Highpoint Tower Technology Inc. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
Opinion
This is an appeal by Highpoint Tower Technology, Inc. ("Highpoint") of *1052 the Tax Court's denial of its Motion to Restrain Collection of the gross valuation-misstatement penalty, I.R.C. § 6662(h)(1), which was determined to be applicable during relevant partnership proceedings. 1 The issue in this case is whether, under the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 ("TEFRA"), 2 a Tax Court presiding over partner-level deficiency proceedings has jurisdiction over a gross valuation-misstatement penalty previously determined to be applicable at the partnership level where the partnership was determined to be a "sham" and "lacking economic substance." The Internal Revenue Code, as in effect during the relevant time, applicable regulations, and Supreme Court precedent make clear that the valuation-misstatement penalty at issue here relates to an adjustment to a partnership item and, consequently, is explicitly excluded from the Tax Court's deficiency jurisdiction. We hold that a Tax Court presiding over partner-level deficiency proceedings does not have jurisdiction over gross valuation-misstatement penalties imposed against a partnership previously determined to be a "sham" and "lacking economic substance." We accordingly affirm the Tax Court's order denying taxpayer's Motion to Restrain Collection to the extent it related to the gross valuation-misstatement penalty.
I. BACKGROUND
A. Factual Background
This case involves a tax shelter known as "Son-of-BOSS." "Like many of its kin, this tax shelter employs a series of transactions to create artificial financial losses that are used to offset real financial gains, thereby reducing tax liability."
Petaluma FX Partners, LLC v. Comm'r
,
There are a number of different types of Son-of-BOSS transactions, but what they all have in common is the transfer of assets encumbered by significant liabilities to a partnership, with the goal of increasing basis in that partnership. The liabilities are usually obligations to buy securities, and typically are not completely fixed at the time of transfer. This may let the partnership treat the liabilities as uncertain, which may let the partnership ignore them in computing basis. If so, the result is that the partners will have a basis in the partnership *1053 so great as to provide for large-but not out-of-pocket-losses on their individual tax returns. Enormous losses are attractive to a select group of taxpayers-those with enormous gains.
Kligfeld Holdings v. Comm'r
,
In 1999, Highpoint joined Arbitrage Trading, LLC ("Arbitrage") as a partner. In exchange for a membership interest in Arbitrage, Highpoint contributed $62,500 in cash and a pair of Euro options that it had purchased from AIG International, Inc. By disregarding the potential obligations under the Euro options as a potential liability, Highpoint reported its outside basis as $13,295,980. A few months after entering the partnership, Highpoint withdrew in exchange for a liquidated distribution of the Euros. It then sold the Euros and reported a related capital loss of $13,111,783 on its 1999 federal income tax return.
B. Procedural Background
Before outlining the legal proceedings that ensued after Highpoint filed its 1999 income tax return reflecting artificial losses generated by its participation in this tax shelter, we first pause to outline the statutory framework governing taxation of partnerships at the time in question. After this overview, we outline the partnership-level proceedings concerning Arbitrage and the partner-level proceedings concerning Highpoint that have spanned the twenty years or so since Highpoint filed its income tax return reporting the losses at issue, which ultimately resulted in this appeal.
1. Overview of statutory scheme
"A partnership does not pay federal income taxes; instead, its taxable income and losses pass through to the partners."
United States v. Woods
,
the IRS had no way of correcting errors on a partnership's return in a single, unified proceeding. Instead, tax matters pertaining to all the members of a partnership were dealt with just like tax matters pertaining only to a single taxpayer: through deficiency proceedings at the individual-taxpayer level. See generally §§ 6211-6216 (2006 ed. and Supp. V). Deficiency proceedings require the IRS to issue a separate notice of deficiency to each taxpayer, § 6212(a) (2006 ed.), who can file a petition in the Tax Court disputing the alleged deficiency before paying it, § 6213(a). Having to use deficiency proceedings for partnership-related tax matters led to duplicative proceedings and the potential for inconsistent treatment of partners in the same partnership. Congress addressed those difficulties by enacting [TEFRA].96 Stat. 648 (codified as amended at26 U.S.C. §§ 6221 - 6232 (2006 ed. and Supp. V)).
