Teeslink v. United States, Department of the Treasury (In Re Teeslink)

165 B.R. 708, 30 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1770, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 325, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1882, 1994 WL 85424
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedMarch 14, 1994
Docket19-40170
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 165 B.R. 708 (Teeslink v. United States, Department of the Treasury (In Re Teeslink)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Teeslink v. United States, Department of the Treasury (In Re Teeslink), 165 B.R. 708, 30 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1770, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 325, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1882, 1994 WL 85424 (Ga. 1994).

Opinion

ORDER

JOHN S. DALIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter before me is the disposition of two related adversary proceedings brought by debtor Charles Rex Teeslink against the United States of America, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, A Government Agency of the United States of America (“IRS”) and James D. Walker, Jr. the Chapter 7 case trustee. In adversary proceeding number 92-01077A debtor seeks a determination that tax liabilities for the years 1979 through 1986 were discharged in his chapter 7 ease. In adversary proceeding number 93-01077A debtor seeks a permanent injunction to restrain the IRS from collecting pursuant to Notice of Levy any sum from debtor’s annual salary at the Medical College of Georgia. Both adversaries having come on for trial together, consolidated for the purpose of final determination and having heard the evidence presented, I enter the following order.

*710 Adversary Number 92-0107?A

In this adversary debtor seeks to have his indebtedness to the IRS for taxes, penalties, and interest for the years 1979 through 1986 declared discharged in his chapter 7 case. 1 Bankruptcy Code § 727 provides for a general discharge in a chapter 7 case of all pre-petition debts of the debtor, except for debts provided for in 11 U.S.C. § 523. 11 U.S.C. § 727(b). Debtor was granted a general discharge in July 1993. In any inquiry to determine the dischargeability of a particular debt the creditor bears the burden of proving nondischargeability by a preponderance of the evidence. Grogan v. Garner, 498 U.S. 279, 111 S.Ct. 654, 112 L.Ed.2d 755 (1991). Accordingly, the IRS must prove that the tax liabilities at issue fall within one of the exceptions to the § 727 discharge noted in § 523.

Section 523(a) provides, in pertinent part-

ía) A discharge under section 727 ... of this title [11] does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—
(I) for a tax or a customs duty—
(A) of the kind and for the periods specified in section ... 507(a)(7) of this title [II], whether or not a claim for such tax was filed or allowed;
(B) with respect to which a return, if required—
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(ii) was filed after the date on which such return was last due, under applicable law or under any extension, and after two years before the date of the filing of the petition; or
(C)with respect to which the debtor made a fraudulent return or willfully attempted in any manner to evade or defeat such tax[.]

The IRS contends that the liability for the tax in each of the contested years is made nondischargeable either by § 523(a)(1)(A) and one of parts (i)-(iii) of § 507(a)(7)(A), 2 or by § 523(a)(l)(B)(ii), or by debtor’s willful attempts to evade his tax liabilities under § 523(a)(1)(C). I must make a determination as to each tax year in question whether that liability falls within one of the noted § 523 exceptions.

This analysis, ordinarily straightforward, is complicated by debtor’s prior bankruptcy filing. Debtor initially filed a chapter 11 petition with this court on March 31, 1987. That proceeding was dismissed on October 15, 1990 without confirmation of a plan of reorganization. One hundred and seven days later, on January 31, 1991, debtor filed this case, his second chapter 11 petition. On August 27, 1992 this case was converted to Chapter 7. Debtor contends that his debts to the IRS are dischargeable, some returns having been filed more than three years pri- or to the date of conversion to chapter 7 (§ 507(a)(7)(A)(i)), and some relating to late returns filed within two years of that date (§ 523(a)(l)(B)(ii)). The IRS contends, how *711 ever, that for purposes of determining the dischargeability of taxes, the periods prescribed under § 507(a)(7)(A) and § 523(a)(l)(B)(ii) are suspended during the pendency of the automatic stay in a debtor’s prior bankruptcy and for six months thereafter.

Courts considering the effect of a debtor’s prior bankruptcy on the nondischargeability periods noted have overwhelmingly agreed with the IRS position. 3 The analysis of these courts, which I adopt, is based on 11 U.S.C. § 108(c) and 26 U.S.C. §§ 6501, 6502, 6503(b), (h). 4 Although the IRS is prevented from assessing or collecting federal taxes during a bankruptcy case, 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(6), § 108(c) extends a statute of limitations for creditors in actions against the debtor when the creditor is prevented from proceeding outside the bankruptcy court due to the automatic stay of the Bankruptcy Code. Molina, supra n. 3, at 794. 5 The Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), title 26 United States Code, provides for such a statute of limitations for assessment of taxes (3 years), 26 U.S.C. § 6501(a), and for the collection of taxes after assessment (10 years). 26 U.S.C. § 6502(a). 6 In addition to § 108(c), the Internal Revenue Code also provides for its own suspension of these periods for collection and assessment during a bankruptcy case. IRC §§ 6503(b), (h). 7 Accordingly, courts have uniformly interpreted § 108(c) to activate IRC § 6503 and to prevent the periods for nondischargeability from running during the course of a debtor’s bankruptcy case and for six months thereafter. See e.g., supra n. 3, Brickley, at 115; Molina, at 795; Stoll, at 785-86.

*712 Pertinent to these courts’ analyses is legislative history to § 108(c) which provides:

In the case of Federal tax liabilities, the Internal Revenue Code suspends a statute of limitations on a tax liability of a taxpayer from running while his assets are in the control or custody of a court and for six months thereafter (sec. 6503(b) of the Code). The Amendment applies this rule in a title 11 proceeding.

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Bluebook (online)
165 B.R. 708, 30 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1770, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 325, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1882, 1994 WL 85424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/teeslink-v-united-states-department-of-the-treasury-in-re-teeslink-gasb-1994.