Planned Investments, Inc., Michigan Corporation v. United States

881 F.2d 340, 64 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5349, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11743, 1989 WL 88971
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedAugust 10, 1989
Docket88-1668
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 881 F.2d 340 (Planned Investments, Inc., Michigan Corporation v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Planned Investments, Inc., Michigan Corporation v. United States, 881 F.2d 340, 64 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5349, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11743, 1989 WL 88971 (6th Cir. 1989).

Opinions

MERRITT, Circuit Judge.

The issue in this tax case is the adequacy of the notice sent by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS” or “Government”) to inform plaintiff, Planned Investments, Inc. (“PI”) that it had been assessed a penalty of $64,000 under § 6700 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), 26 U.S.C. § 6700, for Pi’s promotion of an abusive tax shelter. The District Court, finding that the notice was inadequate and unfair because it did not clearly specify the time period involved, granted summary judgment to plaintiff and abated the penalty. The Government appeals the grant of summary judgment to PI and the District Court’s later denial of its motion for reconsideration of the grant of summary judgment. The notice complied with the applicable statutory form and the unfairness, if any, of the failure to specify correctly the time period was cured by the prior dealings between the parties which show that PI knew exactly what conduct the notice was intended to cover. Accordingly, we reverse.

I.

The facts are not in dispute. PI was incorporated on December 10, 1982, with the stated purpose of evaluating business ventures and finding investors for those ventures. During December, 1982, PI, through an agent, sold 115 interests in a “product” known as the “Children’s Classics Series,” a master recording tax shelter lease, which was organized, published and produced by Oxford Productions Corporation. As a result of commissions from the sales, PI realized gross income of $64,000. As part of its sales effort, PI furnished investors with promotional materials, prepared by Oxford Publications, which allegedly contained gross overstatements of the value of the master recordings. PI filed a tax return for the tax period December 10, 1982 through November 30, 1983,' which reflected the $64,000.

In January, 1983, Pi’s attorney advised the corporation of potential § 6700 penalties because of its sales of the tax shelter. Shortly thereafter, PI ceased its sales activities. PI has had no income from the sale of any tax shelter since December, 1982. During late 1984, PI became aware that the IRS had conducted an investigation of Oxford and had, in fact, treated the Children’s Classics Series as an abusive tax shelter.

[342]*342Pursuant to an IRS letter dated February 26, 1985, an attorney and an accountant representing PI met with an IRS agent regarding Pi’s involvement in the Children’s Classics Series. On September 10, 1985, PI received a second letter from the IRS which informed PI that the IRS was considering recommending the assessment of a penalty under § 6700 and which invited PI to present any facts or legal arguments before a final decision was made. Pi’s counsel met with an IRS agent again on September 18, 1985. At this meeting Pi’s involvement in the Children’s Classics Series tax shelter was again discussed.

On March 3, 1986, the IRS sent PI written notification that it was assessing a $64,000 penalty for the promotion of an abusive tax shelter. The notice erroneously stated that the “Tax Period” was December 31, 1985 and incorrectly stated the formula that had been used to calculate the penalty.1 The notice also outlined the procedures for contesting the assessment but did not contain any description of the specific activity upon which the penalty was based.

On March 28, 1986, PI, pursuant to § 6703 of the Code,2 paid the IRS $1503 and filed a claim with the IRS for abatement of the penalty and a refund of the $150. The IRS, by letter, disallowed the claim on September 16, 1986. The letter denying the claim bore the heading: “In Re: Section 6700: Promoting Abusive Tax Shelter Penalty” and correctly stated the amount of the penalty as $64,000. The letter, however, incorrectly stated: “Tax Period Ended: Related to 1985 Form 1040.”

On October 6, 1986, PI timely filed its complaint in the District Court, seeking a refund of the $150 payment and an abatement of the penalty. Cross-motions for summary judgment were eventually filed, and the parties entered into a stipulation of the material facts.

The District Court granted summary judgment for PI. Houston v. United States, 682 F.Supp. 340 (W.D.Mich.1988). Acknowledging that the notice need not take any particular form, the court held that the notice must meet certain minimum “substantial requirements” sufficient to impart the taxpayer with “fair notice.” Id. at 341. Relying on a line of cases defining the requirement for a notice of deficiency, the court said that a correct statement of the tax period involved must be included in the notice. Id. Concluding that PI did not receive any guidance from the notice of the time period involved, the court ruled that the notice received by PI was invalid. Id. at 341-42.

The District Court further rejected the Government’s contention that the December 31, 1985 date on the notice represented the end date of the applicable time period. Id. at 342. The court reasoned that PI could not have reasonably been expected to [343]*343figure out from the 1985 date that it was being penalized for conduct in 1982, especially considering that the notice stated that the statute upon which the penalty amount was premised was passed in 1984. Id.

Finally, the District Court rejected the Government’s argument that even if the notice was defective, PI was not prejudiced or misled thereby because it actually knew, from prior dealings with the IRS, exactly what the charged conduct was and when it occurred and had a full opportunity to contest the charge. Id. at 342. The court reasoned that it should not allow Pi’s subjective knowledge to excuse the IRS from its obligation to give fair notice, especially since the IRS’s conduct here was “not merely neglectful, but slipshod.” Id. at 342-43. Accordingly, the District Court found the notice invalid and unenforceable. The Court further abated the penalty and granted PI a refund of $150 plus interest.

On appeal, the Government contends that the District Court erred (1) in finding that the notice was insufficient because it did not clearly and correctly state the period of time during which the penalized conduct occurred and (2) in rejecting the argument that even if the notice was insufficient the notice should be enforced because PI was not misled or prejudiced by the defect in notice.

II.

Section 6700 of the Code imposes on any person who promotes an abusive tax shelter a penalty calculated with reference to “the gross income derived or to be derived by such person from such activity.” 26 U.S.C. § 6700(a). Section 6671 provides that all penalties provided by Subchapter B of Chapter 68 (which includes § 6700) “shall be paid upon notice and demand ... and shall be assessed and collected as taxes.” 26 U.S.C. § 6671(a).

Chapter 63 of the Code, 26 U.S.C. §§ 6201-45, governs assessment of taxes. Accordingly, given the § 6671(a) instruction that an abusive tax shelter penalty be assessed “as taxes,” Chapter 63 provides the mechanism for assessment of the abusive tax shelter penalty.

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881 F.2d 340, 64 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5349, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11743, 1989 WL 88971, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/planned-investments-inc-michigan-corporation-v-united-states-ca6-1989.