Lenard L. Politte, M.D., Inc. v. Commissioner

101 T.C. No. 24, 101 T.C. 359, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 27, 1993
DocketDocket No. 4012-92
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 101 T.C. No. 24 (Lenard L. Politte, M.D., Inc. 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
Lenard L. Politte, M.D., Inc. v. Commissioner, 101 T.C. No. 24, 101 T.C. 359, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65 (tax 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

Tannenwald, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioner’s Federal income tax for the short period from September 1, 1988, to December 31, 1988, in the amount of $41,314. The sole issue for decision is the proper application of the annualization provisions of section 4431 to partnership distributions to petitioner.

All of the facts have been stipulated by the parties and are so found. The stipulated facts and accompanying exhibits are incorporated herein by reference.

Petitioner had a mailing address in Columbia, Missouri, at the time it filed its petition herein and filed a return on the cash basis for the short period on September 13, 1989. It had previously filed its returns on the basis of a fiscal year ending August 31.

Petitioner was a general partner in the medical practice of Columbia Cardiology Associates (partnership). The partnership maintained its books and records for tax purposes on the basis of a calendar year ending December 31.

During 1988, petitioner was a personal service corporation required by section 441(i) (enacted as sec. 806(c)(1) of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99-514, 100 Stat. 2364) and section 444 to change its tax accounting period from a fiscal year ending August 31 to a calendar year ending December 31. Because of the change in accounting periods, petitioner was required to file a short-period tax return and annualize the income for that period under section 443 (see infra p. 361).

On that return petitioner annualized its taxable income as follows:

Income Short period 9HI88 - Annualization 12131188 factor Annualization amount
Clinic fees $168,053 12/4 $504,159
Miscellaneous 49 12/4 147
Columbia Cardiology
Associates:
Operating loss - (3,176)
Guaranteed payments - 202,509
Interest — 955
Total income 704,594
Total expenses 250,026 12/4 750,078
Annualized income (loss) (45,484)

Respondent determined petitioner’s annualized income as follows:

Income Short period 9/1/88 ■ 12/31/88 Annualization factor Annualization amount
Clinic fees $168,065 12/4 $504,195
Miscellaneous 49 12/4 147
Columbia Cardiology
Associates:
Operating loss (3,176) 12/4 (9,528)
Guaranteed payments 202,509 12/4 607,527
Interest 955 12/4 2,865
Total income 1,105,206
Total expenses(per return — $250,026 less adjustments 3,134) 246,892 12/4 740,676
Total - - - - - - 364,530

At issue is whether petitioner was required to annualize the partnership items. Section 443(b)(1) provides as follows for the annualization of income where a return is filed for a short period:

(1) General rule. — * * * the taxable income for the short period shall be placed on an annual basis by multiplying the modified taxable income for such short period by 12, dividing the result by the number of months in the short period. The tax shall be the same part of the tax computed on the annual basis as the number of months in the short period is of 12 months.[2]

Petitioner’s principal position rests on the proposition that, since the items attributable to the partnership represent the partnership’s activities over a 12-month period ending December 31, 1988, the requirement of annualization is satisfied by simply including in gross income the amounts shown as distributions on the partnership’s tax return. According to petitioner, requiring it to annualize the 12-month financial consequences of the partnership in effect taxes 36 months of income in violation of the regulations under section 441, which provide that a taxable period may not exceed 1 year. Sec. 1.441-1T, Temporary Income Tax Regs., 52 Fed. Reg. 48524 (Dec. 23, 1987).

Respondent’s position is that sections 706 and 707 require a partner to include in gross income the distributions of the partnership as of the close of the taxable year of the partnership ending with or within the partner’s taxable year, in this case the distributions of the partnership for its taxable year ending December 31, 1988. As a result, respondent asserts that all the distributions in question must be annualized under section 443(b). For the reasons hereinafter stated, we hold for respondent.

Section 706(a) provides:

SEC. 706(a). Year in Which Partnership Income is Includible. — In computing the taxable income of a partner for a taxable year, the inclusions required by section 702 and section 707(c) with respect to a partnership shall be based on the income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit of the partnership for any taxable year of the partnership ending within or with the taxable year of the partner.

The statutory mandate is reflected as follows in section 1.706-l(a), Income Tax Regs.:

(a) Year in which partnership income is includible. — (1) In computing his taxable income for a taxable year, a partner is required to include his distributive share of partnership items set forth in section 702 for any partnership year ending within or with his taxable year. A partner shall also include in his taxable income for a taxable year “guaranteed payments” under section 707(c) which are made to him in a partnership taxable year ending within or with his taxable year. * * * [Emphasis added.]

Section 707(c) provides:

SEC. 707(c). Guaranteed Payments. — To the extent determined without regard to the income of the partnership, payments to a partner for services or the use of capital shall be considered as made to one who is not a member of the partnership, but only for the purposes of section 61(a) (relating to gross income) and, subject to section 263, for purposes of section 162(a) (relating to trade or business expenses).

This statutory mandate is reflected as follows in section 1.707-l(c), Income Tax Regs.:

(c) Guaranteed payments. — Payments made by a partnership to a partner for services or for the use of capital are considered as made to a person who is not a partner, to the extent such payments are determined without regard to the income of the partnership. However, a partner must include such payments as ordinary income for his taxable year within or with which ends the partnership taxable year in which the partnership deducted such payments as paid or accrued under its method of accounting.

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Related

Lenard L. Politte, M.D., Inc. v. Commissioner
101 T.C. No. 24 (U.S. Tax Court, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
101 T.C. No. 24, 101 T.C. 359, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lenard-l-politte-md-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1993.