Ragan v. Commissioner

MEMORANDUM OPINION

HALPERN, Judge: Respondent has determined deficiencies, additions to tax, and additional interest with respect to petitioner's Federal income tax liabilities for the years 1980, 1981, and 1982. Apparently, the parties have settled or otherwise disposed of all issues raised by such determinations. This*186 case has been submitted for decision without trial, pursuant to Rule 122, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. The parties agree that the issue for decision concerns a claim for refund raised by petitioner in the petition.

Facts stipulated by the parties are so found. The stipulation of facts filed by the parties and attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

Unless otherwise noted, all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure and all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code, as in effect for the years in issue.

Background

Residence

At the time the petition in this case was filed, petitioner resided in Houston, Texas.

Petition

In the petition, petitioner states: "Additionally, Taxpayer has pending a claim for refund of overpaid income taxes for the year 1980 which was timely filed as a form 1040X and which Taxpayer requests that this be considered as a part of this Petition." Petitioner also states: "The Commissioner erroneously determined that a tax refund of $ 50,695.31 paid on September 26, 1989 to the Trustee in Bankruptcy of Petitioner's husband, David Ragan's estate was erroneous and if not erroneous*187 the Commissioner should apply for a return of the money from the Trustee in bankruptcy to whom it was paid." In support of her claim for refund and with regard to the "erroneous" refund, petitioner avers the following:

A. 1980 1040X. Petitioner would assert that the 1980 1040X which was received by the Internal Revenue Service on August 1, 1985 and which, according to their very words "has not been processed" should be allowed in full as reported therein.

B. Erroneous Refund Paid. Petitioner asserts that the refund that was paid in the amount of $ 50,695.31 on September 26, 1989 was paid to the Trustee in bankruptcy under cause number 85-00561 styled "In re: David J. Ragan, Debtor, Gina A. West, Trustee in the United States Bankruptcy Court, for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. Such money was never paid to Petitioner and if it was erroneous it would be a simple matter for the Commissioner to apply back to the Bankruptcy Court to seek a return of the funds and not to assert that Petitioner should have to pay the money back when the funds are being held by a Trustee under federal court supervision.Among other prayers for relief, the petition*188 contains the following: "The petitioner is entitled to a refund as shown on the 1980 1040X plus interest for the year 1980."

Answer

In the answer, respondent denies petitioner's claims and averments with regard to refunds, except that she admits that an erroneous refund of $ 50,695.31 paid on September 26, 1989, is being recovered "as a part of the statutory notice of deficiency."

Returns

Petitioner and her husband, David J. Ragan, made joint returns of income for their taxable (calendar) years 1980 through 1983.

Claim for Refund

On June 17, 1985, petitioner and David J. Ragan filed with respondent a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for 1980, claiming a refund of $ 108,935 (the 1980 refund claim). The Form 1040X attributed the refund to a change in income for 1980 resulting from a net operating loss carryback to 1980 from 1983. By December 1985, respondent had not acted on the 1980 refund claim.

Husband's Bankruptcy

On August 6, 1985, David J. Ragan filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.

On December 11, 1985, David J. Ragan, as debtor-in-possession, initiated an adversary proceeding*189 (the adversary proceeding) against the United States of America, Internal Revenue Service, by filing a complaint (the complaint) in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Kentucky (the Bankruptcy Court). The complaint asked the Bankruptcy Court to order the Internal Revenue Service to pay the 1980 refund claim and another refund to him. The United States timely answered and defended against the complaint. Among it defenses, the United States asserted a secured interest in any refund due the debtor and a right to offset any refund against the debtor's liabilities.

On September 19, 1986, Gina A. West was appointed trustee of the estate created when David J. Ragan filed his petition in bankruptcy (see sec. III.A. infra; the estate). Gina A. West was substituted for the debtor as plaintiff in the adversary proceeding. In 1989, W. Thomas Bunch was substituted for Gina A. West as trustee of the estate and as plaintiff in the adversary proceeding. Hereafter, without differentiation, both Gina A. West and W. Thomas Bunch will be referred to as trustee.

