Guglielmetti v. Commissioner

35 T.C. 668, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 239
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 30, 1961
DocketDocket No. 76118
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 35 T.C. 668 (Guglielmetti 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
Guglielmetti v. Commissioner, 35 T.C. 668, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 239 (tax 1961).

Opinion

FokRbster, Judge:

Respondent has determined deficiencies in income tax in the amounts of $2,092.94 and $1,658.85 for the years 1954 and 1955, respectively, and an addition to tax for underpayment of estimated tax in the amount of $247.41 for the year 1955.

The issues now remaining for our determination are (1) whether respondent erred in disallowing a portion of the expenses claimed by petitioner for “Travel and Entertainment” and “Outside Business Promotion & Subscriptions” in the year 1955; (2) whether premiums paid for a policy on the life of the husband were ordinary and necessary business expenses; (3) whether initiation fees and dues for membership in a country club were ordinary and necessary business expenses; and (4) whether the respondent erred in his determination of the “period of underpayment” for the purpose of computing the addition to tax for underpayment of estimated taxes in the year 1955.

FINDINGS OE FACT.

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

Petitioners, husband and wife, reside in San Jose, California. They filed their joint Federal income tax returns for 1954 and 1955 on the calendar year basis with the district director of internal revenue at San Francisco, California. The husband (sometimes hereinafter referred to as the petitioner) during the years involved was engaged as sole proprietor in the car-washing business in San Jose.

In 1955, the wife and petitioners’ three daughters, then aged 11, 13, and 15, went to Toledo, Ohio, to visit friends and relatives. Petitioner flew to Toledo to join them 3 weeks later, spending $99.77 (including tax) on his airline ticket. From Toledo the five took a train to Detroit, Michigan. Petitioner, at the time, was serving as western sales representative for “Minit-Man” (manufacturers of car-washing equipment), although he received no 1955 income for this work. While in. the Detroit area, petitioner went to the Minit-Man factory in nearby Royal Oak, Michigan, and also discussed car-washing equipment with another automobile laundry in Detroit.

In Detroit, petitioner purchased a car and then proceeded to travel to Toronto, Canada, where he observed a car-washing plant. From there the family went eastward to Montreal, thence to Albany and New York City, and finally to Washington, D.C., visiting several car-washing establishments along this route. The family went to some of these plants with petitioner but they all did considerable sightseeing. En route home from Washington, D.C., the Guglielmettis stopped at only one car-washing plant, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The trip from Detroit east and back to San Jose covered 5,500 miles and lasted 15 days.

On this trip, petitioner had taken $800 in traveler’s checks and his wife and children took about $900 more in cash. Almost all of this money was spent on the trip. Petitioner acquired some useful information about car-washing equipment and operations on the trip.

In 1955, the wife spent some time in the business, mainly as cashier, and the two older girls put in nominal amounts of time as cashiers.

In 1955, petitioner made a trip to Los Angeles and several trips to Sacramento and the San Francisco-Oakland area in California to inspect Minit-Man operations.

Petitioners belonged to the La Rinconada Golf Club but used it largely for personal purposes and did little business entertaining there. Petitioners paid $90 in 1954 and $360 in 1955 as initiation fees for their membership in the club. In 1955, petitioners also paid $72 as regular monthly dues. The $90 fee for 1954 was deducted by petitioners on their business income schedule under “Dues <& Subscription.”

Petitioner also picked up checks at local restaurants and bars for various people. Sometimes, on an impromptu basis, he would so entertain an owner of one of the eight fleets of cars whose accounts he regularly serviced.

Petitioner’s books and records for 1955 reflect an expenditure of $2,499.52 for “Travel and Entertainment.” This is the amount deducted in the business income schedule on petitioners’ 1955 Federal income tax return for travel and entertainment. This amount was recorded under a system wherein petitioner would spend these sums from petty cash and insert notations explaining such expenditures into a folder; at the end of each month the bookkeeper would reimburse the petty cash account for the total drawn therefrom. The ledger account would then reflect as traveling expenses the total of each monthly reimbursement.

The $2,499.52 in the account included, as expenses of the eastern trip, the $800 spent for traveler’s checks and the $99.77 for the airline ticket. Of these amounts, respondent allowed $450 for the trip. Said $2,499.52 also included the $482 (as entertainment expenses) expended for club initiation and dues in 1955, which amount was entirely disallowed by respondent.

Of the remaining $1,167.75 ($2,499.52 less the sum of $800, $99.77, and $432) in the account, respondent allowed $729.71 for 1955 travel and miscellaneous expenses but none for entertainment. Included in said $729.71 was $340 for trips to Oakland and Sacramento and $96 for the trip to Los Angeles.

On the itemized deduction schedule for 1955, petitioners deducted another $938 for “Outside Business Promotion & Subscriptions”1 which was disallowed by respondent. Included in this amount were some of the costs of picking up the checks at the various restaurants and bars, and entertaining people at the club, but a substantial portion of it was expended for various school and purely social functions given by the wife at the Gruglielmetti home.

A reasonable allowance for 1955 traveling expenses on petitioners’ eastern trip was $450; for miscellaneous expenses in 1955 (including travel in California) $729.71; and for 1955 business entertainment $200.

Life Insurance.

On March 1, 1951, petitioner purchased a 5-year term insurance policy on his own life with his wife as beneficiary. Petitioner had the full ownership rights in the policy, including the right to change beneficiary. The quarterly premium was $81. On May 10, 1951, petitioner borrowed $7,500 principal sum from the Bank of America for use in his business. The loan was repayable in installments, the last payment being made on May 1, 1955. On July 1, 1955, the last premium was paid on the policy which then lapsed on October 1, 1955. The loan agreement did not require the purchase of the insurance policy, nor was it listed on petitioner’s application for said loan. The premiums paid on this policy, $324 in 1954 and $243 in 1955, were deducted on the business income schedules of petitioners’ returns for the respective years and were completely disallowed by respondent.

Estimated Tax.

For the year 1954, petitioners reported a Federal income tax liability of $1,817.66. For the year 1955 petitioners filed no declaration of estimated tax until they estimated their 1955 tax to be $2,460 and paid $1,845 on account on September 15,1955. The balance owing on this declaration ($615) was paid on January 25,1956.

The Federal tax liability reported on the 1955 return was $11,497.92.

OPINION.

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Guglielmetti v. Commissioner
35 T.C. 668 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
35 T.C. 668, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guglielmetti-v-commissioner-tax-1961.