Horowitz v. Commissioner

1979 T.C. Memo. 27, 38 T.C.M. 108, 1979 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 499
United States Tax Court·Decided January 17, 1979·No. Docket No. 11806-77.·Unpublished

Opinion

LEON D. HOROWITZ AND SHIRLEY HOROWITZ, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Horowitz v. Commissioner
Docket No. 11806-77.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1979-27; 1979 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 499; 38 T.C.M. (CCH) 108; T.C.M. (RIA) 79027;
January 17, 1979, Filed
Gerald H. Lean, for the petitioners.
Susan B. Watson, for the respondent.

DAWSON

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

DAWSON, Judge: Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners' Federal income tax for the taxable year 1974 in the amount of $ 921.25. The only issue for decision is whether petitioner Leon D. Horowitz properly deducted $ 3,685 as an ordinary and necessary business expense under section 162(a)1 on petitioners' 1974 income tax return.

*500 FINDINGS OF FACT

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

Leon D. Horowitz and Shirley Horowitz, husband and wife, resided in Baltimore, Maryland, at the time they filed the petition in this case. Petitioners filed their joint 1974 Federal income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Leon D. Horowitz (hereinafter petitioner) is employed as an athletic coach and health education teacher in the Baltimore Public School System. In addition to this position, petitioner runs a summer camp for boys in Naples, Maine. The camp was purchased in 1948 by petitioner, Maurice Schreiber, and Herbert Blumenfeld for $ 4,000 each. Thereafter, the camp was incorporated under the name of Camp Skylemar, Inc. (hereinafter the corporation). From 1948 to 1967, petitioner, Maurice Schreiber and Herbert Blumenfeld each owned one-third of the capital stock of the corporation. In 1967, Schreiber's interest was redeemed by the corporation, and petitioner and Herbert Blumenfeld became equal 50 percent voting shareholders. Petitioner was then*501 given a 60 percent capital interest in the corporation in recognition of his previous service to the camp.

Petitioner serves as the president of the corporation and acts as director and chief recruiting officer of the summer camp. His duties at the camp include coordination and direction of all camp activities. During the other seasons of the year petitioner recruits boys to attend the camp by traveling to various cities on the East Coast.

On November 4, 1967, petitioner entered into an employment agreement with the corporation on substantially the same terms and conditions as those in an oral agreement under which he had performed since 1948. The agreement provided, in pertinent part:

2. Salary. During the period of employment, in addition to any pension, profit-sharing or bonus payments allocable to the Employee, Corporation shall pay to the Employee as compensation for his services the sum of Five Thousand ($ 5,000.00) Dollars per year. The Board of Directors may authorize an increase to said salary, or any bonus payments, as they shall deem advisable or appropriate. The salary may be reduced should the Corporation not be in a financial position to pay same.

*502 * * *

4. Duties. Employee shall devote as much time and attention as is necessary from October to May of each year to signing up campers to attend camp. From June to September each year, he will devote full time and attention to being camp director.

5. Expenses. During the period of his employment, Employee will be reimbursed for his reasonable expenses to the extent possible in accordance with the Corporation's financial ability to make said reimbursements as determined by Corporation's Board of Directors at the end of each year. In addition to such reimbursible [sic] expenses, the Employee shall incur and pay in the course of his employment by the Corporation certain other expenses necessary to discharge his duties for which he will be required personally to pay, but for which the Corporation shall be under no obligation to reimburse or otherwise compensate him, including, but not limited to the following: automobile and transportation expenses; entertainment and promotional expenses; home telephone bills; costs of maintaining facilities for meeting with campers and their parents in the Employee's home; club dues and the expenses of membership in civic groups, *503 and all other items of reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by the Employee in the interest of the business of the Corporation in which the Employee has been employed. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the Corporation from assuming to pay, or reimbursing the Employee for, any expenses in any of the categories above enumerated.

No salaly was paid to petitioner by the corporation in 1974 because the board of directors, which consisted of petitioner, Mr. Blumenfeld (a close friend and the only other shareholder), and Mr. Land (an employee of the corporation), determined that the camp was financially unable to pay the salary. While $ 5,000 is the authorized salary, such an amount has never been paid to petitioner. In some years, however, petitioner received between $ 1,000 and $ 2,000.

In connection with the performance of his recruiting and directing duties, petitioner expended the following amounts:

ExpenseAmount
Travel $ 637
Office

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Horowitz v. Commissioner, 1979 T.C. Memo. 27, 38 T.C.M. 108, 1979 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 499 (tax 1979).

1979 T.C. Memo. 27 (Horowitz v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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