On September 8, 1989, the United States and the trustee settled the adversary proceeding. The United States agreed to*190 amend its proofs of claim to withdraw those income tax claims to which the trustee objected; it conceded that a refund was due to the estate; it agreed that the amount of refund due pursuant to the 1980 refund claim was $ 108,935 plus interest. In light of the agreement between the United States and the trustee, on September 8, 1989, the Bankruptcy Court ordered a payment by the United States to the estate. The United States was ordered to present to the trustee within 10 days the amount that it believed was due the estate. The trustee was given 10 days to accept or object to the amount. If the trustee objected to the amount, the United States was ordered to pay to the estate the amount that it claimed was owed, "which in no event shall be less than the $ 108,935.00 plus interest from April 15, 1984 less the amount shown on the second proof of claim for employment taxes in the amount of $ 53,000.00 and $ 9,151.04 plus interest and penalty, if any".

By letter dated September 18, 1989, pursuant to the Bankruptcy Court order of September 8, 1989, the United States notified the trustee of the amount that the United States believed was due the estate. Net of all setoffs asserted *191 by the Internal Revenue Service, the amount was $ 50,695.31.

On September 26, 1989, the Internal Revenue Service paid $ 50,695.31 to the trustee.

On May 9, 1990, the trustee gave notice to all interested parties of his intent to seek approval to compromise the adversary proceeding. On May 21, 1990, the debtor filed an objection to that settlement. On July 9, 1990, a hearing was held, and on July 26, 1990, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order authorizing the trustee to compromise the adversary proceeding on the terms agreed to between the trustee and the Internal Revenue Service.

On December 4, 1990, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order upon the trustee's motion to approve the settlement of the remaining disputed issues in the adversary proceeding. Among other things, that order required:

(1) That the trustee is due a refund in respect of the Debtor's 1980 federal income tax in the amount of $ 108,935.00, plus interest accruing according to law, of which the Internal Revenue Service has already refunded to the Trustee $ 50,711.19;

(2) That the Internal Revenue Service has a right to setoff against the refund described in the preceding paragraph unpaid prepetition employment*192 taxes, penalties, and interest for the fourth quarter of 1984 and the first and second quarters of 1985, in the amount of $ 58,809.00, plus post-petition interest accruing according to law;

(3) That, within six weeks after entry of this Order, the Internal Revenue Service will compute the net amount of the refund owed to the Debtor pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Order, and will refund the balance to the Trustee;Community Property

Petitioner and David J. Ragan resided in Texas in 1980 and 1983.

The 1980 claim for refund is with regard to tax payments made from funds that were the wages of David J. Ragan. Such funds were the community property of petitioner and David J. Ragan.

Discussion

I. Introduction

The issue for decision concerns a claim for refund of overpayment of Federal income tax liability. Petitioner and her husband, David J. Ragan, made joint returns of income tax for their taxable (calendar) years 1980 through 1983. On June 17, 1985, they filed with respondent a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for 1980, claiming a refund of $ 108,935 (the 1980 refund claim). They claimed that they overpaid their 1980 Federal*193 income tax by $ 108,935 as the result of a carryback of a net operating loss from 1983. The 1980 refund claim had not been processed by the time petitioner filed the petition herein, and petitioner timely raised the 1980 refund claim in the petition. Petitioner's taxable year 1980 is here in issue, and we have jurisdiction to find an overpayment for such year and determine the amount thereof. See sec. 6512(b)(1). As generally with other matters before this Court, petitioner bears the burden of proof. Rule 142(a).

Respondent has questioned how much of the 1980 claim for refund is at issue. It is true that, in her trial memorandum, petitioner does state that she now seeks a $ 50,695.31 refund paid to the trustee. Nevertheless, having considered carefully the petition, the Form 1040X by which the 1980 refund claim was made, the trial memorandum of petitioner, the postsubmission memoranda of petitioner, and the stipulation, we are satisfied that petitioner has raised, and continues to insist on, a refund (i.e., an overpayment to which she is entitled) of one-half of the 1980 refund claim, viz, $ 54,467.50. We will decide that issue.

Finally, both the petition and the answer *194 raise the issue of an erroneous refund of $ 50,695. In respondent's reply to petitioner's memorandum of law (respondent's reply), p. 12, respondent states:

Contrary to petitioner's assertion, respondent does not admit that the refund paid to the Bankruptcy Trustee in David J. Ragan's bankruptcy was erroneous. The refund was described as erroneous in the statutory notice in order to protect the Internal Revenue Service. No attempt has been made to recover it from petitioner.We accept respondent's explanation and conclude that there is no issue with regard to an erroneous refund for us to decide.