Woods
,
First, the IRS must initiate proceedings at the partnership level to adjust "partnership items," those relevant to the partnership as a whole. §§ 6221, 6231(a)(3). It must issue [a Final Partnership Administrative Adjustment] notifying the partners of any adjustments to partnership items, § 6223(a)(2), and the partners may seek judicial review of those adjustments, § 6226(a)-(b). Once the adjustments to partnership items *1054 have become final, the IRS may undertake further proceedings at the partner level to make any resulting "computational adjustments" in the tax liability of the individual partners. § 6231(a)(6). Most computational adjustments may be directly assessed against the partners, bypassing deficiency proceedings and permitting the partners to challenge the assessments only in post-payment refund actions. § 6230(a)(1), (c). Deficiency proceedings are still required, however, for certain computational adjustments that are attributable to "affected items," that is, items that are affected by (but are not themselves) partnership items. §§ 6230(a)(2)(A) (i), 6231(a)(5).
Id.
at 39,
2. Partnership-level proceedings
In October 2005, the IRS issued a Notice of Final Partnership Administrative Adjustment ("FPAA") to Arbitrage, proposing adjustments to partnership items for the 1999 tax year. The FPAA reported that the IRS had determined that Arbitrage "was formed and availed of solely for the purposes of tax avoidance by artificially overstating basis in the partnership interests of its purported partners." The IRS had determined that Arbitrage "was a sham" and "lacked economic substance." Accordingly, the IRS had determined that (a) Arbitrage would be disregarded and all transactions engaged in by the purported partnership would be treated as engaged in directly by its purported partners; (b) the foreign currency options would be treated as if never contributed to Arbitrage; (c) the purported partners would not be treated as partners of Arbitrage; and (d) contributions to Arbitrage would be adjusted to reflect the partnership's or purported partner's income. Purported partners were determined to have "not established adjusted bases in their respective partnership interests in an amount greater than zero." The IRS further determined, among other things, that "a 40 percent penalty shall be imposed on the portion of any underpayment attributable to the gross valuation misstatement."
I.R.C. § 6662(a) imposes a 20% accuracy-related penalty to the portion of underpaid tax attributable to, among other things, negligence, any substantial understatement of income tax, or any substantial valuation misstatement. § 6662(a), (b)(1)-(3). The penalty increases to 40% if there is a gross valuation misstatement. § 6662(h)(1). "A gross valuation misstatement exists if 'the value of any property (or the adjusted basis of any property) claimed on any return of tax ... is [400] percent or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of such valuation or adjusted basis (as the case may be).' "
Gustashaw v. C.I.R.
,
The value or adjusted basis claimed on a return of any property with a correct value or adjusted basis of zero is considered to be 400 percent or more of the correct amount. There is a gross valuation misstatement with respect to such property, therefore, and the applicable penalty rate is 40 percent.
In March 2006, Arbitrage sought judicial review of the FPAA pursuant to § 6226(a). In October 2014, the Court of Federal Claims issued an amended judgment sustaining all adjustments of partnership items contained in the FPAA and stating that the explanations offered in the FPAA are "conceded to be correct." It sustained *1055 all penalties contained in the FPAA but noted that "partners of Arbitrage, LLC reserve their right to pursue partner-level defenses to these penalties." This concluded the partnership-level proceedings involving Arbitrage. We next outline the partner-level proceedings initiated by Highpoint as well as other interactions between the parties during that timeframe.
3. Partner-level proceedings
In November 2015, the IRS issued a Notice of Deficiency to Highpoint. This notice reflected a deficiency of $5,222,675, based upon the following adjustments: (1) a $13,191,937 increase in capital gains income representing the disallowed short-term capital loss for the sale of the Euro option distributed from Arbitrage when Highpoint left the partnership, (2) a disallowance of $1,573,727 in claimed professional fee deductions relating to these transactions, and (3) an increase of $72,053 in "other income" representing a disallowed loss from the partnership. The notice also reflected a 40% gross valuation-misstatement penalty pursuant to I.R.C. § 6662(h) amounting to $2,089,070. Highpoint filed a petition in the Tax Court for redetermination of its deficiency in February 2016. 3
A few days later, the IRS issued a Notice of Tax Due reflecting the same amount contained in the Notice of Deficiency as well as $12,755,355.16 in interest, resulting in a total of $20,067,100.16 due. In June 2016, the IRS notified Highpoint that it intended to levy Highpoint's property and apply the proceeds to the $20,067,100.16 owed. A few days after that, Highpoint filed a Motion to Restrain Collection in the United States Tax Court. In July 2016, the IRS objected to Highpoint's Motion to Restrain Collection. The IRS asserted that, while the Tax Court had jurisdiction over adjustments relating to capital gains income and the professional fee deductions, it did not have jurisdiction over the valuation-misstatement penalty and the adjustment to "other income." In September 2016, the IRS moved to dismiss the portions of the case before the Tax Court relating to the adjustment to other income and the valuation-misstatement penalty, asserting that neither were subject to deficiency proceedings under I.R.C. § 6230(a).
