White v. Commissioner

1981 T.C. Memo. 609, 42 T.C.M. 1466, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 143
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in White v. Commissioner. Read the opinion of the Court — 72 T.C. 1126
United States Tax Court·Decided October 19, 1981·No. Docket No. 16649-81.·Unpublished

Opinion

BLAINE B. WHITE, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
White v. Commissioner
Docket No. 16649-81.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1981-609; 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 143; 42 T.C.M. (CCH) 1466; T.C.M. (RIA) 81609;
October 19, 1981.
Blaine B. White, pro se.
Elizabet DePriest and Peter M. Ritteman, for the respondent.

DAWSON

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAWSON, Judge: This case was assigned to Special Trial Judge Francis J. Cantrel for the purpose of conducting the hearing and ruling on respondent's motion to dismiss this case based upon failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. After a review of the record, we agree with and adopt his opinion which is set forth below. 1

*144 OPINION OF THE SPECIAL TRIAL JUDGE

CANTREL, Special Trial Judge: This case is presently before the Court on respondent's motion to dismiss based upon failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted filed on September 1, 1981, pursuant to Rule 40, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.2

Respondent, in his notice of deficiency issued to pertitioner on April 6, 1981, determined a deficiency in petitioner's Federal income tax for the taxable calendar year 1977 in the amount of $ 3,740.61. The deficiency determination is based upon respondent's disallowance of claimed deductions for alimony and taxes.

Petitioner resided at 64135 Omo Road, Richmond, Michigan, on the date he filed his petition. He filed an individual U.S. Federal income tax return for 1977 with the Internal Revenue Service.

Rule 34(b) provides in pertinent part that the petition in a deficiency action shall contain "clear and concise assignments of each and every error which the petitioner alleges to have been committed by the Commissioner in the determination of the deficiency or liability" and*145 "clear and concise lettered statements of the facts on which petitioner bases the assignments of error." no justiciable error has been alleged in the petition with respect to the Commissioner's determination of the deficiency, and no facts in support of such error are extent therein. Rather, petitioner consumes his petition, in the main, raising the following arguments:

(1) That he is entitled to a jury trial in this Court; and

(2) That the Internal Revenue Code "purports" to impose a direct tax on the income of individuals and, thus, it is unconstitutional.

It is clear beyond doubt that petitioner's arguments are frivolous. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he is not entitled to a jury trial in the U.S. Tax Court. Section 7453, Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended. Wilkinson v. Commissioner, 71 T.C. 633 (1979); Swanson v. Commissioner, 65 T.C. 1180 (1976).

Next, the constitutionality of the Federal income tax laws passed since the enactment of the Sixteenth Amendment has been upheld on too many occasions for us presently to rethink the underlying validity thereof. See, e.g., Brushaber v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 240 U.S. 1 (1916);*146 Stanton v. Baltic Mining Co., 240 U.S. 103 (1916); Cupp v. Commissioner, 65 T.C. 68 (1975), affd. in an unpublished opinion 559 F.2d 1207 (3d Cir. 1977). Moreover, the Sixteenth Amendment was enacted in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co., 157 U.S. 429 (1895), which held unconstitutional the income tax of 1894 as a direct tax without apportionment. The "whole purpose" of the Sixteenth Amendment

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

White v. Commissioner, 1981 T.C. Memo. 609, 42 T.C.M. 1466, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 143 (tax 1981).

1981 T.C. Memo. 609 (White v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
157 U.S. 429 (Supreme Court, 1895)
Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad
240 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1916)
Stanton v. Baltic Mining Co.
240 U.S. 103 (Supreme Court, 1916)
Weinstein v. Commissioner
29 T.C. 142 (U.S. Tax Court, 1957)
Goldsmith v. Commissioner
31 T.C. 56 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)
Klein v. Commissioner
45 T.C. 308 (U.S. Tax Court, 1965)
Roberts v. Commissioner
62 T.C. No. 89 (U.S. Tax Court, 1974)
Swanson v. Commissioner
65 T.C. 1180 (U.S. Tax Court, 1976)
Cupp v. Commissioner
65 T.C. 68 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Hatfield v. Commissioner
68 T.C. 895 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Wilkinson v. Commissioner
71 T.C. 633 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
McCoy v. Commissioner
76 T.C. 1027 (U.S. Tax Court, 1981)