Schwartz v. Commissioner

1996 T.C. Memo. 88, 71 T.C.M. 2253, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 29, 1996
DocketDocket Nos. 19269-92, 7275-93.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1996 T.C. Memo. 88 (Schwartz 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
Schwartz v. Commissioner, 1996 T.C. Memo. 88, 71 T.C.M. 2253, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87 (tax 1996).

Opinion

JOHN W. AND VINCENTIA SCHWARTZ, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Schwartz v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 19269-92, 7275-93.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1996-88; 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87; 71 T.C.M. (CCH) 2253;
February 29, 1996, Filed
*87 Gene M. Zafft and John W. Schwartz, Jr., for petitioners.
Robert J. Burbank and Thomas C. Pliske, for respondent.
GOLDBERG, Special Trial Judge

GOLDBERG

MEMORANDUM OPINION

GOLDBERG, Special Trial Judge: These consolidated cases were assigned for hearing pursuant to section 7443A(b)(4) and Rules 180, 181, and 183. 1

These cases are before the Court on petitioners' motions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. In their motions, petitioners claim that we lack jurisdiction over the portions of the deficiency determinations with respect to Westco Transportation Co. (Westco) and Makalu Apartments, Ltd. (Makalu), partnerships of which petitioner John W. Schwartz (petitioner) is a partner, because respondent failed to comply with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) provisions of section 6223(a). Respondent objects to the motions on*88 the grounds that Westco and Makalu fall within the small partnership exception to the partnership audit and litigation provisions, and, therefore, TEFRA procedures do not apply. A hearing was held with respect to these motions in St. Louis, Missouri.

At the time the petitions were filed herein, petitioners resided in Creve Coeur, Missouri. On June 5, 1992, respondent mailed a notice of deficiency to petitioners for taxable years 1987, 1988, and 1989. On January 19, 1993, respondent issued a second notice of deficiency to petitioners for taxable years 1985 and 1986. The deficiencies in and additions to petitioners' 1985 through 1989 taxes, as determined by respondent, are attributable in part to petitioner's interests in several partnerships and S corporations. The entities identified in the notices of deficiency are D & J Transportation, Inc. (D&J), J & J Marine, Inc. (J&J), MMM Management Corporation (MMM), Westco, and Makalu.

Following concessions, 2 the sole issue for decision is whether respondent was required by the partnership audit and litigation procedures, enacted in 1982 as a part of TEFRA, to issue notices of final partnership administrative adjustments (FPAA) with respect*89 to Westco and Makalu within the statutory period.3 Secs. 6221, 6223(a)(2), 6231(a)(1)(B). If respondent was required to issue FPAA's with respect to Westco and Makalu and failed to do so, we lack jurisdiction over these cases and petitioners' motions must be granted. Harrell v. Commissioner, 91 T.C. 242, 243 (1988); Frazell v. Commissioner, 88 T.C. 1405 (1987)).

*90 Petitioners contend that the resolution of disputed partnership items with respect to Westco and Makalu should occur at the partnership level, not the individual partner level. Respondent alleges that the partnerships fall within the small partnership exception of section 6231(a) and, thus, all issues should be determined at the partner level. See sec. 6221.

Congress enacted the partnership audit and litigation procedures to provide a method for uniformly adjusting items of partnership income, loss, deduction, or credit that affect each partner. Congress decided that no longer would a partner's tax liability be determined uniquely, but the tax treatment of any partnership item would be determined at the partnership level. Harrell v. Commissioner, supra at 243 (citing Maxwell v. Commissioner, 87 T.C. 783, 787 (1986)).

Section 6231(a)(1)(B) excludes certain small partnerships from the partnership audit and litigation provisions unless the partnership elects to have such provisions apply. The relevant portion of this section provides as follows:

(B) Exception for small partnerships. --

(i) In general. -- The*91 term "partnership" shall not include any partnership if --

(I) such partnership has 10 or fewer partners each of whom is a natural person (other than a nonresident alien) or an estate, and

(II) each partner's share of each partnership item is the same as his share of every other item.

For purposes of the preceding sentence, a husband and wife (and their estates) shall be treated as 1 partner.

Petitioners concede that Westco and Makalu had 10 or fewer partners during the relevant periods. The dispute of the parties centers upon the applicability of section 6231(a)(1)(B)(i)(II)

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Related

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1997 T.C. Memo. 548 (U.S. Tax Court, 1997)

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Bluebook (online)
1996 T.C. Memo. 88, 71 T.C.M. 2253, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schwartz-v-commissioner-tax-1996.