On July 17, 2017, the Tax Court ordered further briefing on the adjustment to other income issue and denied Highpoint's Motion to Restrain Collection to the extent that it related to the penalty. As to the valuation-misstatement penalty, the Tax Court stated:
In United States v. Woods ,571 U.S. 31 ,134 S. Ct. 557 , 565-566,187 L.Ed.2d 472 (2013), the Supreme Court stated that where the partnership is a sham, no partner-level determinations are needed to determine outside basis because "once the partnerships were deemed not to exist for tax purposes, no partner could legitimately claim an outside basis greater than zero." See also Greenwald v. Commissioner ,142 T.C. 308 , 315 (2014). It is not possible for petitioner to have an outside basis greater than zero in Arbitrage, a partnership that does not exist for tax purposes. The final decision in the partnership-level proceeding applied the section 6662 penalty. It is well settled that the penalty may be directly assessed as a computational adjustment that we lack jurisdiction over, notwithstanding *1056 the need for partner-level determinations. See sec. 6230(a)(2), (c)(4) ; Woods ,134 S. Ct. at 565 , n.2 ; Thompson v. Commissioner ,T.C. Memo. 2014-154 at *8 ; Logan Tr. ,616 Fed. Appx. 426 (D.C. Cir. 2015).
In August 2017, Highpoint filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the Tax Court's July 17 order. In support of its motion, Highpoint asserted that:
In the July 17 Order, the Court denied Petitioner's Motion to Restrain Assessment with respect to the gross valuation misstatement penalty. To assert the gross valuation misstatement penalty, the Code requires a comparison of the correct value versus the reported value of the adjusted basis of the Euros that Highpoint sold in 1999. A determination of the correct value, which Respondent admits must be determined in a deficiency proceeding, cannot be completed without the Court first completing partner-level factual determinations.
In November 2017, the Tax Court denied Highpoint's Motion for Reconsideration and granted the IRS's motion to dismiss in full. 4 As to the valuation-misstatement penalty, the Tax Court determined that Highpoint had not established that reconsideration should be granted and further noted that:
Deficiency proceedings do not apply to the assessment of penalties determined to be applicable at the partnership level, regardless of whether partner level determinations are required to assess the penalty. I.R.C. sec. 6230(a)(2)(A)(i) ; sec. 301.6231(a)(6)-1, Proced. & Admin. Regs. In the Amended Judgment relating to prior partnership proceeding ( Arbitrage Trading, LLC v. United States ,108 Fed.Cl. 588 (2013) ), partnership items, including the application of the penalty, were conclusively determined. See I.R.C. secs. 6221 and 6320(c)(4). As such, this Court lacks jurisdiction over the penalty, and we stand by our decision.
Highpoint now appeals the Tax Court's July 17 order denying its Motion to Restrain Collection to the extent that it found it had no jurisdiction over the gross valuation-misstatement penalty.
II. ISSUE
The sole issue in this appeal is whether the Tax Court erred in denying Highpoint's Motion to Restrain Collection of the gross valuation-misstatement penalty, and in holding that it lacked deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty.
III. STANDARD OF REVIEW
We review the Tax Court's legal conclusions
de novo
, and its factual findings for clear error.
See
Campbell v. Comm'r
,
IV. DISCUSSION
Highpoint's primary argument on appeal is that, because the valuation-misstatement penalty is an "affected item[ ] which require[s] partner level determinations," it is necessarily subject to deficiency jurisdiction. Highpoint contends that, because the penalty at issue is an "affected *1057 item[ ] which require[s] partner level determinations," it cannot also be a "penalt[y] ... that relate[s] to adjustments to partnership items." See I.R.C. § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i). For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the relevant statutory text, applicable regulations, and Supreme Court precedent make clear that Highpoint's arguments are without merit, and that the Tax Court correctly held that it did not have deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty. We begin our analysis by focusing on the statutory provision that specifically addresses which partnership-related matters are subject to Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction-and which are not. See I.R.C. § 6230(a).
