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Designated Orders June 4 – June 8, 2018

Posted on June 29, 2018

Professor Samantha Galvin from the University of Denver Strum School of Law brings us the designated orders this week. The orders she discusses contain a lot of meat. Very little has been written administratively or by courts on Section 179D but it pops up in a designated order. The other two orders concern some common issues but in slightly uncommon settings. Keith

There were eight orders designated during the week of June 4, 2018. Three are discussed below and the most interesting of the orders not discussed (here) involves taxpayers who requested that the IRS levy their retirement account in order to satisfy their tax liability and avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Keith blogged about this case (here) and will be posting an update soon.

The other orders not discussed involved: 1) an order that petitioner respond to motions to dismiss and entry of decision because he signed decision documents, but included a concession qualification (here); 2) a dismissal and decision when petitioner did not satisfy pleading requirements (here); and 3) two schedule C/business expense bench opinions (here) and (here).

A Designer and Section 179D

Docket No. 12466-16, The Cannon Corporation and Subsidiaries v. C.I.R. (Order here)

At issue in this order is Section 179D and the potential confusion caused by the IRS’s failure to promulgate regulations. When a building owner installs energy-efficient systems or property into a commercial building, section 179D allows the owner a deduction equal to the cost of the property placed in service during the taxable year and requires the owner to reduce the property’s basis by the amount of the deduction.

If the owner is a Federal, state or local government who cannot benefit from the deduction, section 179D(d)(4) states that the Secretary shall promulgate regulations that allow designers, rather than owners, to take the deduction.

The Secretary did not promulgate any regulations, even though the law was passed 13 years ago. The IRS did, however, issue Notice 2008-40 which describes the way in which owners should allocate their deductions to designers and Revenue Procedure 2011-14 (discussed below).

Petitioner, a corporation, designs energy-efficient buildings around the world, including for federal, state, and local governments. It did not take the deductions to which it would have been entitled for 2006-2010. Its 2006 return was amended timely after the Notice 2008-40 was issued and petitioner received the deduction for that year, so it is not at issue.

For 2007-2010, however, petitioner claimed the deductions for those years and for 2011, on its 2011 tax return as “other deductions” and identified the earlier year deductions as section 481(a) adjustments required by a change in method of accounting. The IRS disallows the 2007-2010 deductions stating that an accounting method change is not the appropriate way to claim the deductions for prior years.

Respondent argues that section 481(a) adjustments are reserved for accounting method changes and section 179D is a permanent, rather than temporary, change. Petitioner disagrees and references Rev. Proc. 2011-14 in support of its position. To petitioner’s credit (and the Court acknowledges that it understands how petitioner could be confused) the revenue procedure is titled, “Changes in accounting periods and methods of accounting” and contains a section on 179D titled, “Elective Expensing Provisions” which describes the steps a taxpayer should take to change his method of accounting and claim a 179D deduction.

What petitioner fails to recognize is that the deduction is still only allowed for the tax year during which the property is place in service, which is stated in the code section and the revenue procedure. Some of the property petitioner wishes to take the deduction for was placed in service in 2007-2010, and not 2011. The Court looks to the regulations under section 481 which allow an accounting method change only if the change accelerates deductions or postpones income, and not if it permanently distort a taxpayer’s lifetime taxable income.

The deduction could be an accounting method change for an owner because it allows an owner to accelerate deductions that he would otherwise be entitled to take as depreciation deductions. That acceleration would not permanently distort the owner’s lifetime taxable income since the deduction also reduces an owner’s basis in the property and the owner would recognize income when he disposed of the property.

Petitioner is not an owner and the Court finds that allowing petitioner a section 179D deduction in 2011 for years 2007-2010 would permanently distort its lifetime taxable income. Petitioner would not otherwise be able to deduct the same amount under different circumstances, nor would it have to recognize the income later in an amount equal to the deduction.

The Court allows petitioner to file a supplement to its opposition to respondent’s first amended motion for partial summary judgment regarding other issues in the case, and grants respondent’s amended motion for partial summary judgment on this issue.

Unreimbursed Employee Expenses: A Suspended Concern

Docket No. 22482-17, Raykisha Morrison v. C.I.R. (Order here)

This designated order is a bench opinion for a case involving unreimbursed employee expenses. These types of deductions are commonly at issue for unrepresented taxpayers that we see at calendar call. There often seems to be confusion as to what type of expenses qualify for the deduction, and issues arise when an employer has a reimbursement policy that the taxpayer chooses not to use. On top of that, taxpayers often lack the proper substantiation.

The petitioner in this case is an occupational safety and health specialist and her work involves traveling to airports. Her company’s policy reimburses the cost of a rental car or the use of her own vehicle, but she is unable to prove the extent to which she was not reimbursed. She did not present a mileage log and instead presented bank statements totaling her vehicle-expenses. The amount on the bank statements far exceeded the amount she deducted on her return, with no reasonable explanation as how she determined the smaller number, so the Court disallows her vehicle expense deductions.

The Court does allow a portion of petitioner’s home office expense deduction. Petitioner had initially deducted 100% of her rent and utilities, but the Court limits it to 20% since that is the percentage of her apartment that was exclusively used for business purposes.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspends miscellaneous itemized deductions, which include unreimbursed employee expenses, until 2026. While this will result in few taxpayers getting into trouble with these issues, it may also create a hardship for taxpayers who are genuinely entitled to deductions.

A Focus on Frivolousness

Docket No. 18254-17, Gwendolyn L. Kestin v. C.I.R. (Order here)

I previously discussed this petitioner’s case in my post last month (here). Petitioner’s case involves a frivolous amended tax return which resulted in the assessment of seven section 6702 penalties. The Court granted respondent’s motion for summary judgment, in part, in the last designated order.

The case was set for trial on the remaining issues, and the principal question was whether sending copies of an already filed, amended return along with correspondence about the return is a “filing” under 6702 on which the IRS could impose additional penalties. Petitioner did not appear at the trial and instead filed motions which focus on frivolous arguments instead of addressing the real question.

This current order came about after the Court received a motion from petitioner with a title that suggests she does not understand the posture of her case. Her motion is titled, “Motion to Set Aside Dismissal with Motion to Vacate for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction and Procedural Rule Violations and Judicial Canon Violations.” The case has not been dismissed so there is no dismissal to set aside, and a decision has not yet been entered so there is no decision to vacate. The Court recharacterizes her motion as a motion for reconsideration, denies it, and warns her that she risks a separate penalty under section 6673(a).

Previously, petitioner had also filed a motion to dismiss her case for lack of jurisdiction and the Court denied that motion because she was mistaken about the Court’s jurisdiction. At trial, even though petitioner did not appear, respondent put on its case since it had the burden of production under 7491(c) and burden of proof under 6703(a).

The Court ordered post-trial briefs and asks petitioner in this order to use her post-trial brief to explain her position on whether the IRS is correct to impose more than one section 6702(a) penalty, rather than continue to make frivolous arguments. Petitioner can potentially save herself from owing more than one penalty, including the Court’s section 6673(a) penalty, if she can focus her energy on the real issue at hand.

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