Tara C. Singhal & Madhu Singhal v. Commissioner

2014 T.C. Summary Opinion 102
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 29, 2014
Docket11486-13S
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2014 T.C. Summary Opinion 102 (Tara C. Singhal & Madhu Singhal 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.

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Tara C. Singhal & Madhu Singhal v. Commissioner, 2014 T.C. Summary Opinion 102 (tax 2014).

Opinion

PURSUANT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b),THIS OPINION MAY NOT BE TREATED AS PRECEDENT FOR ANY OTHER CASE. T.C. Summary Opinion 2014-102

UNITED STATES TAX COURT

TARA C. SINGHAL AND MADHU SINGHAL, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent

Docket No. 11486-13S. Filed October 29, 2014.

Russell M. Frandsen, for petitioner.

Michael W. Tan, for respondent.

SUMMARY OPINION

CHIECHI, Judge: This case was heard pursuant to the provisions of section

7463 of the Internal Revenue Code in effect when the petition was filed.1 Pursu-

1 Hereinafter, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code (Code) in effect for the year at issue. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. -2-

ant to section 7463(b), the decision to be entered is not reviewable by any other

court, and this opinion shall not be treated as precedent for any other case.

Respondent determined a deficiency in, an addition under section

6651(a)(1) to, and an accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a) on petition-

ers’ Federal income tax (tax) for their taxable year 2010 of $60,687, $769, and

$12,137, respectively.

The issue remaining for decision for petitioners’ taxable year 2010 is wheth-

er petitioners are liable for the accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a). We

hold that they are.

FINDINGS OF FACT

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

Petitioners resided in California at the time they filed the petition.

Petitioner Tara C. Singhal (Mr. Singhal), who holds a bachelor’s degree in

electrical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering and is admit-

ted to the California bar, worked as an engineer for several decades.

In 1999, Mr. Singhal formed a limited liability company (LLC), a so-called

flowthrough entity for tax purposes, known as Internet Promise Group, LLC -3-

(IPG).2 For all relevant years, Mr. Singhal received Schedules K-1, Partner’s

Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc. (Schedule K-1), from IPG that his

accountant had prepared for him. He used those Schedules K-1 in determining

what to report in the tax returns that he filed for all relevant years.3

In 2009, Mr. Singhal formed another LLC known as Man Machine Interface

Technologies, LLC (MMIT), another flowthrough entity, to serve as a vehicle to

sell one of his inventions. During 2010, the year at issue, Mr. Singhal and Ms.

Singhal owned 98% and 2% interests, respectively, in MMIT. In 2010, Mr.

Singhal sold a patent (patent sale) through MMIT. MMIT realized $553,750 of

long-term capital gain from the patent sale.

Mr. Singhal retained a certified public accountant, Paul Gray (Mr. Gray), to

prepare, and Mr. Gray prepared, for MMIT for the taxable year 2010 Form 1065,

U.S. Return of Partnership Income (2010 Form 1065), including respective Sched-

ules K-1 for Mr. Singhal and Ms. Singhal, the owners of MMIT. In the 2010

Form 1065, MMIT reported the $553,750 in long-term capital gain that it had

2 The record does not establish whether petitioner Madhu Singhal (Ms. Singhal) had an ownership interest in IPG. 3 The record does not establish whether the Schedules K-1 from IPG were correct or whether Mr. Singhal properly used those schedules when he reported the flowthrough items from IPG in his tax returns for all relevant years. -4-

realized in 2010 from the patent sale. On September 15, 2011, MMIT filed the

2010 Form 1065.

Also on September 15, 2011, Mr. Gray sent identical letters (September 15,

2011 letter) to Mr. Singhal and Ms. Singhal. Mr. Gray attached MMIT’s Schedule

K-1 for Mr. Singhal (Mr. Singhal’s K-1) to the September 15, 2011 letter that he

sent to him and MMIT’s Schedule K-1 for Ms. Singhal (Ms. Singhal’s K-1) to

the September 15, 2011 letter that he sent to her. Mr. Singhal and Ms. Singhal

received their respective September 15, 2011 letters and the attachments to those

letters several days after Mr. Gray sent those letters and those attachments to them.

Mr. Gray’s September 15, 2011 letter to each petitioner stated:

Enclosed is your 2010 Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) Partner’s Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, Etc. from MAN MACHINE INTER- FACE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. This information reflects the amounts you need to complete your income tax return. The amounts shown are your distributive share of partnership tax items to be re- ported on your tax return, and may not correspond to actual distribu- tions you have received during the year. This information is included in the Partnership’s 2010 Federal Return of Partnership Income that was filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

If you have any questions concerning this information, please contact us immediately. -5-

Mr. Singhal’s K-1 and Ms. Singhal’s K-1 reflected the following in part III

as the “Partner’s Share of Current Year Income, Deductions, Credits, and Other

Items”:

Tax Item Mr. Singhal’s K-1 Ms. Singhal’s K-1 Ordinary business income (loss) ($22,380) ($457) Net long-term capital gain (loss) 542,675 11,075 Self-employment earnings (loss) (22,380) -- Distributions 85,137 1,738

On September 19, 2011, petitioners learned that their son had taken ill while

visiting Mr. Singhal’s country of birth, India. On October 4, 2011, petitioners

traveled to India to be with their son and did not return to the United States until

November 4, 2011.

After petitioners returned from India, Mr. Singhal prepared petitioners’ tax

return for their taxable year 2010 (2010 return).4 Petitioners attached Schedule D,

Capital Gains and Losses (Schedule D), to that return in which they reported “[n]et

4 The only assistance that Mr. Gray provided petitioners in connection with the preparation of their 2010 return was to prepare the 2010 Form 1065, Mr. Singhal’s K-1, and Ms. Singhal’s K-1 and to send them identical September 15, 2011 letters to which he attached those respective schedules. -6-

long-term capital gain or (loss) from partnerships, S corporations, estates, and

trusts from Schedule(s) K-1” of $120,215.5

Petitioners also attached Schedule E, Supplemental Income and Loss, to

their 2010 return in which they reported the following as “Income or Loss From

Partnerships and S Corporations” for IPG and MMIT:6

Partnership Tax Item Amount IPG Nonpassive loss $106,846 from Schedule K-1 MMIT Nonpassive loss 22,837 from Schedule K-1

On November 6, 2011, two days after they returned to the United States

from India, petitioners mailed their 2010 return to the Internal Revenue Service

(Service). On November 9, 2011, the Service received and filed that return.7

5 As discussed supra, Mr. Singhal’s K-1 and Ms. Singhal’s K-1 reflected “[n]et long-term capital gain (loss)” of $542,675 and $11,075, respectively, or a total of $553,750. 6 The record does not establish the contents of the Schedule K-1 for IPG for taxable year 2010. As discussed supra, Mr. Singhal’s K-1 and Ms. Singhal’s K-1 for MMIT reflected “[o]rdinary business income (loss)” of ($22,380) and ($457), respectively, or a total of ($22,837). 7 The Service had granted petitioners an extension of time until October 15, 2011, within which to file their 2010 return. -7-

Respondent issued a notice of deficiency (notice) to petitioners with respect

to their taxable year 2010. In that notice, respondent determined that the amount

of petitioners’ “SCHEDULE D/CAPITAL GAIN DIVIDENDS” from MMIT for

their taxable year 2010 is $553,750. Respondent made that determination on the

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