Marx v. Commissioner

1980 T.C. Memo. 405, 40 T.C.M. 1299, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 185
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 18, 1980
DocketDocket Nos. 10946-78, 12723-79
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1980 T.C. Memo. 405 (Marx 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
Marx v. Commissioner, 1980 T.C. Memo. 405, 40 T.C.M. 1299, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 185 (tax 1980).

Opinion

SALLIE MARX, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE Respondent
Marx v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 10946-78, 12723-79
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1980-405; 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 185; 40 T.C.M. (CCH) 1299; T.C.M. (RIA) 80405;
September 18, 1980, Filed
*185 Stuart J. Filler, for the petitioner.
Joan Ronder Domike, for the respondent.

WILBUR

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

WILBUR, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner's Federal income tax of $360.03 and $267 for the taxable years 1976 and 1977, respectively. The sole issue presented here for our decision is whether the Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution compels the allowance of a deduction for a "war loss" where one is opposed to the military uses to which her tax revenues are put and feels that her "right to conscience" would be violated by being forced to contribute to those causes.

FINDINGS OF FACT

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

Sallie Marx (hereinafter referred to as Sallie or petitioner) maintained her residence in New York, New York at the time of the filing of the petitions in these cases. 1 On her Federal income tax return for 1976, Sallie claimed a deduction of $3,649 as a "war loss." She similarly claimed a "war loss" deduction of $3,650 on her 1977 return. The amount of these deductions was*186 arrived at by applying to her gross income the percentage of the Federal budget estimated to be earmarked for current military expenditures. She has claimed this deduction in every year since 1971.

Respondent disallowed petitioner's "war loss" deduction for both the 1976 and 1977 taxable years.

OPINION

Petitioner claimed a "war loss" deduction on her 1976 and 1977 Federal income tax returns in an amount equal to an estimate of the percentage of the Federal budget utilized for current military expenditures. She feels that her conscience will not allow her to pay, through her tax dollars, for the government to conduct its military affairs.

The Internal Revenue Code does not provide for a deduction such as that claimed by petitioner, nor does she argue that it does. We have held on numerous occasions that religious or moral objections to the military expenditures of our nation do not absolve taxpayers from their income tax obligations. Lull v. Commissioner, 602 F.2d 1166 (4th Cir. 1979), affg. per curiam Lull*187 v. Commissioner and Herby v. Commissioner, Memorandum Opinions of this Court, cert. denied 444 U.S. 1014 (1980); Autenrieth v. Cullen, 418 F.2d 586 (9th Cir. 1969), cert. denied 397 U.S. 1036 (1970); Tingle v. Commissioner, 73 T.C. 816 (1980); Anthony v. Commissioner, 66 T.C. 367 (1976); Egnal v. Commissioner, 65 T.C. 255 (1975); Russell v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. 942 (1973); Muste v. Commissioner, 35 T.C. 913 (1961); cf. Crowe v. Commissioner, 396 F.2d 766 (8th Cir. 1968), affg. a Memorandum Opinion of this Court, (dissatisfaction with distribution of the revenue through the welfare system is not a basis for evading the payment of one's legal tax obligations).

Apparently realizing the strength of the precedents holding that neither general principles of international law nor the First Amendment require allowance of the deduction claimed, petitioner makes her sole attack under the Ninth Amendment, which reads as follows:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained*188 by the people.

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Related

Griswold v. Connecticut
381 U.S. 479 (Supreme Court, 1965)
John W. Crowe v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
396 F.2d 766 (Eighth Circuit, 1968)
Muste v. Commissioner
35 T.C. 913 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)
Russell v. Commissioner
60 T.C. No. 98 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Egnal v. Commissioner
65 T.C. 255 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Anthony v. Commissioner
66 T.C. 367 (U.S. Tax Court, 1976)
Tingle v. Commissioner
73 T.C. 816 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)

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Bluebook (online)
1980 T.C. Memo. 405, 40 T.C.M. 1299, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marx-v-commissioner-tax-1980.