Kenerly v. Commissioner

1984 T.C. Memo. 117, 47 T.C.M. 1244, 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 559
United States Tax Court·Decided March 8, 1984·No. Docket No. 11146-78·Unpublished

Opinion

DANIEL B. KENERLY AND ANN M. KENERLY, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Kenerly v. Commissioner
Docket No. 11146-78
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1984-117; 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 559; 47 T.C.M. (CCH) 1244; T.C.M. (RIA) 84117;
March 8, 1984.

*559Held: (1) Petitioners have failed to prove that expenses of their residence, designed to look like a Moorish castle, are deductible as advertising or promotional expenses of petitioner-husband's real estate business.

(2) Petitioners underreported the gross receipts of the real estate business in the amount determined by respondent.

(3) Petitioners are liable for an addition to tax under sec. 6651(a)(1), I.R.C. 1954.

*560Arthur P. Tranakos, for the petitioners.
Kimley R. Johnson, for the respondent.

CHABOT

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

CHABOT, Judge: Respondent determined a deficiency in Federal individual income tax and an addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1)1 (failure to file timely return) against petitioners for 1974 in the amounts of $7,724.87 2 and $1,158.73, respectively. After concessions by both sides, the issues for decision 3 are as follows:

(1) Whether, and to what extent, petitioners are entitled to deductions for various expenses and depreciation relating to their home under sections 162 and 167;

(2) Whether, and to what extent, petitioners understated the gross receipts from petitioner-husband's real estate business; and

*561 (3) Whether petitioners are liable for an addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1).

*562 FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated; the stipulation and the stipulated exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

When the petition in the instant case was filed, petitioners Daniel B. Kenerly (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "Kenerly") and Ann M. Kenerly, husband and wife during the year in issue, resided in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Kenerly and his family have lived in the same general geographic area for approximately 45 years, and the family name is well known in the area. Before 1971, petitioners lived in an unusual western style home, built about 1967, 4 in Gwinnett County, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta. In front of the home, there was a wagon wheel embedded in brick. This home was destroyed by fire. On the same site, Kenerly had a home built in the style of a Moorish castle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the castle"). The castle was completed in 1971. The castle was the home of petitioners and their children from 1971 through the year in issue.

*563 The castle is located on approximately ten acres of land which also contains a 1,500-yard runway airstrip. The castle contains thirty rooms; on the ground floor is a hangar for Kenerly's airplane. The hangar was used to house a Cherokee Arrow airplane. The front wall of the castle, where the main entrance is located, includes three brick turrets, ranging from about 30 to 60 feel tall. The center turret contains a living room. The left turret contains residential living areas, which have been used by petitioners as a baby nursery. The right turret contains an office used by Kenerly in his business. The castle cost about $150,000 to build. The rear of the house includes a living room, dining room, five bedrooms, four and one-half bathrooms, a garage, and several "secret rooms".

Petitioners also built a bridge and a wall in front of the castle in the same motif as the castle. Petitioners built a security fence around the whole property. Petitioners were required by Gwinnett County to build a portion of this fence, between the airstrip and a road, as a condition for approval of the airstrip.

Petitioners have various items on display in the castle with a medieval motif, such*564 as armor, coats of arms, and shields.

Kenerly operated a real estate company, known as Kenerly Realty Company (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "Realty"), as a sole proprietorship from 1967 until well past the year in issue. In this business, Kenerly dealt primarily in listings of farms and undeveloped land. Realty's office was in Tucker, Georgia, about five miles from the castle. Realty's gross receipts, as reported on petitioners' Federal income tax returns for 1967 through 1975, are shown in table 1.

Table 1

YearGross Receipts
1967$37,574.84
196844,003.28
196949,765.74
197054,209.72

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Kenerly v. Commissioner, 1984 T.C. Memo. 117, 47 T.C.M. 1244, 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 559 (tax 1984).

1984 T.C. Memo. 117 (Kenerly v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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