Gaughan v. Commissioner

1993 T.C. Memo. 320, 66 T.C.M. 168, 1993 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 323
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 20, 1993
DocketDocket Nos. 150-91, 259-91
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1993 T.C. Memo. 320 (Gaughan 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
Gaughan v. Commissioner, 1993 T.C. Memo. 320, 66 T.C.M. 168, 1993 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 323 (tax 1993).

Opinion

JOHN M. GAUGHAN, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent; GLORIA J. GAUGHAN, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Gaughan v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 150-91, 259-91
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1993-320; 1993 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 323; 66 T.C.M. (CCH) 168;
July 20, 1993, Filed

*323 Decision will be entered for petitioner in docket No. 150-91. Decision will be entered for respondent as to the deficiency and for petitioner as to the addition to tax under sec. 6661(a) in docket No. 259-91.

For docket No. 150-91, petitioner: Norman Riedmueller.
For docket No. 259-91, petitioner: Jay R. Houren.
For respondent: Carol B. Reeve.
BEGHE

BEGHE

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

BEGHE, Judge: By separate statutory notices of deficiency, respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners' Federal income tax and an addition to tax as follows:

Petitioner John M. Gaughan, docket No. 150-91

YearDeficiency
1984$ 236,901

Petitioner Gloria J. Gaughan, docket No. 259-91

Addition to Tax 
YearDeficiencySec. 6661 
1983$ 331,473$ 82,868 

When petitioners filed their petitions, petitioner John M. Gaughan was a resident of Houston, Texas, and petitioner Gloria J. Gaughan was a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico. By order of the Court, these cases have been consolidated for trial, briefing, and opinion.

Respondent has conceded that Mrs. Gaughan is not liable for the addition to tax under section 6661 1 for substantial understatement *324 of her 1983 income tax liability.

The issues for decision are (1) whether a certain corporate share transaction incident to petitioners' 1983 divorce was a taxable sale or a tax-free division of community property and (2) whether the 6-year limitation period of section 6501(e) applies to Mrs. Gaughan. For the reasons discussed below, we hold that the transaction was a taxable sale on which Mrs. Gaughan recognized gain to the extent her amount realized exceeded the adjusted basis of her community interest in the shares, and that Mr. Gaughan obtained an increased basis (equal to his purchase price) in the share interest he purchased from Mrs. Gaughan. Consequently, there is a deficiency in Mrs. Gaughan's Federal income tax for the taxable year 1983 as determined by respondent, and no deficiency in Mr. Gaughan's Federal income tax for the taxable year*325 1984. Because Mrs. Gaughan failed to report or disclose the transaction on her 1983 Federal income tax return, the 6-year period of limitations applies to her, and assessment and collection of the deficiency determined against her is not barred by the statute of limitations.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Most of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.

When petitioners divorced on September 7, 1983, they were residents of Texas, a community property State. Except for clothing and jewelry, petitioners had no separate property.

Incorporated in the divorce decree was a property settlement agreement executed by petitioners on the date of the divorce. Under the property settlement agreement, Mrs. Gaughan's community interest in 61,328 shares of stock in Telecommunication Specialists, Inc. (TSI), a closely held corporation 45.5 percent of whose outstanding stock was owned by petitioners, was set aside for Mr. Gaughan. In lieu of receiving her community interest in the TSI stock (30,664 shares), Mrs. Gaughan received $ 1.7 million in cash from Mr. Gaughan upon entry of the divorce decree. 2 He obtained the funds to make this payment by means of a $ 2 million loan from InterFirst Bank*326 of Houston, N.A. The loan was evidenced by a demand note, dated September 7, 1983, executed solely by Mr. Gaughan as maker, and Mrs. Gaughan's name does not appear anywhere on the note. The loan was secured by the 61,328 shares of TSI stock, Mrs. Gaughan's community interest in which she had transferred to Mr. Gaughan earlier that day. The allocation of community debts in the property settlement agreement does not specifically mention the $ 2 million loan and does not allocate any such liability to Mrs. Gaughan. However, Schedule C of the agreement provides that included among Mr. Gaughan's liabilities was:

Any and all notes, liabilities, guarantees, contingent guarantees, contingent liabilities and/or indebtedness entered into or signed by * * * [Mr. Gaughan] without the joinder of * * * [Mrs. Gaughan].

*327 Mr. Gaughan instructed the bank to write a cashier's check payable to Mrs. Gaughan in the amount of $ 1.7 million "in connection with the settlement of the divorce proceedings".

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1993 T.C. Memo. 320, 66 T.C.M. 168, 1993 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gaughan-v-commissioner-tax-1993.