Rosenberg v. United States

72 Fed. Cl. 387, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5903, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 236, 2006 WL 2261335
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedAugust 3, 2006
DocketNo. 05-1272T
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 72 Fed. Cl. 387 (Rosenberg v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosenberg v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 387, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5903, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 236, 2006 WL 2261335 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND FINAL ORDER

BRADEN, Judge.

I. BACKGROUND.

In 1898, Congress imposed the first tax on telephone service. See OfficeMax, Inc. v. United States, 428 F.3d 583, 585 (6th Cir.2005) (discussing 26 U.S.C. § 4251, the statute at issue in this case). This excise tax1 (“tax” or “excise tax”) was imposed to reduce the federal budget deficit from the Spanish-[389]*389American War. See OfficeMax, 428 F.3d at 585. It was repealed in 1902. Id. The tax was re-instituted during World War I and repealed again in 1916. Id. The tax returned a third time during the Great Depression and has been viable ever since. Id.; see also 42 U.S.C. § 4251.

Section 4251 of Title 26 of the United States Code authorizes the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to collect taxes on toll telephone service:

(a) Tax imposed
(1) There is hereby imposed on amounts paid for communications services a tax equal to the applicable percentage of amounts so paid.
(2) Payment of tax. The tax imposed in this section shall be paid by the person paying for such services.
(b) Definitions. For the purposes of subsection (a)—
(1) Communications services. The term “communications services” means—
(A) local telephone service;
(B) toll telephone service; and
(C) teletypewriter exchange service.
(2) Applicable percentage. The term “applicable percentage” means 3 percent.

26 U.S.C. § 4251 (emphasis added).

Congress defined “toll telephone service” as:
(1) A telephonic quality communication for which (A) there is a toll charge which varies in amount with the distance and elapsed transmission time of each individual communication and (B) the charge is paid within the United States----

26 U.S.C. § 4252(b) (emphasis added).

When Congress enacted section 4252 in 1965, American Telephone and Telegraph Company (“AT & T”), the only provider of long distance telephone service, charged a toll on long distance calls based on both time and distance. See OfficeMax, 428 F.3d at 596. Subsequent deregulation resulted in the entry of new long distance telephone service providers. Id. By the 1990’s, AT & T and some of the new providers began to charge a flat, per-minute toll for long distance telephone service that did not include a distance factor. Id.

In recent years, a number of corporations have successfully argued that the IRS does not have authority under 26 U.S.C. § 4251 to collect taxes on toll telephone service billed solely on the basis of time, instead of elapsed time and distance. See, e.g., Reese Bros., Inc. v. United States, 447 F.3d 229 (3rd Cir.2006) (upholding the trial court’s grant of summary judgment against the IRS, because the definition of “toll telephone service” in 26 U.S.C. § 4252 only applies to toll telephone service charged on elapsed time and distance, not elapsed time alone); Fortis, Inc. v. United States, 447 F.3d 190 (2d Cir.2006) (same); OfficeMax, 428 F.3d 583 (same); National R.R. Passenger Corp. v. United States, 431 F.3d 374 (D.C.Cir.2005) (same); Am. Bankers Ins. Group v. United States, 408 F.3d 1328 (11th Cir.2005) (reversing the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the IRS on the same grounds); Hewlett-Packard Co. v. United States, No. C-04-03832 RMW, 2005 WL 1865419, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19972 (N.D.Cal. August 5, 2005) (granting summary judgment against the IRS on the same grounds); Am. Online v. United States, 64 Fed.Cl. 571 (2005) (same); Honeywell Int’l, Inc. v. United States, 64 Fed.Cl. 188 (2005) (same).

On October 20, 2005, in response to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s decision in American Bankers, the IRS released a Notice announcing that:

The government did not seek review by the United States Supreme Court in American Bankers Insurance Group. Nevertheless, the government will continue to litigate this important issue. The government is prosecuting appeals in five different circuits.
This notice confirms that the Service will continue to assess and collect the tax under [26 U.S.C.] § 4252 on all taxable communications services, including communications services similar to those at issue in the cases. Collectors should continue to collect the tax, including from taxpayers [390]*390within the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Taxpayers may preserve any claims for overpayments by filing administrative claims for refund with the Service pursuant to [26 U.S.C.] § 6511. Taxpayers are advised, however, that these claims, including claims for which appellate venue would lie in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, will not be processed while there are pending cases in other United States Courts of Appeals.

Internal Revenue Service Notice 2005-79, 2005 WL 2671273, 2005 IRB LEXIS 407 (October 20, 2005) (emphasis added).

II. RELEVANT FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY.2

During the past six years, Plaintiff has paid the excise tax collected on long distance toll telephone service, pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 4251. See Compl. ¶¶ 15, 16. Plaintiff, however, has not filed a claim for a refund of this tax from the IRS. Id. ¶ 102. Nevertheless, on December 19, 2005, Plaintiff filed a Complaint, on behalf of herself and of a putative class, in the United States Court of Federal Claims seeking a refund. The Complaint challenges both the IRS’s authority to tax toll telephone service billed solely on the basis of time and the IRS’s decision to continue collecting this excise tax despite the decision in American Bankers. See Compl. ¶11

The Complaint alleges four claims against the United States (“the Government”). Id. ¶¶ 80-103. Claim I alleges that the excise tax at issue was an unlawful taking under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Id. ¶¶ 81-82.

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Bluebook (online)
72 Fed. Cl. 387, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5903, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 236, 2006 WL 2261335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosenberg-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.