Johnson v. United States

567 F. Supp. 42, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1279, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19490
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nebraska
DecidedFebruary 4, 1983
DocketNo. CV81-L-184
StatusPublished

This text of 567 F. Supp. 42 (Johnson v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nebraska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. United States, 567 F. Supp. 42, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1279, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19490 (D. Neb. 1983).

Opinion

URBOM, Chief Judge.

Glenn E. Johnson and Barbara Johnson have brought this action to recover taxes and interest which they contend the Internal Revenue Service erroneously or illegally assessed. Count I concerns the plaintiffs’ 1977 tax return, Count II the 1978 return. In both years the plaintiffs claimed certain business deductions which the IRS disallowed. The plaintiffs paid the deficiencies which the IRS assessed, filed timely claims for refunds, and brought this lawsuit under 26 U.S.C. § 7422 after their claims were rejected. This court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1). The parties agreed to submit the case to the court on the basis of stipulated facts.

Glenn Johnson has been a journeyman electrician and a member of Local No. 265, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 1963. Except for a six-year tour of duty with the Navy, Johnson has lived in Lincoln. He divorced his first wife in 1975, but his two children from that marriage continued to live in Lincoln. During the years in question here, he had visitation privileges every other weekend. On July 22, 1978, he married Barbara Johnson, who worked in Lincoln and whose children attended school in Lincoln. The stipulated facts are that the plaintiffs attended church, voted, banked, and paid property taxes in Lincoln during 1977 and 1978.

Johnson’s local union often assigned him to job sites outside of Lincoln. On December 14,1976, the union referred him to a job at the construction site of a power plant near St. Marys, Kansas. Construction of the plant’s first unit started in 1974 and work on the third and final unit is still underway in accordance with the construction schedule. All phases of construction required electrical work, but the need for electricians on the project at any specific time varied greatly, depending on the phase of construction. Johnson worked on Unit 1 [44]*44from December 14, 1976, until March 25, 1977, when his union asked him to take a job at Nebraska City, Nebraska. This site was within the union’s area of jurisdiction, while St. Marys was not. Johnson complied.

While he worked at the power plant Johnson stayed at a motel in St. Marys, ten miles from the job site. He made 56 round trips between the motel and the plant. He also made twelve round trips of 350 miles each between St. Marys and Lincoln in order to attend a medical clinic and to see his family. Johnson claimed these trips, which totaled 5,320 miles, as travel expense deductions. He also claimed a deduction for the meals and lodging expenses he incurred while he was in St. Marys. The IRS allowed a deduction for meals and lodging but not for travel.

Pursuant to his union’s request, Johnson began work on Monday, March 28,1977, for the Lord Electric Company in the construction of a power plant at Nebraska City. He was fired by Lord Electric on Friday, September 30,1977, and the union immediately referred him to another job with a different company on the same project. He began work with Commonwealth Electric Company on October 3, 1977, and worked for that company until August' 18, 1978, when he quit to take a better paying job with New-tron, Inc. on the same power plant project. He began that job on Monday, August 21, 1978, and continued until Newtron completed its work in May 1979. The power plant, however, was not completed until December 1979,

As with the St. Marys project, the Nebraska City plant required varying amounts of electrical work throughout its construction. During the time Johnson worked at the Nebraska City project he spent every night in Lincoln. Until July 21, 1978, the round trip between his house in Lincoln and the project site was 128 miles; on July 22, 1978, he moved to southeast Lincoln and reduced his round trip to 115 miles. During 1977, he claimed a deduction for 177 round trips totaling 22,656 miles; during 1978, he claimed a deduction for a total of 28,498 miles. The IRS denied these deductions. The parties have stipulated, however, that a deduction should be allowed for $69.00 Johnson paid in ad valorem personal property taxes on the car he drove to the job sites.

As the taxpayer, Johnson must prove that his expenditures were deductible. M.F.A. Central Cooperative v. Bookwalter, 427 F.2d 1341, 1343 (C.A. 8th Cir. 1970); Berhow v. United States, 279 F.Supp. 737, 739 (D.Neb.1968). In 26 U.S.C. § 162, the Internal Revenue Code says:

“(a) In general — There shall be allowed as a deduction all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business, including ...
(2) traveling expenses ... while away from home in the pursuit of a trade or business.”

Although Johnson’s trips from Lincoln to St. Marys, St. Marys to the job site, and Lincoln to Nebraska City would all seem to be traveling expenses under § 162(a)(2), some of those trips are deductible only under § 162(a). Section 162(a)(2) does not apply to trips that do not require rest or sleep — i.e., an overnight stay. United States v. Correll, 389 U.S. 299, 88 S.Ct. 445, 19 L.Ed.2d 537 (1967). Therefore, Johnson’s daily trips between Lincoln and Nebraska City could be deducted only if they are “ordinary and necessary” business expenses under § 162(a). Frederick v. United States, 603 F.2d 1292, 1293-1294 (C.A. 8th Cir. 1979). Usually, the costs of traveling to and from work are not deductible, because they are personal expenses. Id. The trips from Lincoln to St. Marys, however, involved overnight stays, and they must be considered under § 162(a)(2).

Although those two subsections impose different requirements on a taxpayer, the issues they present in this case can be resolved by a single test.

“ ‘Where it appears probable that a taxpayer’s employment outside the area of his regular abode will be for a “temporary” or “short” period of time, then his travel expenses are held to be deductible; [45]*45conversely, if the prospects are that his work will continue for an “indefinite” or “substantially long” period, then the deduction is disallowed.’ ” Frederick v. United States, supra, at 1294.

When this test is used for claims under § 162(a)(2), it determines whether the taxpayer was “away from home” and whether the expense was incurred “in pursuit of trade.” Cockrell v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 321 F.2d 504, 507 (C.A. 8th Cir.1963). A deduction under this subsection must satisfy both of those criteria. Commissioner v. Flowers, 326 U.S. 465, 470, 66 S.Ct. 250, 252, 90 L.Ed. 203 (1946).

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Related

Commissioner v. Flowers
326 U.S. 465 (Supreme Court, 1946)
United States v. Correll
389 U.S. 299 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Louis R. And Yvonne M. Frederick v. United States
603 F.2d 1292 (Eighth Circuit, 1979)
Donald P. Kasun and Joyce J. Kasun v. United States
671 F.2d 1059 (Seventh Circuit, 1982)
Berhow v. United States
279 F. Supp. 737 (D. Nebraska, 1968)
M. F. A. Central Cooperative v. Bookwalter
427 F.2d 1341 (Eighth Circuit, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
567 F. Supp. 42, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1279, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19490, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-united-states-ned-1983.