A. Statutory Deficiency Jurisdiction
1. I.R.C. § 6230(a)(1)
Internal Revenue Code Chapter 63, subchapter B provides for Tax Court deficiency proceedings. See I.R.C. §§ 6211 - 6216 (entitled "Deficiency Procedures in the Case of Income, Estate, Gift, and Certain Excise Taxes"). When the IRS issues a notice of deficiency, notifying a taxpayer that the IRS has determined that additional taxes are due, a taxpayer ordinarily has an option to pay the additional taxes and file a claim for refund, or to challenge the IRS determination without prepayment by filing a petition to the Tax Court seeking a redetermination of the deficiency pursuant to the Tax Court's deficiency jurisdiction. See 13 Mertens Law of Federal Income Taxation § 49C:1 (2019) ("Upon receipt of a notice of deficiency, a taxpayer may either file a petition with the Tax Court to contest the amount of the deficiency or pay the amount of the deficiency and sue for a refund in either the Claims Court or the appropriate District Court."). However, that general provision is modified by I.R.C. § 6230(a), which specifically addresses the partnership-related issues before us and specifically provides that some partnership-related matters are within the Tax Court's deficiency jurisdiction, and some are not. We begin with § 6230(a)(1), which provides:
Except as provided in paragraph (2) or (3), subchapter B of this chapter shall not apply to the assessment or collection of any computational adjustment.
From § 6230(a)(1) alone we know that Tax Court deficiency proceedings (i.e., subchapter B) will not apply to-or in other words, the Tax Court will not have deficiency jurisdiction over-assessment or collection of any computational adjustments other than those provided for in paragraphs two or three of § 6230(a)(1). We must therefore determine whether the penalty at issue is a computational adjustment, and if so, whether it is otherwise provided for in § 6230(a)(2) or (a)(3).
We pause to define statutory terms necessary to understand § 6230(a)(1). "Computational adjustment" is defined as "the change in the tax liability of a partner which properly reflects the treatment under this subchapter of a partnership item. All adjustments required to apply the results of a proceeding with respect to a partnership under this subchapter to an indirect partner shall be treated as computational adjustments." I.R.C. § 6231(a)(6). In turn, a "partnership item" is defined as "any item required to be taken into account for the partnership's taxable year under any provision of subtitle A to the extent regulations prescribed by the Secretary provide that, for purposes of this subtitle, such item is more appropriately determined at the partnership level than at the partner level." § 6231(a)(3).
Considering these definitions in conjunction with the text of § 6230(a)(1), we know that if a change in tax liability of a partner reflects treatment of a partnership item (an item required to be taken into account
*1058
for the partnership's taxable year and more appropriately determined at the partnership level), then deficiency proceedings will not apply to the assessment of that adjustment unless otherwise provided for in § 6230(a)(2) or (a)(3). Treasury regulations in effect at the time in question state that "[a]ny penalty, addition to tax, or additional amount that relates to an adjustment to a partnership item, shall be determined at the partnership level."
We agree with the IRS's characterization of the penalty at issue as relating to an adjustment to a partnership item. Treasury Regulation § 301.6231(a)(3)-1(b) includes within its "partnership item" definition "the
legal and factual determinations
that underlie the determination of the amount, timing, and
characterization
of items of income, credit, gain, loss, deduction, etc."
The plain text of § 6230(a)(1), when read in conjunction with definitional statutory *1059 provisions and applicable regulations, makes clear that unless otherwise provided in § 6230(a)(2) or (a)(3), the Tax Court does not have deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty at issue. Highpoint argues that § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i) nonetheless provides the Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty because the penalty is an "affected item[ ] which require[s] partner level determinations." We address that argument next. 6
2. I.R.C. § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i)
Section 6230(a)(2)(A) provides that:
Subchapter B shall apply to any deficiency attributable to affected items which require partner level determinations (other than penalties, additions to tax, and additional amounts that relate to adjustments to partnership items) ....
