Gino v. Commissioner

60 T.C. No. 37, 60 T.C. 304, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 31, 1973
DocketDocket No. 1676-71
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 60 T.C. No. 37 (Gino 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
Gino v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. No. 37, 60 T.C. 304, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116 (tax 1973).

Opinion

FINDINGS OE FACT AND OPINION

Hall, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes as follows:

Year Deficiency
1966 _$1,446.60
1967 _ 652.56
1968 _ 484.68
Total_ 2, 583. 74 ,

Tlie issues for decision are the following:1

(1) Are petitioners entitled to deduct as an educational expense all or any part of the cost of their around-the-world trip taken in the summer of 1966 ?

(2) What is the amount of the deduction to which petitioners are entitled in 1966,1967, and 1968 for business use of their home?

(3) Are petitioners entitled to a deduction for nonreimbursed educational and miscellaneous expenses in excess of the amounts allowed in the notices of deficiency for 1966,1967, and 1968 ?

GENERAL FACTS

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners, husband and wife, resided in Marina del Key, Calif., when they filed their petition herein. They timely filed their joint Federal income tax return's for the years 1966,1967, and 1968 with the district director of internal revenue at Los Angeles, Calif.

1. Around-the-World Trip

FINDINGS OF FACT

During the years in issue, petitioners were high school teachers employed by the Los Angeles City school system. Both held general teaching credentials and each had about 10 years of teaching experience.

During 1966, 1967, and 1968 petitioner George Gino (George) taught driver education and training at Granada Hills High School. The driver education course, as taught by George, consisted of six major units and lasted about 10 weeks. The course was broken down • as follows:

Subject matter Length of time spent Introduction_1 y2 weeks Psychology of the driver_2 weeks Eyes of the driver_1 week Subject matter Length of time spent Alcohol and drugs_1 week Natural laws_1 week Vehicle code_3% weeks

During the introduction, George emphasized the economic importance of the car in our society. Attitude of the driver toward various traffic conditions confronting him was emphasized in “psychology of the driver.” “Eyes of the driver” was devoted to the anatomy of the eye, and the student was made aware of eye-related physiological phenomena experienced while driving. The effects of drugs and alcohol on driving were taught in that portion of the course so named. The roles of gravity, friction, centrifugal force, inertia, and force of impact were explained and discussed during the “natural law” segment of the course. The final unit of the course was a study of the California Vehicle Code.

George has long had a strong interest in traffic engineering and also the development of alternatives to the automobile as a means of transportation.

During 1966,1967, and 1968 petitioner Emilie Gino (Emilie) taught physics, modem science, and biology at Washington and Venice High Schools. The science courses taught by Emilie were the basic high school courses offered by the Los Angeles City school system to 11th and 12th grade students.

The physics course consisted of the study of matter, measurement, mechanics of liquids, mechanics of gases, force, motion, machines, heat, electricity, sound, light, spectroscopy, radio, electronics, atomic energy, and cosmic rays. The modern science course covered applied chemistry, modern materials, man and machines, heat and fuels, nuclear energy, sound, light, electricity, electronics, and space. The biology course was devoted to the study of plants and animals.

During the summer of 1966 petitioners took a 72-day trip around the world. The itinerary of their trip took them to:

Place Honolulu _ Honolulu — Tokyo Tokyo _ Tokyo — Osaka _ Hong Kong_ Bangkok-New Delhi_ Kathmandu, Nepal-New Dehli — Cairo_ Jerusalem_ Beirut_ Athens _ Belgrade _ Rome_ Zurich_ Chamonix, France— Switzerland Date 6/22 — 6/23 6/24 — 6/23 6/26 — 6/27 6/28 — 6/28 6/30 — 7/5 7/6 — 7/7 7/8 — 7/9 7/10 — 7/11 7/12 — 7/13 7/14 — 7/15 7/16 — 7/17 7/18 — 7/19 7/20 — 7/21 7/22 — 7/25 7/26 — 7/27 7/28 — 7/29 Place Date Zurich — W. Berlin_7/30 — 7/31 W. Berlin — E. Berlin_8/1 — 8/2 Moscow- — Leningrad_8/3—8/4 Helsinki_8/5 — 8/6 Stockholm_8/7 — 8/8 Stockholm — Smedstva, 8/9 — 8/10 Norway Trondheim — Oslo_8/11—8/12 Copenhagen_8/13 — 8/14 Copenhagen — Rotterdam 8/15 — 8/16 Rotterdam — Amsterdam 8/17- — 8/18 Amsterdam — Brussels _8/19 — 8/20 Brussels-8/21 — 8/22 Luxembourg — Paris _8/23 — 8/24 Paris_8/25 — 8/26 London_8/27 — 8/30 London — Boston_8/31—9/1

Prior to the trip, George had not attempted to correspond with any foreign motor vehicle authorities or to arrange any appointments with foreign officials. George did not attempt to secure information from local consulates of the various countries visited in order to secure assistance in determining the location and identity of the responsible foreign officials. He was able to locate the motor vehicle regulatory agency in 8 of the 24 countries he visited.

During the trip, petitioners visited a school in Japan that was in session, another in Thailand that was also in session, and one in Norway that was not in session. Petitioners toured the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. They did not visit any other major European universities, nor did they attend lectures or seminars relating to the courses they taught. The only lectures they heard were those any tourist would hear if he visited the particular facility then being visited by petitioners.

Petitioners kept a diary, took movies, and obtained written materials. The movies and written materials were used in their classrooms.

The Los Angeles City school system has an “in-service education program” granting teachers an opportunity to obtain salary point credits for approved travel. The maximum salary points allowed for approved summer travel is 6 points. One point is the equivalent of 1 semester of college credit. Upon acquiring 14 points a teacher moves into a higher salary grade. In addition, teachers get in-grade raises for each year of teaching experience. The board of education does not require personnel to engage in approved travel in order to retain salary, status, or employment. As a result of their around-the-world trip, each petitioner received 6 salary points from the board of education.

On their 1966 tax return, petitioners claimed a $5,500 deduction for employee business expenses arising from the around-the-world trip as follows:

Transportation expenses_$3, 500
Meals and lodging_ 2, 000
Other_ 500
Minns $500 for pleasure_ (500)
Total travel expenses_ 5, 500

Petitioners claimed an additional $975 during trial as expenses related to their 1966 trip.

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Bluebook (online)
60 T.C. No. 37, 60 T.C. 304, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gino-v-commissioner-tax-1973.