Garwood v. Commissioner

62 T.C. No. 76, 62 T.C. 699, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 28, 1974
DocketDocket No. 2530-73
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 62 T.C. No. 76 (Garwood 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
Garwood v. Commissioner, 62 T.C. No. 76, 62 T.C. 699, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55 (tax 1974).

Opinion

Simpson, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency of $254 in the Federal income tax of the petitioner for the year 1970. The only issue for decision is whether the expenses incurred by a substitute teacher in obtaining a bachelor of arts degree are deductible under section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code of 19541 as ordinary and necessary business expenses.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

The petitioner, Ronald E. Garwood, was a resident of Detroit, Mich., at the time his petition was filed in this case. He filed an individual Federal income tax return for 1970.

During the year 1970, the petitioner was a student in the liberal arts college of Wayne State University. The courses taken by him during that year included classical Greek, 18th century literature, money and banking, classicism, literature, civilization, and phonetics. His major course of study was the French language. In December 1970, the petitioner received a bachelor of arts degree, and upon his graduation, the petitioner was qualified to pursue opportunities available to a person with knowledge of a foreign language.

The petitioner possessed a substitute teacher permit and was employed as a substitute teacher in 1970 by the Detroit Board of Education. From January to May of that year, he taught at an elementary school; and from September through December, he taught English at a high school. He did not teach after February 1971.

In pertinent part, the rules governing the certification of Michigan teachers promulgated by the Michigan Department of Education provided that, until September 1,1970, an applicant for a substitute permit must have 60 semester hours of satisfactory college credit, and that after that date, 90 semester hours of satisfactory college credit were required of such applicant. The substitute permit was valid for a maximum of 90 days during any semester for a person with a minimum of 90 semester hours. With respect to the renewal of a substitute permit, Michigan Department of Education rules provided:

■For a person with 90 bnt less than 120 semester hours of college credit who does not teach more than 180 days during any school year, the substitute permit is renewable the following year upon recommendation of the superintendent of schools and upon presentation of evidence that the applicant is participating in a planned program approved by the sponsoring institution and that the applicant has completed 10 semester hours of satisfactory credit during the preceding 12 months.
For a person with 120 or more semester hours of college credit, the substitute permit is renewable the following year.

In his return for the year 1970, the petitioner claimed a deduction for tuition and books in the amount of $864. In his notice of deficiency, the respondent disallowed such deduction.

OPINION

The petitioner contends that in 1970, he was in the trade or business of being a substitute teacher. He argues that the education at issue maintained or improved his skills as a substitute teacher and that such education also met the requirements of his employer as set forth in the regulations of the -Michigan Department of Education for retention of his position as a substitute teacher. Thus, he contends that he is entitled to the deduction.

Section 162 allows a deduction for all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on a trade or business. Although such section does not explicitly deal with expenditures for education, section 1.162-5 of the Income Tax Regulations provides objective tests for determining whether such expenditures are deductible. Morton S. Taubman, 60 T.C. 814 (1973); David N. Bodley, 56 T.C. 1357 (1971); Jeffry L. Weiler, 54 T.C. 398 (1970). In pertinent part, the regulations provide:

Sec. 1.162-6 Expenses for education.
(a) General rule. Expenditures made by an individual for education * * * which are not expenditures of a type described in paragraph (b) (2) or (3) of this section are deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses (even though the education may lead to a degree) if the'education—
(1) Maintains ór improves skills required by the individual in his employment or other trade or business, or
(2) Meets the express requirements of the individual’s employer, or the requirements of applicable law or regulations, imposed as a condition to the retention by the individual of an established employment relationship, status, or rate of compensation.
(b) Nondeductiile educational expenditures — (1) In general. Educational expenditures described in subparagraphs (2) and (3) of this paragraph are personal expenditures or constitute an inseparable aggregate of personal and capital expenditures and, therefore, are not deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses even though the education may maintain or improve skills required by the individual in his employment or other trade or business or may meet the express requirements of the individual’s employer or of applicable law or regulations.
(2) Minimum, educational requirements, (i) The first category of nondeductible educational expenses within the scope of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph are expenditures made by an individual for education which is required of him in order to meet the minimum educational requirements for qualification in his employment or other trade or business. The minimum education necessary to qualify for a position or other trade or business must be determined from a consideration of such factors as the requirements of the employer, the applicable law and regulations, and the standards of the profession, trade, or business involved. The fact that an individual is already performing service in an employment status does not establish that he has met the minimum educational requirements for qualification in that employment. * * *
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(3) Qualification for new trade or business, (i) The second category of nondeductible educational expenses within the scope of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph are expenditures made by an individual for education which is part of a program, of study being pursued by him which will lead to qualifying him in a new trade or business. In the case of an employee, a change of duties does not constitute a new trade or business if the new duties involve the same general type of work as is involved in the individual's present employment. For this purpose, all teaching and related duties shall be considered to involve the same general type of work. * * *

Tlie thrust of the regulations is to distinguish between educational expenses that are ordinary and necessary expenses of a trade or business and those that are personal and capital expenditures. Ronald F. Weiszmann, 52 T.C. 1106, 1111 (1969), affirmed per curiam 443 F. 2d 29 (C.A. 9, 1971). In Arthur M. Jungreis, 55 T.C. 581, 591 (1970), we stated:

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Garwood v. Commissioner
62 T.C. No. 76 (U.S. Tax Court, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
62 T.C. No. 76, 62 T.C. 699, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garwood-v-commissioner-tax-1974.