Leas v. Commissioner

23 T.C. 1058, 1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 219
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 24, 1955
DocketDocket No. 49262
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 23 T.C. 1058 (Leas 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
Leas v. Commissioner, 23 T.C. 1058, 1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 219 (tax 1955).

Opinion

OPINION.

Fisher, Judge:

The parties have stipulated and agreed upon the correct amount of adjusted gross income realized by petitioner during 1947 and 1948. We have found, accordingly, that petitioner omitted from his reported adjusted gross income for each of those years $19,550.97 and $9,667.19, respectively. The only issue involved herein is whether this proceeding is barred by the statute of limitations (section 275 (a), Internal Eevenue Code of 1939) since the notice of deficiency was not issued within 3 years after the returns were filed.

Respondent contends that proceedings in the instant case were properly commenced within 5 years after the returns were filed in view of the provisions of section 275 (c). That section states that “if a taxpayer omits from gross income an amount properly in-cludible therein which is in excess of 25 per centum of the amount of gross income stated in the return,” proceedings may be commenced within 5 years after the return was filed. Petitioner, on the other hand, contends that an amount of gross income sufficient to meet the requirements of section 275 (c) was not omitted from the return for each year. We agree with respondent for the reasons set out below.

To determine whether or not section 275 (c) is applicable in any year it is necessary to determine two amounts: (1) The amount of gross income “stated in the return”; and (2) the amount omitted from gross income which is “properly includible therein.” If the latter amount exceeds 25 per centum of the former, section 275 (c) is applicable. Accordingly, we turn first to a determination of the amount of gross income stated in the return for each of the years in question.

Petitioner reported gross income during the years in question from four sources: his businesses, rentals, interest, and gain from sale of capital assets (in 1948 only). There is no dispute between the parties as to the amounts of reported gross income derived from the last three sources. The amount of reported gross income from business for each year, however, requires some discussion. Regulations 111, section 29.22 (a)-5, provide in part as follows in this respect:

Gboss Income From Business. — In the ease o-f a manufacturing, merchandising, or mining business, “gross income” means the total sales, less the cost of goods sold, plus any income from investments and from incidental or outside operations or sources. In determining the gross income subtractions should not be made for depreciation, depletion, selling expenses, or losses, or for items not ordinarily used in computing the cost of goods sold. * * *

In the instant case, the reported “gross income from business” is the reported gross profit, i. e., the total receipts less net cost of goods sold as set out in Schedule C of the return for each year. See items 1 (a), (b), and (c) of the schedule set out in our Findings of Fact. Petitioner, however, contends that the reported “net cost of goods sold” reflects many items which were not properly deductible from total receipts in determining the gross profit for each year. He argues that these amounts should have been deducted instead from gross profits as “other business expenses” in Schedule C in determining net profit for each year. The practical effect of petitioner’s contention would be to increase the reported gross profit in each year (though leaving reported net profit and adjusted gross income unaffected), and thus to increase the total amount of reported gross income.

In this connection, the parties have stipulated and agreed, subject to respondent’s objections with respect to relevancy and materiality, that the net cost of goods sold reported in the 1947 return contains items in a total amount of over $10,000 which petitioner now contends were improperly included as costs of goods sold. Moreover, petitioner submitted testimony of an experienced accountant to the effect that these and other items were improperly reported in the returns as costs of goods sold (instead of as other business deductions) for each year in question. (With respect to 1948 such evidence is contrary to paragraph 19 of the stipulation of facts.) Were the returns adjusted according to petitioner’s contention, the reported gross profit for 1947 would be $66,443.32 instead of $28,673.25, and that for 1948 $67,599.38 instead of $33,092.71. If the reported gross income were so increased for each year, 25 per centum thereof would be increased to such an extent that petitioner’s omissions from gross income would not be large enough in the instant case to extend the statute of limitations to 5 years pursuant to section 275 (c). Respondent objected to the introduction of this evidence and the objection was taken under advisement. We sustain respondent’s objections on the ground that the evidence and testimony are immaterial to the determination of any issue involved in the instant case.

It is clear from section 275 (c) that the 25 per centum of gross income “stated in the return” is to be based upon the return as made by the taxpayer and upon his computation of gross income therein. In Carew v. Commissioner, (C. A. 6, 1954) 215 F. 2d 58, affirming a Memorandum Opinion of this Court, the taxpayer was in a merchandising business within the scope of Regulations 111, section 29.22 (a)-5, sufra. He reported a gross profit of $7,000.47 in his 1945 return but contended that his return should be revised and rearranged to show a gross profit of either $46,000 or $35,000 or $34,000 depending on the alternative method chosen. The first two of these methods, as in the instant case, involved reductions in the cost of goods sold as originally -reported by the taxpayer. In holding that the 5-year statute of limitations was applicable to that case, the Court stated as follows (page 61) :

Although tax report form 1040 used by the taxpayer does not contain the term “gross income,” it is nevertheless clear that the statement in his return of a gross profit of $7,000.47 was actually his statement of his “gross income” within the meaning of that term as used in §275 (c). There was no obligation on the Commissioner to revise or reconstruct the return, and the taxpayer is bound by that statement of his gross income. * * *

The Court further stated (page 62) :

Section 275 (c) provides that if the taxpayer omits from gross income an amount properly includible which is in excess of 25 per cent of the amount of gross income stated,, the deficiency tax may be assessed at any time within five years. Therefore, the amount of $7,000.47 which the taxpayer stated in his return is the controlling figure. There was no obligation on, the Commissioner to change that statement of gross income by a reaudit or revision of the return, even though a complete reaudit or revision might have changed the figure of gross income. * * *

To the same effect, see O'Bryan v. Commissioner, (C. A. 9, 1945) 148 F. 2d 456, affirming 1 T. C. 1137.

We agree with the views expressed above, and we, therefore, hold that for purposes of applying section 275 (c) to the facts of the instant case the gross profit originally reported in the return may not be increased by the contended adjustment of items reported as costs of goods sold. Cf. Ira Goldring, 20 T. C. 79 (1953). Accordingly, evidence tending to show the propriety of such adjustments is immaterial to any issue in the instant case.

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Leas v. Commissioner
23 T.C. 1058 (U.S. Tax Court, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
23 T.C. 1058, 1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 219, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leas-v-commissioner-tax-1955.