Pearson v. Commissioner

1982 T.C. Memo. 295, 43 T.C.M. 1508, 1982 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 453
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 26, 1982
DocketDocket No. 15510-80.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1982 T.C. Memo. 295 (Pearson 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
Pearson v. Commissioner, 1982 T.C. Memo. 295, 43 T.C.M. 1508, 1982 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 453 (tax 1982).

Opinion

LLOYD ERICK PEARSON, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Pearson v. Commissioner
Docket No. 15510-80.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1982-295; 1982 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 453; 43 T.C.M. (CCH) 1508; T.C.M. (RIA) 82295;
May 26, 1982.

*453 P, an orthodontist, stored dental records in the attic and basement of his residence and used a portion of a room in such residence as a "home office." Held, under sec. 280A, I.R.C. 1954, P is not entitled to deduct expenses attributable to either the storage or the office areas.

Lloyd Erick Pearson, pro se.
Richard C. McLaughlin, for the respondent.

SIMPSON

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

SIMPSON, Judge: The Commissioner determined a deficiency of $ 513.00 in the petitioner's Federal income tax for 1977. The issues for decision are: (1) Whether, under section 280A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, 1 the petitioner is entitled to deduct expenses allocable to space used for the storage of dental records in his home; and (2) whether, under such section, he is entitled to deduct expenses allocable to the space used as an office in his home.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

The petitioner, Lloyd Erick Pearson, was a legal resident of Minneapolis, minn., at the time he filed his petition in this case. He and his wife, June M. Pearson, *455 filed a joint Federal income tax return for 1977 with the Internal Revenue Service. Mrs. Pearson has not filed a petition with this Court and is not a party to this proceeding.

During 1977, the petitioner practiced orthodontics at 263 Southdale Medical Building (Southdale office), Edina, Minn. At the Southdale office, he received and consulted with patients and others, prescribed for and carried out the treatment of patients, and prepared and issued bills to patients. At that office, he also maintained the books and records for active patients. Such records included orthodontic models (plaster casts of a patient's teeth at the beginning and end of the treatment), x-rays, photographs, and a chart describing the details of the treatment.

After the completion of the treatment of a patient, the petitioner maintained his records for a period of 7 to 10 years after the patient reached majority. Such records may be useful in the event the patient requires additional treatment or in the event the patient is involved in an accident. The petitioner has been practicing orthodontics for approximately 20 years, and during those years, he has treated between 3,000 and 4,000 patients. At*456 the time of trial, he retained the records of former patients in 36 file drawers (each measuring 26 inches by 14 inches by 12 inches) and 1,461 boxes containing orthodontic models (each box measuring 10 inches by 6 inches by 2-1/2 inches). The records of former patients (or inactive files) were stored in the attic and basement of the petitioner's home. The areas used for such storage were not separate rooms, and the remaining portions of the attic and basement were used by the petitioner and his family for personal purposes. The areas used for storage consisted of a total of 248 square feet. If the petitioner had rented additional space at his Southdale office for the storage of such records, it would have cost him $ 13.07 a square foot, and if he had rented such space in the basement of such building, it would have cost him $ 6.00 a square foot.

The petitioner also used an area on the second floor of his home as an office. In such area, he had a desk, an x-ray tracing viewbox, a telephone, and a metal file cabinet which contained monthly computer reports, pension records, and duplicate ledger charge cards from his practice. Although he could have maintained such records at*457 his Southdale office, he preferred to keep them at home. In the home office, the petitioner prepared professional lectures and articles, consulted with his attorney and accountant, and treated emergency patients. At such office, he did not maintain a dental chair or an x-ray machine, although he did have a set of dental tools on hand for emergencies. The area used as a home office consisted of 75 square feet; it was only part of a room, and the balance of the room contained Mrs. Pearson's sewing machine and was used by other members of the family. The family also used the telephone.

In the Federal income tax return filed by Dr. and Mrs. Pearson for 1977, they claimed a deduction of $ 1,015 for the costs of maintaing the petitioner's home office and the storage of his inactive files in his home. The amount of such deduction was computed by taking 15 percent of the costs of the utilities and maintenance of the home, 50 percent of the cost of the telephone in the home office, and depreciation on certain carpet and drapes and a portion of the cost of the home. On such return, the petitioner reported no income from his professional lectures or articles. In the notice of deficiency, *458 the Commissioner disallowed the entire deduction.

OPINION

There are two issues for decision in this case: (1) Whether the petitioner is entitled to deduct under section 280A the expenses allocable to space in his home used for the storage of the inactive files; and (2) whether he is entitled to deduct under such section the expenses allocable to his home office.

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Bluebook (online)
1982 T.C. Memo. 295, 43 T.C.M. 1508, 1982 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pearson-v-commissioner-tax-1982.