Thomas v. Commissioner

1984 T.C. Memo. 217, 47 T.C.M. 1680, 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 455
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Thomas v. Commissioner. Read the opinion of the Court — 84 T.C. 1244
United States Tax Court·Decided April 25, 1984·No. Docket Nos. 7634-83, 7635-83.·Unpublished

Opinion

MARY R. THOMAS, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent; WILBER M. THOMAS, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Thomas v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 7634-83, 7635-83.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1984-217; 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 455; 47 T.C.M. (CCH) 1680; T.C.M. (RIA) 84217;
April 25, 1984.
Wilber M. Thomas, for the petitioners.
Linda J. Bourquin, for the respondent.

KORNER

MEMORANDUM OPINION

"KORNER, Judge: In these cases, consolidated by order of this Court for the purposes of trial, briefing and opinion, respondent*456 by separate notices of deficiency determined identical amounts of deficiencies in tax and additions to tax against each petitioner for the calendar years 1979 and 1980, as follows:

CALENDARADDITIONS TO TAX UNDER
YEARSDEFICIENCYSEC. 6651(a)(1)SEC. 6653(a) 1
1979$1,826$456.50$91.30
1980$1,151$287.75$57.55

In the identical notices of deficiency issued to each petitioner, respondent's determinations of tax and additions to tax were based, inter alia, on respondent's determination that the marital community, of which petitioners were members, received taxable income from wages in each of the years in question as follows:

YEARWAGES
1979$20,248
1980$17,484

Respondent accordingly attributed one-half of such community income to each of petitioners, in the respective amounts of $10,124 and $8,742, or a total of wage income for each petitioner for the two years in issue of $18,866.

Respondent's*457 statutory notices asserted additions to tax against each petitioner under section 6651(a), based upon petitioners' failure to file tax returns for the years in issue, without reasonable cause. Additions to tax under section 6653(a) were also proposed, based upon respondent's determination that petitioners were guilty of negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations. 2

Both respondent's statutory notices of deficiency were issued on January 4, 1983, and the petitions herein were timely filed on April 2, 1983. During the years in question, as well as at the time of filing the petitions herein, petitioners, husband and wife, were residents of the State of Louisiana, a community property state.

In their identical petitions herein, petitioners alleged error on the part of respondent as to the taxability of the above wage income, and as to the additions to tax under sections 6651(a) and section 6653(a). With respect to these issues, the only material allegations of fact contained*458 in the petitions were:

(a) That each petitioner had received, as a community property share, the exact amount of income from services, and from exactly the same sources (certain named companies), as determined in respondent's statutory notices.

(b) That petitioners had filed no income tax returns for the years 1979 and 1980.

These allegations were admitted in respondent's answer.

The remainder of the petitions raised the now-discredited and frivolous tax protester arguments that wages were not income subject to tax, and that petitioners were not persons required to file income tax returns.

After the pleadings were closed, respondent moved for summary judgment, and the case came before the Court in this posture.

In order to succeed in his motion for summary judgment, respondent must "show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that a decision may be rendered as a matter of law." Rule 121(b). A motion for summary judgment is proper and will be granted where no facts have been pleaded showing a genuine issue for trial. Knighten v. Commissioner,702 F.2d 59 (5th Cir. 1983), affg. an unreported decision of this Court; Perkins v. Commissioner,T.C. Memo. 1983-474.*459

As outlined above, the pleadings show that there are no material issues of fact which are in dispute and which would affect the issues before the Court. The parties are in agreement that petitioners filed no income tax returns for the years 1979 and 1980, and the taxable income which respondent determined as being income from wages or services in these two years are in the exact amount which petitioners alleged in their petitions. There are accordingly no disputed facts in this record which would require a trial on the merits.

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Thomas v. Commissioner, 1984 T.C. Memo. 217, 47 T.C.M. 1680, 1984 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 455 (tax 1984).

1984 T.C. Memo. 217 (Thomas v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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