Novak v. Commissioner

51 T.C. 7, 1968 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 2, 1968
DocketDocket No. 2308-66
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 51 T.C. 7 (Novak 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
Novak v. Commissioner, 51 T.C. 7, 1968 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52 (tax 1968).

Opinion

FeatheRSton, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners’ joint Federal income tax for the taxable year 1962 in the amount of $1,515.12. The issues for decision are: (1) Whether expenses for which petitioner-husband claimed a deduction of $5,784.44 were ordinary and necessary business expenses; and, if so, whether petitioners have substantiated this amount or any amount of business expenses, and (2) whether petitioner-husband is an outside salesman under section 62(2) (D) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.1

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulations and exhibits thereto are incorporated herein by this reference.

Syd Novak and Sylvia Novak, husband and wife, were legal residents of Illinois when their petition was filed. Petitioners filed a joint Federal income tax return on the cash receipts and disbursements method for the calendar year 1962 with the district director of internal revenue at Chicago, Ill. Sylvia Novak is petitioner herein solely by reason of having filed a joint return with her husband. Syd Novak will sometimes hereinafter be referred to as petitioner.

During the taxable year 1962, petitioner was employed by the brokerage firm of Sincere & Co. in Chicago, Ill., as a registered representative or salesman, sometimes referred to as a customers man. Petitioner’s duties included the entering of'orders through Sincere & Co. for the sale and purchase of stock and other securities for his customers. He was paid a commission on each sales transaction placed for a customer through his employer. Petitioner was required to be at his employer’s place of business from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day the stock exchanges were open. Only during these hours could petitioner enter purchases or sales for his customers. While at his Sincere & Co. office, petitioner not only entered orders which he had taken during the preceding afternoon and evening but also wrote up and transmitted orders for customers who came to his office. Also while at his stock-brokerage office, petitioner talked with and advised customers on investments. In addition, petitioner placed local and long-distance calls to, and received calls from, customers during his day at the office. Petitioner observed market developments on stock market boards at his office; to keep himself abreast of the latest stock market trends and developments he also read financial journals and periodicals while there.

Petitioner’s business as a customers man was highly competitive in 1962. The amount of his income depended on his developing and maintaining investment business from customers. Most of his customers were personal friends or persons recommended to him by his friends or relatives. In his judgment frequent entertainment of many of his customers or potential customers was necessary in order to be an effective salesman. His employer expected petitioner to do necessary entertaining.

For the purpose of promoting his sales business, petitioner took customers and potential customers to lunches, dinners, and cocktail meetings at various restaurants in downtown Chicago each week. He also incurred expenses for club dues in order to provide a place for meeting with customers. One feature of his club’s program was an annual golf outing to which he invited 15 customers at a cost of $10 per person. He also, from time to time, bought tickets to theater and sporting events and gave them to his customers. As a further service for his customers while they were at his office, petitioner provided coffee.

Petitioner sent flowers to customers and potential customers when they were in the hospital or on some special occasion. At Christmas, petitioner made gifts to service personnel at Sincere & Co. to maintain prompt and efficient telephone, telegraph, and margin services. In addition, petitioner incurred long-distance and local telephone business expense for calls from his home to customers whom he was unable 'to reach on his employer’s telephone.

He also subscribed at his own expense to financial journals and periodicals which he read to keep current on market trends and developments with respect to particular securities. The homes and offices of his customers were widely scattered over the city of Chicago, and he expended substantial sums for taxicab fares in carrying out his work.

In computing “net wages” on his Federal income tax return for 1962, petitioner deducted $5,784.44 as “Salesman’s Expenses.” He reported such expenses to consist of the cost of lunches, $741 ($988 less personal expenses of $247); dinners, $1,017 ($1,356 less personal expenses of $339); club dues and entertainment, $459 ($540 less personal expenses of $81) ; cocktail meetings, $1,077.44; tickets to theaters and sporting events for clients, $450; flowers, $240; coffee for clients in office, $364; gifts and gratuities, $700; home telephone, $240 ($360 less personal expenses of $120); dues and subscriptions, $132; and cabs, $364.

Petitioner was not reimbursed by his employer for any of the business expenses that he incurred. He kept no books, records, receipts, or other memoranda reflecting the amount of such expenses in 1962. In preparing his return for 1962, he estimated his business expenses for the year on the basis of expenses incurred for a period of a month or two. Beginning in 1963, petitioner kept records of his business expenses and such records for 1963 reflect expenditures of approximately the same amount as he deducted for 1962. His business activities in 1962 were substantially similar to those in 1963.

In his notice of deficiency dated March 4, 1966, respondent disallowed the full amount of the “Salesman’s Expenses” of $5,784.44 deducted by petitioner and determined a deficiency of $1,515.12 for the taxable year 1962.

ULTIMATE FINDINGS OF FACT

Petitioner incurred ordinary and necessary business expenses of $1,700 in 1962 in connection with his work as a registered representative for Sincere & Co. He was not an outside salesman in that year, within the meaning of section 62 (2) (H).

OPINION

Petitioner contends that, in 1962, he incurred business expenses of $5,784.44 which, as an “outside salesman” within the meaning of Code section 62(2) (D), be is entitled to deduct in computing adjusted gross income as well as to take the standard deduction of $1,000 allowed on a joint return by section 141(a). Respondent contends that petitioner has not substantiated business expenses of $5,784.44, or any amount; that the evidence clearly shows that petitioner was not an “outside salesman,” and that, accordingly, any business expense, if allowable, is deductible only from adjusted gross income as an itemized expense under section 162 in arriving at taxable income.

The evidence, we believe, quite clearly establishes that petitioner incurred a substantial amount of unreimbursed expenses in connection with his employment as a registered representative or salesman for the Chicago stockbrokerage firm. However, he kept no adequate records of his expenditures in 1962 and prepared his return by using estimates based on expenditures for representative periods.

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Related

LOVERN v. COMMISSIONER
1978 T.C. Memo. 479 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)
Gillis v. Commissioner
1973 T.C. Memo. 96 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Novak v. Commissioner
51 T.C. 7 (U.S. Tax Court, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
51 T.C. 7, 1968 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/novak-v-commissioner-tax-1968.