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Designated Orders 12/18/2017 – 12/22/2017: Basis, Discretion to Reject Offers and Restitution Interest

Posted on Jan. 4, 2018

Regular DO guest poster Professor Samantha Galvin of the University of Denver catches us up on some interesting designated orders during a busy pre-holiday week at the Tax Court. Les

The Tax Court issued seventeen designated orders the week ending December 22. Prior to reviewing them closely, I assumed it was a push to get a lot accomplished before the holidays and the end of the year, but nine of the seventeen designated orders (including three consolidated dockets) were issued in light of the Graev decision and many were discussed as part of Keith’s post here.

I discuss three of the eight non-Graev designated orders below. The five remaining orders not discussed involve: 1) a petitioner’s motion for reconsideration relating to a 6621(c) penalty (here and discussed briefly below); 2) a denial of a petitioner’s motion for summary judgment and motion to compel discovery (here); 3) a grant of respondent’s motion for summary judgment in a CDP case where petitioners’ failed to propose a collection alternative (here); 4) a denial of petitioner’s motion for reconsideration on a consolidated docket (here); and 5) a grant of respondent’s motion for summary judgment in a CDP case where a petitioner improperly attempted to raise an underlying liability (here).

The issues discussed below include an interesting basis computation question when a seller transfers a partial interest in property to a taxpayer that improved the property prior to a subsequent sale to a third party, Appeals’ discretion to reject offers in compromise, and restitution interest abatement and res judicata.

Court Corrects Computations to Basis When There is an Interim Sale of an Interest in Property

Docket No. 021378-03, Stephen M. Gaggero v. C.I.R. (Order here)

It is rare for the Tax Court to grant a petitioner’s motion for reconsideration but it happened, in part, in two different cases two weeks ago. I only discuss this case. The other case involves a section 6621(c) penalty, but the motion is granted only to change certain phrases in the original opinion to reflect the Court’s intended meaning.

To be successful with a motion for reconsideration a petitioner must show that the Court made more than a harmless error pursuant to Rule 160. In this case the error in the original opinion, according to the Court, was a failure to understand that the sale of a share of property to a construction company in exchange for the construction company’s improvements made to the property should have been reflected in petitioner’s adjusted basis when he and the construction company jointly sold the property to a third party in a subsequent transaction. In essence the petitioner sought to add the FMV of the services he received from the constriction company to the basis for purposes of both the initial transfer of a partial interest to the construction company and on the subsequent third party sale.

This error could have been corrected using Rule 155 computations, but the parties cannot agree on the correct numbers. Pursuant to Rule 155(b) if the parties cannot agree, the Court has the discretion to grant them an opportunity to present arguments about the amounts so that the Court can determine the correct amount and enter its decision accordingly.

In this designated order, the Court looks to the closest analogous case which is Hall v. Commissioner, 65 T.C.M. 2575 (1993). In Hall it was held that, “the value of the carpenter’s services did not increase the sellers’ basis in the property for the sale to the carpenter but would increase the basis in the remaining share of the property on any later sale to a third party.” The parties cannot agree about the way the rule in Hall should apply to petitioner’s case. Petitioner argues that the portion of the property exchanged for the construction company’s services should increase his basis on both the partial sale to the construction company and the joint sale to the third party; whereas Respondent argues that the increase in basis should only apply on the joint sale to the third party.

The Court finds that respondent’s application of Hall is correct and the amount determined in the original opinion is not correct. The Court proceeds to go through a calculation using what it has now determined to be the correct amount.

The other findings and holdings from the original opinion are unchanged but require another attempt at Rule 155 computations, however, with the Hall-related dispute laid to rest hopefully the parties will agree going forward.

Offers and IRS Discretion

Docket No. 25587-15SL, Randolph and Jennifer Jennings v. C.I.R. (Order here)

In this designated order the Court is ruling on cross-motions for summary judgment. The case originates from a notice of determination issued after a timely requested CDP hearing on a proposed levy. Petitioners indicated that they wished to submit offer in compromise in their CDP request, but submitted the offer prior to the IRS acknowledging the CDP request and prior to the hearing. The settlement officer learned that the offer had already been submitted and waited for a decision from the offer unit before evaluating the proposed collection alternative.