I.R.C. § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i). From the face of § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i), we know that, even with respect to affected items requiring partner-level determinations, Tax Court deficiency proceedings will not apply to-or in other words, will not have jurisdiction over-"penalties ... that relate to adjustments to partnership items." Highpoint's argument focuses on the penalty being an "affected item[ ] which require[s] partner level determinations," but this argument ignores the exclusion within the same sentence. The parenthetical exclusion makes clear that, even if the deficiency at issue is attributable to an affected item which requires partner-level determinations, deficiency proceedings will not apply to "penalties ... relat[ing] to adjustments to partnership items." § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i). The issue, again, is whether the penalty at issue "relates to [an] adjustment[ ] to [a] partnership item."
"Affected item" is defined as "any item to the extent such item is affected by a partnership item," § 6231(a)(5), while "partnership item" is defined as "any item required to be taken into account for the partnership's taxable year under any provision of subtitle A to the extent regulations prescribed by the Secretary provide that, for purposes of this subtitle, such item is more appropriately determined at the partnership level than at the partner level," § 6231(a)(3). As outlined above,
In addition to contradicting the plain language of § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i), Highpoint's argument that the penalty is subject to Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction because it is an "affected item[ ] which require[s] partner level determinations" is undermined by Treasury Regulations in effect during the time in question.
*1060 Changes in a partner's tax liability with respect to affected items that require partner level determinations ... are computational adjustments subject to deficiency procedures. Nevertheless, any penalty, addition to tax, or additional amount that relates to an adjustment to a partnership item may be directly assessed following a partnership proceeding, based on determinations in that proceeding, regardless of whether partner level determinations are required.
Highpoint argues that preventing it from addressing the penalty in Tax Court deficiency proceedings-and forcing it to raise challenges to the penalty in refund or Collection Due Process ("CDP") proceedings instead
8
-is duplicative and contrary to the congressional intent behind the 1997 amendments to TEFRA that sought to streamline partnership tax litigation. "We have ... said ... frequently that '[w]hen the import of words Congress has used is clear ... we need not resort to legislative history, and we certainly should not do so to undermine the plain meaning of the statutory language.' "
CBS Inc. v. PrimeTime 24 Joint Venture
,
*1061 We conclude that the Internal Revenue Code unambiguously excludes from the Tax Court's deficiency jurisdiction Highpoint's challenge to the penalty at issue. Nevertheless, Highpoint relies on United States v. Woods to argue that the Tax Court has jurisdiction over the penalty. Quite contrary to Highpoint's argument, however, Woods only provides further and significant support for what the Internal Revenue Code makes unambiguous-that the Tax Court does not have deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty.
B. United States v. Woods
The Supreme Court, in
United States v. Woods
, addressed a related but distinct question of whether "the penalty for tax underpayments attributable to valuation misstatements,
Pursuant to § 6226(a)(2), respondent (the tax matters partner for the partnerships)
*1062
appealed the FPAA's determination that the 40% penalty was applicable when the underlying transaction is disregarded for lack of economic substance.
Under TEFRA, a court presiding over a partnership-level proceeding has jurisdiction to determine both partnership items and "the applicability of any penalty ... which relates to an adjustment to a partnership item." § 6226(f). We take note that the phrase "penalty ... which relates to an adjustment to a partnership item" that appears in § 6226(f) is nearly identical to the phrase "penalties ... that relate to adjustments to partnership items" in § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i), which is at issue in this case. The Woods Court framed the jurisdictional issue before it as follows:
As both sides agree, a determination that a partnership lacks economic substance is an adjustment to a partnership item. Thus, the jurisdictional question here boils down to whether the valuation-misstatement penalty "relates to" the determination that the partnerships Woods and McCombs created were shams.
Woods
,
The Court rejected the taxpayer's arguments, and held that
TEFRA gives courts in partnership-level proceedings jurisdiction to determine the applicability of any penalty that could result from an adjustment to a partnership item, even if imposing the penalty would also require determining affected or non-partnership items such as outside basis.
Id. at 41,
One requires the IRS to use deficiency proceedings for computational adjustments that rest on "affected items which require partner level determinations (other than penalties ... that relate to adjustments to partnership items)." § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i). Another states that while a partnership-level determination "concerning the applicability of any penalty ... which relates to an adjustment to a partnership item" is "conclusive" in a subsequent refund action, that does not prevent the partner from "assert[ing] any partner level defenses that may apply." § 6230(c)(4). Both these provisions assume that a penalty can relate to a partnership-item adjustment even if the penalty cannot be imposed without additional, partner-level determinations.
