Wilson v. Commissioner

1973 T.C. Memo. 92, 32 T.C.M. 407, 1973 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 195
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 18, 1973
DocketDocket No. 7199-70.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1973 T.C. Memo. 92 (Wilson 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.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Commissioner, 1973 T.C. Memo. 92, 32 T.C.M. 407, 1973 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 195 (tax 1973).

Opinion

WILLIAM R. (BOB) WILSON AND LINDA F. WILSON, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Wilson v. Commissioner
Docket No. 7199-70.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1973-92; 1973 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 195; 32 T.C.M. (CCH) 407; T.C.M. (RIA) 73092;
April 18, 1973, Filed
Harold H. Newman, for the petitioners.
Ronald A. Wagenheim, for the respondent.

FAY

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

FAY, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners' Federal income tax liability for the taxable years 1966 and 1967 in the amounts of $10,290.03 and $8,636.59, respectively.

The questions presented for our consideration are as follows: (1) Whether purported travel, entertainment, and gift expenses claimed by petitioners for the taxable years 1966 and 1967 constituted ordinary and necessary business 2 expenses deductible under section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954; 1 (2) whether petitioners have satisfied the substantiation requirements of section 274 with respect to the travel, entertainment, and gift expenses purportedly sustained in the taxable years 1966 and 1967; and (3) whether petitioners are entitled to deductions under section 162 for purported wardrobe, wardrobe maintenance, cosmetics, beauty parlor, music, publicity, and telephone expenses claimed by them for the taxable years 1966 and 1967.

*197 FINDINGS OF FACT

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

Petitioners, William R. (Bob) Wilson (hereinafter referred to as Bob) and Linda F. Wilson (hereinafter referred to as Linda) filed a joint Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1966 with the district director of internal revenue, Manhattan, New York. Petitioners filed a joint Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1967 with the Internal Revenue Service, North Atlantic Service Center, Andover, Massachusetts. Petitioners' legal residence on November 19, 1970, the date of the filing of the petition herein, was New York, New York. 3

During the taxable years 1966 and 1967, Bob was a news correspondent on radio and television for the National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (N.B.C.). Bob did not have a written contract with N.B.C. for the years 1966 and 1967. He was compensated on a union scale basis for the broadcasts rendered by him during each of the years in issue. Bob's total compensation from N.B.C. in 1966 and 1967 was $67,401.69 and $42,972.04, respectively.

In addition to his association with*198 N.B.C., Bob participated in the production of training films for the Army Signal Corps in 1966 and 1967. He received compensation for these services in the amounts of $1,571.76 in 1966 and $1,300 in 1967.

During the years in issue, Linda was an actress-entertainer. She received compensation in the amounts of $3,915.55 in 1966 and $4,659.09 in 1967.

Petitioners maintained two sets of diaries with respect to the taxable years in issue. These diaries (hereinafter sometimes referred to as diary set I and diary set II) were offered by petitioners as substantiation for their claimed travel and entertainment expenses.

Diary set I consisted of four separate books, each of which covered a specific six-month time interval during either 1966 or 1967. Diary set I was presented to the examining revenue agent by petitioners' counsel of record. 4 Petitioners' attorney represented to the revenue agent that diary set I was not petitioners' original diaries for 1966 and 1967. Petitioners' attorney reiterated this representation to appellate conferee Joseph McQuade at a conference held on June 2, 1971. Petitioners' attorney further represented to McQuade at this conference that petitioners' *199 original diaries for the years in issue were illegible and that diary set I was copied from the ostensibly illegible original diaries to facilitate the revenue agent's examination. Subsequent to June 2, 1971, petitioners' attorney forwarded diary set II to McQuade and represented to McQuade that diary set II contained petitioners' original diaries for the involved taxable years. Diary set II consisted of two separate books, with one book pertaining to taxable year 1966 and the other pertaining to taxable year 1967.

Contrary to representations of petitioners' attorney prior to trial, Bob testified at trial that diary set I contained the original diaries for 1966 and 1967 and that diary set II was copied from diary set I. He further testified that diary set II was prepared only after he was informed by petitioners' attorney that diary set I was neither adequate nor acceptable for substantiation purposes.

Diary set I was not prepared by Bob, but was apparently prepared by a William Reynolds. The segment of diary set I pertaining to the taxable year 1966 was prepared sometime between 5 the early and middle parts of 1967, and the segment of diary set I pertaining to the taxable*200 year 1967 was prepared sometime between the early and middle parts of 1968.

Diary set II was not prepared until 1970 or later, and was prepared only pursuant to advice of petitioners' attorney to petitioners that diary set I was neither adequate nor acceptable for substantiation purposes.

The entries in diary set I are identical in all material respects to the entries contained in diary set II.

Petitioners' diaries reflect that petitioners expended the following total amounts for business entertainment in the years in issue:

Bob1966

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1973 T.C. Memo. 92, 32 T.C.M. 407, 1973 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-commissioner-tax-1973.