Littman v. Commissioner

42 T.C. 503, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 91
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 15, 1964
DocketDocket No. 93341
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 42 T.C. 503 (Littman 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
Littman v. Commissioner, 42 T.C. 503, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 91 (tax 1964).

Opinion

Arundell, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in income tax for the calendar year 1958 in the amount of $844.14.

The only issue is whether any portion of the payments received during 1958 by petitioner Howard Littman while at Argonne Notional Laboratory is excludable from petitioners’ gross income as a “fellowship grant” under section 117(a)(1)(B), I.R.C. 1954.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts were stipulated and are so found.

Petitioners are husband and wife, residing at Syracuse, N.Y. They filed a joint return for the calendar year 1958 with the district director of internal revenue at Syracuse. Hereafter, we will sometimes refer to the husband as petitioner.

During the year 1958 Argonne National Laboratory of Lemont, Ill., hereafter sometimes referred to as Argonne, was operated by the University of Chicago under a contract with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, hereafter sometimes referred to as AEC. Argonne was a research and development laboratory operated as a separate administrative unit of the University of Chicago, which was an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, and which is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the 1954 Code.

Petitioner was associated with Argonne in the capacity hereafter indicated for the period from September 20,1957, to January 23,1959. Prior and subsequent to this period, petitioner was employed as an assistant professor in chemical engineering at Syracuse University.

Petitioner received a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University in 1951 and a doctor of philosophy degree from Yale University in 1956. At both places he majored in chemical engineering.

The contract between the University of Chicago and AEC contemplates that certain programs will be carried out at Argonne for AEC, there being in general four such programs: (1) A reactor development program, (2) a physical research program, (3) a biological research program, and (4) a training and education program. The contract, which amends an earlier amended contract, reads in part as follows:

It is the purpose of this agreement to provide the arrangements under which the present atomic energy research and development program under this amended contract may be continued so as to encourage basic scientific progress and to assure optimum technical accomplishment in the interest of the national defense and public welfare. It is the intent of the Commission and the University that this agreement shall be carried on in a spirit of friendly cooperation with a maximum effort in achieving common objectives. It is expressly understood that this agreement is subject to the paramount objective of assuring the common defense and security of the United States.

Specific work done at Argonne results from proposals made to the AEC on an annual submission basis, which proposals in turn are submitted to the Bureau of the Budget and to the Congress for authorization and appropriation. Proposals are made by division directors at Argonne to the director of Argonne and are subject to approval by the AEC.

All funds expended at Argonne are funds of the AEC which are appropriated by the Congress. These funds are advanced to the University of Chicago by the AEC and the University of Chicago must account for the cost of operating Argonne against funds advanced. There is no authorization to grant fellowships with these funds or to grant these funds to students.

The training and education program at Argonne is the function of a division at Argonne called the International Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering. This division was established primarily for individuals who are paid no salary but who pay tuition and are enrolled in courses therein as students, and yet all of Argonne’s employees are eligible to audit these courses upon obtaining permission.

S. Lawroski is director of the Chemical Engineering Division at Argonne. The petitioner wrote to Lawroski on March 7, 1957, and expressed an interest in “spending a year at Argonne.” The petitioner stated that he was particularly interested in attending school at Argonne and in gaining some research experience in the nuclear field. Petitioner thereafter, on March 20, 1957, submitted an “Application for Employment” to Argonne. He also spoke to A. A. Jonke of Argonne at an American Chemical Society meeting at Miami, Fla., sometime in 1957.

At the American Chemical Society meeting in Miami, Fla., Jonke discussed with petitioner the programs being carried out by the Chemical Engineering Division at Argonne, and petitioner was informed of a fluidization project at Argonne. The fluidization project was commenced at Argonne in 1953. On May 1,1957, petitioner wrote to V. H. Munnecke at Argonne as follows:

I was very glad to Rave the opportunity to speak with Mr. Jonke in Miami and to learn something about your program. Many of the problems he told me about were interesting, but in the light of my lack of background in your field, I felt it best not to express any preference for any particular problem until I had a chance to acquaint myself with the field this summer and the details of the problems.

By letter dated May 17,1957, to petitioner from the professional personnel officer of Argonne, petitioner was advised in part as follows:

We are pleased to offer you a temporary appointment for approximately one year as a Resident Research Associate with the Chemical Engineering Division at a salary of $915 per month. We trust that satisfactory arrangements can be made to permit your leave of absence from Syracuse University.
This offer is subject to certain Laboratory policies which are described on the attached sheets.
We will look forward to hearing from you and certainly hope that your reply will be favorable. If so, we would appreciate knowing the date on which you would like to begin your appointment.

The above offer was subject to a physical examination and was also contingent upon petitioner’s receiving a security clearance. Petitioner was told that “Continued employment with the Laboratory will be dependent upon participation in physical examinations and laboratory tests,” and that he was required to enroll in the group life insurance program at Argonne. Petitioner was advised that it was customary to reimburse “employees” for transportation and moving expenses but that such reimbursements would be considered as wages and sub j ect to withholding.

A resident research associate is a staff employee at Argonne but the name designates a temporary staff employee as opposed to a permanent or “regular” employee. Kesident research associates are recruited from university campuses with the hope that they will bring-new ideas to Argonne and that they will take knowledge they obtain at Argonne back to their universities. Such appointments not only aid the University of Chicago in meeting its research and development objectives but they also assist the universities by insuring that their instruction is up to date in various areas within the atomic energy field.

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Littman v. Commissioner
42 T.C. 503 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)

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Bluebook (online)
42 T.C. 503, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/littman-v-commissioner-tax-1964.