In sum, the Court in
Woods
rejected the argument of the taxpayer Woods-i.e., "that a penalty does not relate to a partnership-item adjustment if it requires a partner-level determination."
Id. at 40,
Under the TEFRA framework, a court in a partnership-level proceeding like this one has jurisdiction to determine not just partnership items, but also "the *1064 applicability of any penalty ... which relates to an adjustment to a partnership item." § 6226(f). As both sides agree, a determination that a partnership lacks economic substance is an adjustment to a partnership item. Thus, the jurisdictional question here boils down to whether the valuation-misstatement penalty "relates to" the determination that the partnerships ... created were shams.
Id.
at 39,
In the Government's view, there can be no outside basis in a sham partnership ..., so any partner who underpaid his individual taxes by declaring an outside basis greater than zero committed a valuation misstatement. In other words, the penalty flows logically and inevitably from the economic-substance determination.
Id. at 39-40,
He maintains, in short, that a penalty does not relate to a partnership-item adjustment if it requires a partner-level determination, regardless of whether or not the penalty has a connection to a partnership item.
Id. at 40,
A penalty can relate to a partnership-item adjustment even if the penalty cannot be imposed without additional partner-level determinations.
Id.
at 41,
that TEFRA gives courts in partnership-level proceedings jurisdiction to determine the applicability of any penalty that could result from an adjustment to a partnership item, even if imposing the penalty would also require determining affected or non-partnership items such as outside basis....
Applying the foregoing principles to this case, we conclude that the District Court had jurisdiction to determine the applicability of the valuation-misstatement penalty-to determine, that is, whether the partnerships' lack of economic substance (which all agree was properly decided at the partnership level) could justify imposing a valuation-misstatement penalty on the partners.
Id. at 41-42,
Woods strongly supports what we already determined to be unambiguous from the relevant Internal Revenue Code provisions. The valuation-misstatement penalty at issue can be an affected item requiring partner-level determinations while also relating to adjustments to partnership items. Woods directly rejects Highpoint's argument that these categories are mutually exclusive. Woods leaves no doubt that the valuation-misstatement penalty at issue is related to an adjustment to a partnership item so as to clearly fall within § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i) 's exclusion of such items from deficiency jurisdiction.
V. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the relevant statutory provisions, applicable regulations, and precedent-including in particular the Supreme Court decision in Woods -indicate clearly that the valuation-misstatement penalty at issue, which was triggered by the partnership-level determination that Arbitrage lacked economic substance, relates to an adjustment to a partnership item, and thus is excluded from the Tax Court's deficiency jurisdiction under § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i). We *1065 hold that the Tax Court presiding over partner-level deficiency proceedings did not have jurisdiction over the valuation-misstatement penalty at issue. 11 The Tax Court's order denying Highpoint's Motion to Restrain Collection to the extent it related to the valuation-misstatement penalty is therefore
AFFIRMED.
Although the Tax Court's order did not resolve all pending claims, we have appellate jurisdiction over this interlocutory appeal pursuant to I.R.C. § 7482(a)(3), authorizing an immediate appeal of "[a]n order of the Tax Court which is entered under authority of I.R.C. § 6213(a) and which resolves a proceeding to restrain assessment or collection." Section 6213(a) authorizes the Tax Court to enjoin any premature assessment or collection and is treated as a decision of the Tax Court "subject to the same review by the United States Court of Appeals as a similar order of a district court." § 7482(a)(3).
This case focuses on the 1997 amendments to TEFRA. Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Pub. L. No. 105-34, § 1238(a),
We recognize that our decision in this case will have little impact with respect to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018. However, the instant dispute suggests that our decision may well be relevant for several years until disputes with respect to taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018 have all been resolved.
Highpoint's Notice of Appeal only seeks review of the Tax Court's July 17, 2017 order denying Highpoint's Motion to Restrain to the extent that it related to the valuation-misstatement penalty. Because Highpoint's petition for redetermination of its deficiency is not at issue in this appeal, we do not discuss it further.
The Tax Court held that it lacked jurisdiction not only over the valuation-misstatement penalty but also over the "other income." However, on appeal, Highpoint challenges the Tax Court's ruling only with respect to the valuation-misstatement penalty. Accordingly, this opinion considers only the issue of whether the Tax Court had jurisdiction over the valuation-misstatement penalty.