The offer unit determined petitioners’ reasonable collection potential was higher than the amount of their offer, in part due to the cash surrender value of a life insurance policy. Following the offer unit’s reasoning, the settlement office also rejected the OIC but first allowed petitioners to increase the amount of their offer which would have required them to surrender the life insurance policy. Petitioners were not willing to surrender the policy, so the settlement officer issued a notice of determination sustaining the proposed levy.

Petitioners argue the settlement officer abused her discretion by not considering their poor health and limited employment opportunities, but the Court finds the offer unit considered these things. Petitioners did not propose a different collection alternative other than the offer.

The Court denies petitioners’ motion for summary judgment and grants respondent’s motion. The Court highlights the fact that accepting or rejecting an offer is within the IRS’s discretion and the Court does not interfere with that discretion unless it finds the decision is arbitrary. In this case it is not arbitrary for the IRS to sustain the levy because petitioners’ offer was rejected, petitioners refused to increase the offer amount, and they did not propose any other collection alternatives.

Restitution Res Judicata

Docket No. 12358-16, Debra J. Ray v. C.I.R. (Order here)

This case involves petitioner’s arguments that the IRS improperly assessed interest on her District Court ordered restitution and that the restitution had already been paid in full. Both parties have moved for summary judgment.

Petitioner was ordered by the District Court to make restitution payments after being convicted of criminal tax fraud for filing a false tax return. In that case, the District Court agreed to waive interest and applied a $250 credit toward the restitution. A few months after the District Court decision was made, petitioner paid the restitution in full and the U.S. Attorney filed a satisfaction of judgment with the District Court.

Then several things happened around the same time, the IRS: assessed liability for tax year 2000, assessed restitution and interest finding that petitioner had not fully paid the restitution, and applied her restitution payment toward the tax year 2000 liability.

The IRS issued a Notice of Tax Lien Filing on the restitution amount and interest. Petitioner timely requested a CDP hearing.

Petitioner claimed she had paid restitution in full. After clearing up confusion about whether the lien was filed on the restitution or liability amount, but instead of looking into underlying issue, the settlement officer agreed to withdraw the lien and placed petitioner’s account into currently not collectable status. The interest on the restitution was not abated and petitioner’s claim that she did not owe restitution was not considered.

Petitioner then appealed the CDP determination. The appeals officer examined petitioner’s case and determined that interest abatement was not appropriate since there were not any substantial ministerial or managerial acts that would warrant an abatement of interest. The appeals officer also determined that petitioner still owed $250 of restitution.

As for the interest component, the Tax Court had decided a similar issue in Klein v. Commissioner, 149 T.C. No. 15 (2017); Les discussed Klein in a post here, where he noted that Klein was an important case and one of first impression. The Klein opinion came out after the petitioner filed her petition but before her trial date. In Klein, after a thorough analysis, the Court held it did not have the ability to charge interest on restitution payments under section 6601. As a result of Klein, respondent concedes that petitioner should not be liable for interest on the restitution amount, but whether she still owes any restitution is at issue.

Since petitioner did not have an opportunity to raise the underlying restitution liability previously, the Tax Court’s review is de novo. The Court looks to the doctrine of res judicata which requires that: 1) the parties in the current action must be the same or in privity with the parties of a previous action; 2) the claims in the current action must be in substance the same as the claims in the previous action; and 3) the earlier action must have resulted in a final judgment on the merits.

The Court finds the requirements are met: 1) the parties are the same as both cases involve the petitioner and the government (albeit different agents of the government); 2) the claims in substance both involve whether petitioner paid the restitution required by the judgment; and 3) the satisfaction of judgment filed by the District Attorney is a final judgment which binds the IRS and extinguishes the IRS’s right to collect any additional restitution.

As a result, the Court grants petitioner’s motion for summary judgment and respondent is ordered to abate the restitution assessment and corresponding interest.

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