II. Issues

Certain things are agreed by the parties. "Respondent agrees that at one point petitioner and David J. Ragan overpaid their income taxes for taxable year 1980 by $ 108,935.00." Respondent's reply p. 3. Respondent further agrees that, "under the community property laws of Texas, petitioner and her husband each owned a one-half interest in the * * * [1980 refund claim]". Id. at p. 4.

Respondent's objection to petitioner's claim of an overpayment to which she is entitled is crystalized as follows: "After payment of the refund to the Trustee in David J. Ragan's*195 bankruptcy and crediting the setoffs pursuant to Court Order, that overpayment no longer exists." Id. at p. 3.

Petitioner's argument to the contrary is based principally on two points: One, petitioner's community property interest in the 1980 refund claim is a special kind of community property interest -- "sole management and control community property" -- which cannot be applied to the tax liability of any person other than petitioner. Two, the offsets must be disregarded.

For the reasons stated below, we reject petitioner's arguments and agree with respondent.

III. Sole Management and Control Community Property

A. Bankruptcy Estate

When David J. Ragan filed his petition in bankruptcy, he caused to be created an entity separate from himself, an "estate" (the estate). See Bankruptcy Code sec. 541(b). 11 U.S.C. (Bankruptcy Code) sec. 541(a) (1988). Among other things, the estate succeeded to "all interests of the debtor and the debtor's spouse in community property as of the commencement of the case that is * * * under the sole, equal, or joint management and control of the debtor". Bankruptcy Code sec. 541(a)(2)(A).

There*196 is no question (and petitioner does not argue) that, if the 1980 refund claim is community property "under the sole, equal, or joint management" of David J. Ragan, it is includable in the estate pursuant to section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code. While conceding that her one-half interest in the 1980 refund claim is community property, petitioner argues that it is not community property "under the sole, equal, or joint management" of David J. Ragan:

The Petitioner asserts that her interest in the overpayment is properly characterized as the Petitioner's sole management and control community property, and not the sole management and control property of her bankrupt spouse, or their equal or joint control community property. It is, therefore, specifically excluded from Section 541(a). [Petitioner's reply to respondent's memorandum of authorities p. 16.]

B. Sole Management and Control Community Property

1. Respondent's Position

Respondent concedes that, if petitioner's interest in the 1980 refund claim was her "sole management" community property, it was not part of the estate: "It is true that a spouse's earnings which are properly characterized*197 as 'sole management' community property are exempt from the other spouse's creditors unless both spouses are liable by other rules of law." Respondent's reply p. 9. Nevertheless, respondent argues that petitioner has not proven that any part of the 1980 refund claim was her sole management community property or that other rules of law do not eliminate the exemption.

2. The Law of Texas

The law of Texas is important in determining whether petitioner's interest in the 1980 refund claim became property of the estate:

The question whether an interest claimed by the debtor is "property of the estate" is a federal question to be decided by federal law; however, courts must look to state law to determine whether and to what extent the debtor has any legal or equitable interests in property as of the commencement of the case. Butner v. United States, 440 U.S. 48, 55, 99 S.Ct. 914, 918, 59 L.Ed.2d 136 (1979); Matter of Jones, 768 F.2d 923, 927 (7th Cir. 1985). * * *



In re Yonikus, 996 F.2d 866, 869 (7th Cir. 1993). For Federal income tax purposes, to*198 determine interests in property, we also generally look to State law. E.g., Massaglia v. Commissioner, 33 T.C. 379, 383 (1959) (question of whether taxpayer's interest in real property was community interest: "The existence of interests in real property is a matter of state law; the occasion and extent of their taxation by the Federal Government, a matter of Federal law."), affd. 286 F.2d 258 (10th Cir. 1961).

The Texas Family Code specifies whether community property is subject to (1) the sole management, control, and disposition of one spouse (sole management community property) or (2) the joint management, control, and disposition of both spouses (joint management community property). The rules are as follows:

(a) During marriage, each spouse has the sole management, control, and disposition of the community property that he or she would have owned if single, including but not limited to: