New Community Senior Citizen Housing Corp. v. Commissioner

72 T.C. 372, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 21, 1979
DocketDocket No. 5190-78X
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 72 T.C. 372 (New Community Senior Citizen Housing Corp. 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
New Community Senior Citizen Housing Corp. v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 372, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116 (tax 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

Wiles, Judge:

This matter is before the Court on respondent’s “Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction” filed July 17,1978. Respondent contends that no “determination” as set forth in section 7428(a)(1)1 was made with respect to petitioner’s continuing qualification as a section 501(c)(3) organization. As a result, he asserts this Court lacks jurisdiction as prescribed in Rule 210(c)(1), Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.2

Petitioner is a New Jersey corporation with its principal office in Newark, N.J. It was incorporated on October 6, 1976. On December 1, 1976, respondent issued a determination letter to petitioner qualifying it as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) which is exempt from taxation under section 501(a).

On August 3, 1977, petitioner requested a ruling from respondent as to whether certain proposed transactions would jeopardize its continuing qualification as a section 501(c)(3) organization. On February 17, 1978, respondent issued a ruling that one of the proposed transactions would jeopardize petitioner’s tax-exempt status.

On May 17, 1978, petitioner filed its petition herein seeking our review under section 7428(a)(1)(A) of respondent’s ruling that the proposed transaction would jeopardize its tax-exempt status. On July 28, 1978, prior to the hearing on respondent’s motion, petitioner notified the District Director, Newark, N.J., that on August 29, 1977, it had in fact completed the proposed transaction which respondent indicated would jeopardize its tax-exempt status. At the time of the hearing on respondent’s motion, respondent had not revoked petitioner’s status as a section 501(c)(3) organization exempt from tax under section 501(a).

The precise issue herein is whether respondent’s ruling letter that a proposed transaction would jeopardize petitioner’s tax-exempt status constitutes a “determination” within the meaning of section 7428(a)(1). If not, we clearly lack jurisdiction under Rule 210(c)(1), Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Section 7428(a)(1)(A)3 provides that in a case of actual controversy involving a “determination” by the Secretary with respect to the initial or continuing qualification of a section 501(c)(3) organization, we may make a declaration with respect to such qualification. Rule 210(c)(1), Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, provides that one of the jurisdictional requirements of a section 7428 action is that: “The Commissioner has issued a notice of determination, or has been requested to make a determination and failed to do so for a period of at least 270 days * * * after the request for such determination was made.”

In the case of an organization which has previously obtained respondent’s determination that it is an organization described in section 501(c)(3), these quoted provisions quite clearly limit our jurisdiction under section 7428 to situations where respondent has made a “determination” with respect to the organization’s continuing qualification as a section 501(c)(3) organization. Unfortunately, the statute does not offer a definition of a “determination” and respondent has not yet promulgated regulations. Our review of the legislative history and our Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, however, convince us that section 7428 is designed to provide a review only of respondent’s final determinations affecting the tax qualification of a section 501(c)(3) organization. As a result, for the reasons set forth below, we find that it does not provide for judicial review of respondent’s ruling letter regarding petitioner’s proposed transactions.

First, our review of the legislative history reveals that in enacting section 7428, Congress was primarily concerned that a taxpayer have judicial review of respondent’s determination that it is not exempt from tax:

In order to provide an effective appeal from an Internal Revenue Service determination that an organization is not exempt from tax, or is not an eligible donee for charitable contributions, * * * it has been urged that there be access to the courts through some declaratory judgment procedure.
* * * at * * *
In connection with this, and as an aid to proper oversight and to future decision-making in this area, the committee intends that the Internal Revenue Service report annually to the tax-writing committees of the Congress on the Service’s activities with regard to organizations exempt under section 501(a), including the following: * * * (3) the number of organizations whose prior favorable ruling letters were revoked, * * * [S. Rept. 94-938, 94th Cong., 2d Sess. (1976), 1976-3 C.B. (Vol. 3) 49, 625; H. Rept. 94-658, 94th Cong., 1st Sess. (1975), 1976-3 C.B. (Vol. 2) 701, 976-977.]
[Emphasis added.]

A reasonable reading of the quoted provisions indicates that Congress intended to limit declaratory judgment proceedings to issues involving the initial or continuing tax-exempt qualification of the organization.

Second, an expressed congressional purpose for the enactment of section 7428 was to provide prompt judicial review for organizations faced with the respondent’s withdrawal of advance assurance of deductibility of contributions. Congress reasoned that, absent legislative relief, the effect of Bob Jones University v. Simon, 416 U.S. 725 (1974), and Alexander v. "Americans United” Inc., 416 U.S. 752 (1974), would be to preclude judicial review of an organization’s tax-exempt status except in the context of a suit to redetermine a tax deficiency or to determine eligibility for a refund of taxes. S. Rept. 94-938, 94th Cong., 2d Sess. (1976), 1976-3 C.B. (Vol. 3) 49, 624; H. Rept. 94-658, 94th Cong., 1st Sess. (1975), 1976-3 C.B. (Vol. 2) 701, 975. This concern was further expressed in section 7428(c) which allows deductions, under limited circumstances, for contributions made to the organization while the judicial proceedings are pending.

The evil associated with a revocation of tax-exempt status — a loss of a deduction for contributions to the organization — is simply not present in this case. Petitioner’s continuing qualification as a section 501(c)(3) organization had not been revoked at the time of the hearing on this motion. Contributions to it are still deductible. Petitioner does not need the protection of section 7428(c). There is no need for the section 7428(c) statutory guarantee of deduction for contributions when the organization’s current tax-exempt status has not been revoked.

Third, we believe petitioner’s action is premature since respondent has not spoken finally with regard to petitioner’s status. We recognize the likelihood that respondent may in fact eventually revoke petitioner’s tax-exempt status. Although such a revocation would be consistent with respondent’s ruling, the ruling itself does not state that revocation will definitely follow. It merely states that completion of the proposed transaction would jeopardize petitioner’s status. As such, we believe it premature and unnecessary to review respondent’s tentative position.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 T.C. 372, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-community-senior-citizen-housing-corp-v-commissioner-tax-1979.