Paul J. Pekar v. Commissioner

113 T.C. No. 12
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 1, 1999
Docket15289-97
StatusUnknown

This text of 113 T.C. No. 12 (Paul J. Pekar 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
Paul J. Pekar v. Commissioner, 113 T.C. No. 12 (tax 1999).

Opinion

113 T.C. No. 12

UNITED STATES TAX COURT

PAUL J. PEKAR, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent

Docket No. 15289-97. Filed September 1, 1999.

P, a U.S. citizen, resided in Germany and the United Kingdom during his 1995 tax year. He paid resident income tax to the foreign countries in an amount exceeding his reported U.S. income tax liability. P claimed a foreign tax credit that reduced his U.S. income tax to zero. P did not compute or report liability for the alternative minimum tax (AMT) under sec. 55, I.R.C., or the foreign tax credit limitations under sec. 59, I.R.C. P claimed that the sec. 59, I.R.C., limit on foreign tax credits violated the double taxation prohibitions of the U.S. income tax treaties with Germany and the United Kingdom. Held: The U.S.-Germany treaty and the U.S.-United Kingdom treaty interpreted--P is not entitled to relief from the AMT under either treaty. Held, further, the U.S.-Germany treaty recognizes and does not prohibit the sec. 59, I.R.C., limit as double taxation. Held, further, even if the U.S.-United Kingdom treaty conflicts with sec. 59, I.R.C., because of the established last-in-time rule, the sec. 59, I.R.C., - 2 -

limitation on the foreign tax credit trumps any conflicting provision in the treaty because the Code section was subsequently promulgated.

Paul J. Pekar, pro se.

Wendy L. Wojewodzki, for respondent.

GERBER, Judge: Respondent determined a deficiency in

petitioner's 1995 Federal income tax of $3,893, a penalty

pursuant to section 6662(a)1 of $778.60, and a late-filing

addition to tax pursuant to section 6651(a)(1) of $194.65. The

primary issues for our consideration are whether petitioner was

subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and whether he was

negligent when he failed to calculate and/or report the AMT on

his 1995 Federal income tax return. Petitioner also challenges

the late-filing addition to tax determined by respondent.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The stipulation of facts and the exhibits attached thereto

are incorporated herein by this reference.

At the time his petition was filed, petitioner was a U.S.

citizen residing in Hamburg, Germany. Petitioner emigrated to

Germany in 1970, establishing a permanent residence in Berlin.

1 Unless otherwise stated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the taxable year in issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. - 3 -

Over the years, he worked in Europe and the Middle East, residing

at job locations. In 1995, petitioner lived and worked in the

United Kingdom and in Germany. While in Germany, petitioner was

the chief financial officer for Conoco.

During his absence from the United States, petitioner paid

income tax to his respective resident countries and continued to

report his income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

However, petitioner did not report that he was subject to the

AMT. Respondent audited petitioner's 1991 return and determined

that petitioner had failed to report or pay the AMT. During

January 1995, petitioner conceded the 1991 AMT issue, which he

had disputed in a petition to this Court. In that proceeding, we

entered the parties' stipulated decision. At the time he filed

his 1995 return, petitioner had agreed that he owed the AMT for

1991 but he chose not to report AMT liability for 1995.

In 1995, petitioner reported $253,077 gross income and

$169,275 adjusted gross income. He claimed a $5,750 standard

deduction in a head of household filing status, personal

exemptions for himself and his sons totaling $7,926, a foreign

earned income exclusion of $70,000, and a housing exclusion of

$15,474. He reported $155,599 taxable income and $42,991 tax.

Stating that he had lived in and paid resident income taxes to

Germany and the United Kingdom for the entire tax year, - 4 -

petitioner reduced his U.S. tax liability to zero by applying a

$42,991 foreign tax credit.

Respondent examined petitioner's 1995 return and determined

that petitioner had negligently failed to report that he owed the

AMT. Respondent determined that petitioner owed $3,893 in AMT

after allowing a foreign tax credit, as permitted by section 59.

Respondent also determined a $778.60 penalty for negligence for

failing to report and pay the AMT and that petitioner was liable

for a $194.65 late filing addition to tax because his return was

received and filed after the required date.

OPINION

Alternative Minimum Tax

As a nonresident U.S. citizen, petitioner was required to

file Federal income tax returns and report his worldwide income.

See sec. 6012; sec. 1.6012-1(a)(1)(i), Income Tax Regs. He was

entitled to claim a foreign tax credit each year for income tax

paid to foreign jurisdictions. See secs. 27(a), 901. Using

these foreign tax credits, petitioner reduced his regular Federal

income tax liability to zero. He did not report, however, any

liability for the section 55 AMT.

Section 55(a) imposes an AMT on noncorporate taxpayers equal

to the excess of the "tentative minimum tax" over the "regular - 5 -

tax"2 for the taxable year. That excess amount is paid in

addition to any regular tax owed. The AMT is intended to prevent

a taxpayer with substantial income from avoiding significant tax

liability through the use of exemptions, deductions, and credits.

See Urbanek v. United States, 866 F. Supp. 1414 (S.D. Fla. 1994),

affd. per curiam 71 F.3d 855 (11th Cir. 1996); S. Rept. 99-313,

at 518 (1986), 1986-3 C.B. (Vol. 3) 1, 518.

Noncorporate taxpayers may reduce their tentative minimum

tax by the foreign tax credit. See sec. 55(b)(1)(A). However,

that foreign tax credit is limited by section 59(a)(2)(A).3 The

2 The term "regular tax" means "the regular tax liability for the taxable year (as defined in section 26(b)) reduced by the foreign tax credit allowable under section 27(a)". Sec. 55(c)(1). 3 The rationale underlying the foreign tax credit limitation was explained in a Senate report as follows:

“A further change that the committee believes is necessary relates to the use of foreign tax credits by U.S. taxpayers to avoid all U.S. tax liability. Absent a special rule, a U.S. taxpayer with substantial economic income would be able to avoid all U.S. tax liability so long as all of its income was foreign source income and it paid foreign tax at the U.S. regular tax rate or above. While allowance of the foreign tax credit for minimum tax purposes generally is appropriate, the committee believes that taxpayers should not be permitted to use the credit to avoid all minimum tax liability. U.S. taxpayers generally derive benefits from the protection and applicability of U.S. law, and in some cases from services (such as defense) provided by the U.S. Government, even if all of such taxpayers' income is earned abroad. Thus, it is fair to require at least a nominal tax contribution from all (continued...) - 6 -

foreign tax credit cannot offset more than 90 percent of the

tentative minimum tax figured. See id. Petitioner's allowable

foreign tax credit is 90 percent of $38,927, or $35,034.

Therefore, his AMT, the tentative minimum tax minus the foreign

tax credit, is $3,893. Because he had no regular tax due, he

owes $3,893.4

Application of the Treaties

In his challenge of the deficiency determined by respondent,

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