Marx v. Commissioner

13 T.C. 1099, 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3
United States Tax Court·Decided December 30, 1949·No. Docket No. 19736·Published·Cited by 28 cases

Opinion

OPINION.

Murdock, Judge:

The petitioner contends that the Commissioner had no statutory authority to determine a deficiency for 1943 which included $1,114.40, representing the difference between the tax liability of $4,388.66 for 1943 determined under chapter 1, and $5,503.06, the total liability determined under section 6 (b) of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. Her argument is that a deficiency under section 271, for present purposes, is the excess of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for 1943 over the tax shown on the return for that year; the additional tax for 1943 is imposed not by chapter 1, but by section 6 (b) of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943; section 6 (b) does not amend any provision of chapter 1 or add any provision to chapter 1, but is a separate statutory provision, not a part of chapter 1, which imposes additional taxes not imposed by chapter 1; the additional tax imposed by section 6 (b) is not referred to in the definition of a deficiency and is not a part of the deficiency; the jurisdiction of the Tax Court is limited, in cases like this, to the determination of a deficiency as defined in section 271; and, consequently, it has no jurisdiction over the additional tax imposed by section 6 (b), which can not form a part of a deficiency.

This Court has held that the tax under section 6 of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 is in its entirety a tax for 1943. Lawrence W. Carpenter, 10 T. C. 64. It also held in Amy Guest, 10 T. C. 750, that section 6 of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 did not amend chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code, but imposed a tax not imposed by chapter 1. That decision was reversed by the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 175 Fed. (2d) 868, in which the court said the specific provisions of the statute “clearly demonstrate that the increase made by Section 6 (a) of the Current Tax Payment Act in the petitioner’s income-tax liability for 1943 was part of her chapter-one tax for 1943.”

Congress, in enacting the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, intended generally to forgive rather than increase taxes. Its purpose was to have income taxes paid currently during the income year, instead of later, as previously. It forgave the taxes for 1942, so as to avoid the payment of taxes for two years during the year 1943, and it increased the taxes for 1943 by less than the taxes forgiven. A method of computation to accomplish these ends was provided in section 6. Congress stated in eight other sections of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 that it was amending the Internal Revenue Code, whereas it did not expressly state that section 6 was an amendment. It provided in section 6 (a) and also in section 6 (b) that “the tax under such chapter [chapter 1] for the taxable year 1943 shall be increased by” a specified amount. This language may not be entirely clear, but it was apparently intended to amend the tax-imposing provisions of chapter 1. “Increased” can mean that the thing itself, that is the tax imposed by chapter 1, is expanded and made larger to include, as an integral part thereof, something more than formerly. But it remains “the tax imposed by Chapter 1.” Congress did not say that anything was imposed in addition to the tax imposed by chapter 1, but it said that the tax theretofore imposed by chapter 1 is to be increased, so that thereafter it shall be greater than it was previously. Furthermore, the increase, whether under section 6 (a) or 6 (b), represents tax imposed by chapter 1, since it is computed from the chapter 1 tax for 1942 and 1943. It seems unreasonable to suppose that Congress, in enacting the forgiveness feature of the Current Tax Payment Act in section 6, intended thereby to exclude some of the tax liability of a taxpayer from the computation of a deficiency or from the computation of a rebate, the definitions of which include the words “imposed by this chapter.” Sec. 271. To hold otherwise would limit taxpayers’ right to litigate in regard to the unforgiven portion of the 1942 tax included in the tax for 1943.

The conclusion has been reached that all of the tax liability under section 6 of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 is tax imposed by chapter 1 for the purpose of the definition of a deficiency contained in section 271 of the code. This is contrary to views expressed by this Court in the Guest case, supra. The procedure followed by the Commissioner was in accordance with the code and the provisions of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, and, furthermore, the question of the running of the statute of limitations as to deficiency for 1942 is immaterial, since this case does not involve any deficiency for, that year. Lawrence W. Carpenter, supra.

The petitioner complained throughout the hearing that she was subjected to unnecessary examinations and also that the determination of the Commissioner was arbitrary. The question of the jurisdiction of this Court to take any action under section 3631 of the Internal Revenue Code or under sections 5 (a) or 10 (e) of the Administrative Procedure Act need not be decided because the evidence does not show either that the petitioner was subjected to unnecessary examinations or that the determination of the Commissioner was arbitrary within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act. The petitioner lived for a part of the year in New Hampshire, conducting some business from her home there, and lived for the balance of the year in New York, where she had a regular business office. Apparently, one revenue agent attempted to make an examination at her home in New Hampshire, and then it was found necessary to have another agent go to her place of business in New York in an effort to complete the examination. The petitioner kept no regular books of account for her business transactions, but depended upon her check stubs for records of expenditures, and upon notations on the back of those stubs for receipts. The agent, being unable to reconcile her check stubs and notations on the backs thereof with her returns, and desiring to check further into her income and claimed deductions, asked in vain for bank statements and checks or receipted bills. He was not able to verify her claimed deductions. It appears that the petitioner was not cooperative, and even at the trial she showed some disposition to resist efforts of the Government to see her checks and other records. The petitioner can blame herself in large part for her difficulties. The Commissioner, frustrated in his efforts to learn enough about the items to determine that they were deductible, disallowed them for lack of substantiation. It does not appear that he acted arbitrarily within the meaning of any applicable law.

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Marx v. Commissioner, 13 T.C. 1099, 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 3 (tax 1949).

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