- 11 - Section 162 allows a deduction for ordinary and necessary expenses that are paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on a trade of business. Sec. 162(a); Deputy v. Dupont, 308 U.S. 488, 495 (1940). A trade or business includes the trade or business of being an employee. O’Malley v. Commissioner, 91 T.C. 352, 363-364 (1988). As noted earlier, petitioner was engaged during the years at issue both as an employee and as a self-employed person. Some of the deductions claimed on her returns related to employee business expenses (Schedule A), and others related to her self- employment activity (Schedule C). Respondent reallocated some of the expenses between petitioner’s two activities, a determination that petitioner does not challenge. Other expenses were disallowed for lack of substantiation, which petitioner does challenge. With respect to those expenses, the Court notes that petitioner did not maintain books and records to chronicle her income and expenses, nor did she maintain logs on the uses of her vehicles in her activities. She presented at trial receipts and copies of checks purportedly to substantiate expenses she incurred. However, those receipts do not establish to the Court’s satisfaction a substantiation of expenses incurred in any amounts greater than the amounts allowed by respondent in the notices of deficiency, with one exception discussed below. Some of the evidence presented appeared to be for personal expenses,Page: Previous 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011