Many other courts have treated sham determinations, which can justify imposing a valuation-misstatement penalty, as relating to adjustments to partnership items.
See, e.g.
,
Petaluma FX Partners, LLC v. Comm'r
,
Highpoint does not argue that other provisions of § 6230(a)(2) or (a)(3) provide the Tax Court with deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty.
The Tax Court has frequently held that penalties deemed to apply in partnership-level proceedings are not subject to Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction under § 6230(a)(2)(A)(i).
See, e.g.
,
Domulewicz v. Comm'r
,
Even though Highpoint may not challenge the penalty in the instant partner-level Tax Court deficiency proceedings, it still has the opportunity to raise partner-level defenses regarding the penalty (including the good faith and reasonable cause defenses it alludes to throughout its brief) in refund proceedings.
See
§ 6230(c)(4) ("[T]he partner shall be allowed to assert any partner level defenses that may apply or to challenge the amount of the computational adjustment."). Highpoint argues that it would be unfair not to provide Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty because that would require Highpoint, and similarly situated taxpayers, to pay large sums of tax liability before challenging the penalty in refund proceedings. "[E]ven if we agree that the statute allows for harsh or unfair consequences, that does not give us license to ignore the plain meaning of the text. We will look beyond the unambiguous plain meaning of the text only if the plain meaning produces absurd results."
Patel v. U.S. Attorney Gen.
,
Moreover, there is an opportunity for Highpoint to challenge the penalty other than through refund proceedings and prior to payment-i.e., in a prepayment proceeding other than refund proceedings. Highpoint can challenge the penalty in a prepayment Collection Due Process ("CDP") hearing as provided for by § 6330(a)(1), which states "[n]o levy may be made on any property or right to property of any person unless the Secretary has notified such person in writing of their right to a hearing under this section before such levy is made." At this hearing, Highpoint may raise "challenges to the underlying tax liability for any tax period if the person ... did not otherwise have an opportunity to dispute such tax liability." § 6330(c)(2)(B).
Highpoint also argues that "imposing the 40 percent basis penalty
before
determining the basis or the resulting deficiency works an algebraic absurdity" because it is impossible to calculate the penalty without first determining the basis and deficiency in partner-level deficiency proceedings. We are not convinced that holding that there is no Tax Court deficiency jurisdiction over the penalty produces such absurd results as to justify ignoring the unambiguous plain meaning of § 6230.
See
Patel
,
We acknowledge the problem to which Highpoint points. The applicability of the 40% penalty has been determined during partnership-level proceedings. However, that 40% penalty is to be applied to the appropriate portion of the deficiency which Highpoint is ultimately determined to owe. That deficiency amount would ordinarily be determined in Tax Court deficiency proceedings. It might well have been preferable, in an ideal world, had Congress permitted the precise amount of the penalty to be determined also in the same deficiency proceedings. However, Congress clearly did not permit that. But, there are at least two other partner-level proceedings available in which the appropriate deficiency and precise amount of the penalty can be determined-CDP proceedings or refund proceedings. In any event, the problem about which Highpoint complains falls far short of the kind of absurdity that might warrant assuming that Congress intended the opposite of which it plainly stated.
Highpoint focuses on this passage from
Woods
in arguing that imposing the penalty is merely provisional at the partnership stage and that the penalty can actually be imposed only after determining the outside basis and deficiency in partner-level proceedings. By stating that the partnership-level determination that a penalty is "provisional," however, the
Woods
Court was indicating that the district court did not have jurisdiction to consider partner-level defenses in a partnership-level proceeding. The Court did not state that the "provisional" nature of this penalty at the partnership level indicated that partner-level Tax Court deficiency proceedings would have jurisdiction. In other words, the Court's suggestion that the penalty would have to be actually imposed in partner-level proceedings did not indicate that the appropriate partner-level forum would be Tax Court deficiency proceedings. There are at least two other partner-level proceedings-refund proceedings and CDP proceedings. Indeed, previously in the opinion, the
Woods
Court indicated that "[m]ost computational adjustments may be directly assessed against the partners, bypassing deficiency proceedings and permitting the partners to challenge the assessments only in post-payment refund actions."
Woods
,
Other arguments raised by Highpoint on appeal need not be addressed in light of our jurisdictional holding.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HIGHPOINT TOWER TECHNOLOGY INC., Petitioner - Appellant, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent - Appellee.
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published