77 to tax under sections 6653(b) and 6654(a) of $ 1,218,191.43 and $ 155,234.30, respectively, in petitioner Phillip S. Fry's Federal income taxes for 1980.

After concessions by the parties, the issues remaining for decision are: (1) Whether petitioners failed to report substantial amounts of gross receipts during the years in issue; (2) whether petitioners are entitled to expense deductions in excess of those respondent allowed; (3) whether petitioners are liable for the addition to tax for fraud under section 6653(b); (4) whether assessments of deficiencies and additions to tax for the years in issue are barred by the statute of limitations; (5) whether petitioners are liable for self-employment taxes pursuant to sections 1401 et seq.; and (6) whether petitioners are liable for an addition to tax for failure to make estimated tax payments under section 6654(a).

For clarity and convenience we have combined, in major part, our findings of fact and opinion herein because of the mass of financial and documentary data contained in the record.

GENERAL AND BACKGROUND FACTS

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and accompanying exhibits are*78 incorporated herein by this reference.

Petitioners resided in Mesa, Arizona, at the time they filed their petition in this case.

Petitioners conducted business during the years 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980 through an organization called Tax Information Center (TIC), which may appropriately be described as an income tax, estate planning, and financial consulting firm. TIC operated as Mr. Fry's sole proprietorship and was headquartered in buildings on part of 120 acres of land petitioners owned near New Concord, Ohio. 3 By 1980 petitioners were successful in soliciting a nationwide clientele of over 1,000 clients for TIC's tax return preparation practice.

Mr. Fry graduated from Case Western Reserve with a degree in economics. He also attended law school classes at the University of Akron and Georgetown University*79 Law Center, and he has taken courses toward earning a masters of business administration at George Washington University. However, he has not received a graduate degree from any of these institutions.

Throughout his education, Mr. Fry never enrolled in a course involving Federal income taxation. Even so, he was variously identified in TIC promotional materials as "one of the nation's most creative year-round income tax and estate planning specialists"; a "tax accountant and multi-millionaire"; a "highly eloquent lecturer who has explained our nation's complicated tax laws in everyday, easy to understand words"; a "leading tax consultant"; and a "multi-millionaire tax specialist."

TIC marketed its services through an aggressive self-promotion campaign featuring free seminars at which Mr. Fry was the featured speaker. Petitioners scheduled seminar dates at motels or hotels in various towns and cities and promoted them through advertisements in local newspapers.

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1991 T.C. Memo. 51, 61 T.C.M. 1812, 1991 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 76, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fry-v-commissioner-tax-1991.