Soelling v. Commissioner

70 T.C. 1052, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 49
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 26, 1978
DocketDocket No. 10792-75
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 70 T.C. 1052 (Soelling 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
Soelling v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 1052, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 49 (tax 1978).

Opinion

Sterrett, Judge:

Respondent, on September 19,1975, issued a statutory notice of deficiency in which he determined a deficiency in petitioners’ Federal income tax for the taxable year ended December 31, 1971, in the amount of $8,720. After concessions by the parties the following two issues remain for our determination: (1) Whether amounts expended for professional fees in connection with condemnation proceeds and attempted rezoning are currently deductible under section 212, I.R.C. 1954, and (2) the apportionment of basis for purposes of calculating the capital gain realized as a result of the condemnation award.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and exhibits attached thereto are incorporated herein by this reference.

Petitioners, Warner M. Soelling and Patricia Soelling, husband and wife, resided in Modesto, Calif., at the time the petition herein was filed. Petitioners filed a joint Federal income tax return for the calendar year 1971. Patricia Soelling is a party to this action solely because she joined in the filing of this return, and accordingly Warner M. Soelling will hereinafter be referred to as petitioner.

In 1965 the county of Stanislaus issued a general plan for the zoning of certain property outside the town of Modesto, Calif. This general plan envisioned a potential rezoning of property from agricultural-rural to commercial at certain specified intersections. These areas were designated by the placing of red dots on the general plan map. In 1968 petitioner acquired 13.031 acres of property within the jurisdiction of a red dot zone. At the time of acquisition the property possessed the right of access to the abutting Oakdale Road on the east side of the property. An unpaved road maintained by the Modesto Irrigation District ran east to west within the northern boundary of the property. During the years 1969 and 1970 the county of Stanislaus approached petitioner concerning the acquisition of a portion of his property for roadway purposes. Petitioner offered to dedicate the property to the county if given assurance that the remaining portion of the property would have access to the new roadway. However, the county of Stanislaus refused the offer of dedication.

On August 6, 1969, the county of Stanislaus, Calif., filed a complaint in eminent domain condemning a portion of petitioner’s property. Upon learning of the eminent domain proceedings petitioner hired an appraiser to evaluate the import of the condemnation complaint. As a result of such evaluation petitioner believed that the condemnation would cause his property to be landlocked. He therefore contested the condemnation. To do so he hired a condemnation attorney for the purpose of protecting access to the property. As a result of various maneuvers by petitioner the complaint was amended, striking all reference tó access. Petitioner proceeded with the case which was tried in the Superior Court of Stanislaus County beginning February 1, 1971. At the condemnation trial the petitioner stated that he was not interested in condemnation proceeds. However, he did hope to exchange an award for access to the prospective roadway. Therefore, he asked for the maximum possible proceeds. Payment of a judgment was made to petitioner. The jury awarded petitioner $18,000 for severance damages, $23,000 as a condemnation award, and $4,300 in interest. Petitioner incurred and paid attorneys’ fees of $4,445 and appraisal fees of $1,025 in connection with this condemnation hearing.

During 1971 petitioner engaged an attorney to prepare and present an application for a zoning reclassification and to obtain clarification with respect to the status of the property’s access after condemnation. For these services petitioner incurred and paid legal fees in 1971 of $5,702.

Petitioner also hired a civil engineer to do site plans in connection with the rezoning. Petitioner incurred and paid engineering fees of $526 in 1971 for such services.

Petitioner deducted the appraisal fee, attorneys’ fees, and engineering fee as section 212,1.R.C. 1954, expenses. Respondent characterized these deductions as capital in nature and disallowed them in full.

OPINION

Issue 1. Professional Fees

Petitioner based his deduction of professional fees incurred in 1971 with respect to the condemnation proceeds and attempts to rezone the property on section 212.1 That section, in pertinent part, allows as deductions ordinary and necessary expenses.paid for the conservation of property held for the production of income. Petitioner’s brief implies that, in any case, such expenses should be allowed under section 162(a) as ordinary and necessary expenses of carrying on a trade or business.

These expenditures were made in connection with condemnation proceedings and attempts to rezone the property. Petitioner presented no evidence to the effect that the property was income producing. In fact, he testified that he had no business activity with respect to the land. He neither sold crops nor received income from the use of the property and he received no royalty payments for the extraction of minerals.2

The Modesto general plan indicated that the property was located on an intersection that showed potential for rezoning. The plan proposed that one of the four corners on the intersection might be rezoned neighborhood commercial. Although petitioner believed his corner was the only one of the four suitable for development, there was no guarantee that any corner on the intersection would actually be rezoned.

Petitioner referred to the purpose behind his acquisition of the property in terms of “eventual retirement” income, “speculative potential,” and “income producing/potential” in the “near future.” On brief he claims the property was “held for investment and income producing potential.” (Emphasis added.)

Based on these facts we are unable to find that petitioner was engaged in a section 162 trade or business with respect to this property. However, section 1.212-l(b) Income Tax Regs., has defined the word “income” for purposes of the section 212 deduction of expenses paid for the conservation of property held for the production of income to include “gains from the disposition of property.” There is no question that the property was purchased as an investment. Therefore, petitioner has leapt the first hurdle in proving the deductibility of his expenditures.

It is the second hurdle that petitioner fails to surmount. Section 212 only provides for the deduction of “ordinary and necessary expenses.” Thus, an inquiry must be made into the origin and character of the claim giving rise to the expenditure. Woodward v. Commissioner, 397 U.S. 572, 577 (1970).

Petitioner’s expenditures arose in connection with a condemnation suit and an attempt to rezone certain property. He expended the sums in issue not with respect to an operating business, but in an attempt to increase the value of the property. When an increase of the value of property is the cause of an expenditure, there exists an inherent relationship between the expenditures and the ultimate sale of land. Madden v.

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Soelling v. Commissioner
70 T.C. 1052 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
70 T.C. 1052, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 49, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/soelling-v-commissioner-tax-1978.