Sutherland v. Comm'r

1980 T.C. Memo. 26, 39 T.C.M. 963, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 560
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 28, 1980
DocketDocket No. 6601-77.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1980 T.C. Memo. 26 (Sutherland v. Comm'r) 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
Sutherland v. Comm'r, 1980 T.C. Memo. 26, 39 T.C.M. 963, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 560 (tax 1980).

Opinion

MARGARET R. SUTHERLAND, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Sutherland v. Comm'r
Docket No. 6601-77.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1980-26; 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 560; 39 T.C.M. (CCH) 963; T.C.M. (RIA) 80026;
January 28, 1980, Filed

*560 Held: respondent's deficiency determinaton sustained.

Held further: Respondent's determination of additions to tax under sec. 6653(b) sustained.

Margaret R. Sutherland, pro se.
Alan I. Appel, for the respondent.

CHABOT

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

CHABOT, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in Federal individual income taxes and additions to tax under section 6653(b) 1 (fraud), as follows:

Addition to tax
YearDeficiencysection 6653(b)
1971$1,276.09$638.05
19721,421.77710.89
19731,827.00913.50

The issues for decision are as follows:

(1) Whether respondent erred in*561 determining the deficiencies asserted herein; and

(2) Whether petitioner is liable for additions to tax under section 6653(b).

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated; the stipulation and the stipulated exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

At the time the petition in this case was filed, petitioner resided in New York, New York.

During 1971, 1972, and 1973, petitioner worked as a private duty nurse. Petitioner was referred to patients through Sullivan's Nurses Registry (hereinafter referred to as "Sullivan's") and was paid directly by the patients. The amounts petitioner reported to Sullivan's as income from patients for 1971, 1972, and 1973 were the amounts are actually received in each of these years. The amounts so reported to Sullivan's, the corresponding amounts reported by petitioner on her Federal income tax returns from her work as a private duty nurse, and the understatements of gross income from patients for each of the years are shown in table 1.

Table 1

Gross Income From Patients

Understatement
Actual GrossReported onof Gross Income
YearIncomeTax ReturnsFrom Patients
1971$ 7,082$ 2,521$ 4,561
19727,6742,3155,359
19739,0302,9856,045
Totals$23,786$7,821$15,965

*562 During 1971, 1972, and 1973, petitioner maintained a savings bank account at the New York Bank for Savings from which she received interest income in the amounts of $309.68, $455.20, and $578.28, respectively. These amounts were not reported on petitioner's Federal income tax returns for 1971, 1972, and 1973.

Petitioner kept her own records as to her correct income. This amount was the same as the amount determined by respondent.

In addition to the foregoing, respondent determined a number of positive and negative adjustments to petitioner's business expenses which netted out to increased private duty nursing income of $307.90 for 1971, $411.30 for 1972, and $530 for 1973.

Petitioner did not itemize "below-the-line" deductions on her Federal income tax returns.

Petitioner was graduated from high school and thereafter took dramatic arts and literary courses and a business course. Petitioner trained in a number of hospitals.

Petitioner was aware that she was required to pay income taxes; she timely filed income tax returns for each of the years here in issue. Petitioner did not file returns for 1974 through 1978.

Petitioner omitted income on her returns so that*563 she would not have to pay any income tax. Petitioner knowingly and intentionally "manipulated the figures" on her returns so that she would not have to pay any income tax. Petitioner admitted to tax evasion and committing fraud on her 1971, 1972, and 1973 income tax returns.

* * *

Petitioner understated her adjusted gross income for each of the years in issue.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Pomponio
429 U.S. 10 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Pigman v. Commissioner
31 T.C. 356 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)
Otsuki v. Commissioner
53 T.C. 96 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
Stone v. Commissioner
56 T.C. 213 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
L. Schepp Co. v. Commissioner
25 B.T.A. 419 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1932)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1980 T.C. Memo. 26, 39 T.C.M. 963, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 560, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sutherland-v-commr-tax-1980.