Wittstruck v. Commissioner

1980 T.C. Memo. 62, 39 T.C.M. 1168, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 523
United States Tax Court·Decided March 5, 1980·No. Docket No. 10719-77.·Unpublished·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

JAMES E. AND BARBARA WITTSTRUCK, Petitioners v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Wittstruck v. Commissioner
Docket No. 10719-77.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1980-62; 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 523; 39 T.C.M. (CCH) 1168; T.C.M. (RIA) 80062;
March 5, 1980, Filed
Duane L. Nelson, for the petitioners.
J. Anthony Hoefer, for the respondent.

HALL

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

HALL, Judge: Respondent determined the following deficiencies in petitioners' federal income tax:

YearDeficiency
1974$475
1975451

The sole issue to be decided is whether petitioners' ownership of their mobile home at Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, was an activity not engaged in for profit.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Petitioners resided in Lincoln, Nebraska, when they filed their petition.

In 1970 petitioners acquired a lot and mobile home in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. Fairfield Bay is a recreational and retirement area. There is a forty thousand acre lake there which is one*525 of the deepest lakes in Arkansas and which is a major bass fishing area. There is also an 18-hole professional golf course there and another golf course was under construction in 1970. There are 18 to 20 tennis courts. In addition, Fairfield Bay is an attractive sightseeing area.

Petitioners entered into rental agreements with Fairfield Leasing and Rental, a division of Fairfield Communities Land Company ("rental agency"), whereby the rental agency agreed to maintain the mobile home in good condition, supply the linens and rent it to guests, and petitioners agreed to furnish the mobile home with furniture and cooking equipment and to pay utilities, real property taxes and fire insurance premiums. The rental rate per night for a couple from 1970 through the 1974 season was $10 per night, and for the 1975 season was $7 per night. Petitioners received 70 percent of the rent collected and the rental agency kept 30 percent. The season at Fairfield Bay was from April 1 to October 1.

From 1970 through 1975 petitioners used their Fairfield Bay mobile home personally approximately once each year usually in October after the season ended. They have on occasion stayed in the mobile*526 home for as long as five consecutive days. Petitioners' daughter used the mobile home apparently rent-free for her three day honeymoon in 1977.

Petitioners' tax returns for 1970 through 1975 showed the following rental receipts, depreciation, other expenses and net losses with respect to their mobile home:

YearReceipts 1DepreciationOther ExpensesNet Loss
1970$ 1,136$ 732$ 1,464($ 1,060)
1971714974782( 1,042)
19728829741,584( 1,676)
1973995892$1,714( 1,611)
1974298671,660( 2,498)
197546867962( 1,783)

If petitioners' mobile home had been rented each year every day from April 1 to October 1, petitioners' receipts (70 percent of gross rents collected), its expenses (including depreciation) actually incurred, and its resulting net loss (maximum possible rents for season less actual expenses) would have been as follows:

YearMaximum ReceiptsActual ExpensesNet Loss
1970$ 1,288 2$ 2,196($ 908)
19711,2881,756( 468)
19721,288$2,558( 1,270)
1973

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Wittstruck v. Commissioner, 1980 T.C. Memo. 62, 39 T.C.M. 1168, 1980 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 523 (tax 1980).

1980 T.C. Memo. 62 (Wittstruck v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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