Puckett v. Commissioner

56 T.C. 1092, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 19, 1971
DocketDocket No. 2596-70
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 56 T.C. 1092 (Puckett 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
Puckett v. Commissioner, 56 T.C. 1092, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76 (tax 1971).

Opinions

Simpson, Judge:

The respondent determined deficiencies in the income tax of the petitioners in the amount of $440 for 1966 and $487.70 for 1967. Many of the issues in this case have been settled or conceded; those remaining for decision are (1) whether a member of the National Guard, who is on temporary military duty, may deduct his expenses for transportation, meals, and lodging at his post of military duty, and (2) whether he may deduct his automobile expenses for trips required by his permanent employment while he is on such military duty.

FINDINGS OF FACT

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

The petitioners, Arthur C. Puckett, Jr., and Dorothy W. Puckett, are husband and wife, who maintained their residence in LaVergne, Tenn., at the time of filing their petition in this case. They filed their joint 1966 and 1967 Federal income tax returns with the district director of internal revenue, Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Puckett will be referred to as the petitioner.

The petitioner was the postmaster of the United States Post Office at LaVergne, Tenn. In 1967, the post office had three full-time employees — the postmaster, a clerk, and a substitute clerk; there was no assistant postmaster or assistant to the postmaster. There were certain duties which could be performed only by the petitioner as the postmaster, including some that had to be performed every 2 weeks in connection with a pay period and others that had to be performed every 4 weeks with respect to accounting periods.

The petitioner was active in church affairs. He was a founder of the Miracle Baptist Church of LaVergne, and sometimes acted as assistant pastor of such church. Pie was also chairman of the executive committee, chairman of the building committee, Sunday school superintendent and teacher, and purchasing agent for the church.

The petitioner was also an officer in the Tennessee National Guard. In 1967, he requested a leave of absence from his postal duties for the purpose of attending the U.S. Army Reserve Officers Training School, Fort Knox, Ky. It was the policy of the Post Office Department to cooperate with the Department of Defense by allowing its personnel leave for the purpose of attending military training programs, and the petitioner was granted the requested leave with the understanding that the LaVergne Post Office would continue to render satisfactory service to the public during the period of his absence, and that during such period he would remain responsible at all times for such service. It was also understood that the petitioner would return to LaVergne each weekend to attend to postal matters.

The petitioner served on active duty from Monday, February 27, 1967, to Wednesday, August 2,1967. During such period, he continued to teach Sunday school at the Miracle Baptist Church, but he was inactive with respect to the other positions he held in such church. Also during such period, the petitioner’s wife, who had been employed since 195-5 at the LaVergne Post Office as clerk, substitute clerk, and temporary substitute clerk, and who was the senior employee of such office, was employed there on a full-time basis. The petitioner considered her to be the most qualified of the LaVergne postal employees. In order to serve on active duty, the petitioner took 15 days of military leave, 50 days of annual leave, and -50 days of leave without pay from his employment at the post office.

While on active duty, the petitioner received his basic pay, plus a subsistence allowance of $47.88 per month and the basic allowance for quarters (quarters allowance) of $130.05 per month. He received subsistence allowance payments in the aggregate of $263.34 and quarters allowance payments in the aggregate of $715.27 for the period February to August 1967. During such time, the petitioner lived while at Fort Knox in a Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (BOQ) at a cost of 60 cents per day or an aggregate of $91.80. He ate his meals at an officers’ club, a messhall, and at certain civilian restaurants.

In connection with his active duty, the petitioner remained at Fort Knox approximately 5y2 days each week from Sunday night through Saturday noon. Each Saturday afternoon, the petitioner traveled to LaVergne, and he generally returned to Fort Knox on Sunday afternoon. The roundtrip distance between Fort Knox and LaVergne is approximately 380 miles. The Army paid the petitioner an allowance based upon mileage for travel expenses incurred in connection with his initial trip to Fort Knox and his final journey to LaVergne. The petitioner did not receive an allowance for the travel performed between LaVergne and Fort Knox each weekend while he was on active duty.

In his statutory notice of deficiency, the respondent determined that the petitioner realized a long-term capital gain during 1966 from the involuntary conversion of certain property which he failed to report on his 1966 return. On his 1967 return, the petitioner claimed deductions for certain expenses incurred “in lieu of per diem” in the amount of $1,738 while he was on active duty at Fort Knox. He claimed a deduction for certain officers’ club dues and for certain real estate taxes. He also claimed a deduction for expenses incurred with respect to the attendance of himself and his wife at the Postmasters National Convention in San Juan, P.K. In his statutory notice of deficiency, the respondent disallowed the deduction claimed by the petitioner “in lieu of per diem,” the officers’ club dues, and real estate taxes. He also disallowed the deduction for convention expenses to the extent that such expenses were attributable to the attendance of the petitioner’s wife at such convention.

OPINION

The parties have stipulated that the petitioners did not realize a long-term capital gain in 1966 from the involuntary conversion of property; accordingly, there is no deficiency with respect to the petitioners’ 1966 Federal income tax. The parties have also stipulated that the petitioners are entitled to a deduction in the amount of $416.84 for expenses incurred with respect to the Postmasters National Convention at San Juan, P.R., in 1967, and the petitioners apparently agree that they are not entitled to any larger deduction with respect to such expenses. The petitioners have failed to contest the respondent’s disallowance of certain officers’ club dues 'and certain real estate taxes claimed as deductions by them in 1967, and such disallowance must therefore be upheld. Welch v. Helvering, 290 U.S. 111 (1933).

There remains in dispute the petitioner’s claimed deductions for his expenses while on active duty at Fort Knox. At the trial, the petitioner admitted that his deduction of $1,738 was computed on the basis that he was in military service for 158 days and that regular members of the Armed Forces received a per diem of $11 per day when they were in travel status. Although he now recognizes that he is not entitled to compute his deduction in such manner, he attempted to support his claimed deduction by presenting the following list of expenses:

Auto expenses — Fort Knox to LaVergne (21 roundtrips)- $798. 00
Auto expenses — Fort Knox- 198.00
Books and supplies- 72.29

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Puckett v. Commissioner
56 T.C. 1092 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
56 T.C. 1092, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/puckett-v-commissioner-tax-1971.