In a message dated 04/03/08 7:47:49 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
prgeorge@bivio.com writes:
Hello,
This might be a stupid question considering I have been
part
of an Investment Club for three years. Better now
than
later.
My friends and I run an Investment Club. We have only
made
contributions since its inception in early 2005 and never
taken any
distributions. However, I got taxed on my short
term and long term
partnership gains in 2006 and 2007 even
though there was no distribution.
Is that right? IRS
publication 541 for partnerships only talks about
taxation
for distributions.
Until 2005 I used to file my taxes over
the internet using a
software called Taxact Online. The software excluded
my
partnership gain in 2005 from taxable income since all the
money was
considered "at risk" and there was no
distribution.
In 2006 I moved
to New York City and I used accountants
(CPAs) to file both 2006 and 2007
fiscal year taxes. I
clearly told them that my Investment Club (short/long
term)
gain was a partnership gain, not a distribution and all at
risk.
But they went ahead and populated row 5 (short term
capital gain from
partnership) and row 12 (long term capital
gain from partneship) on
Schedule D of Form 1040,
effectively increasing my taxable
income.
Short answer -- the accountants are right, your 2005 return is wrong.
You've misinterpreted IRS Pub. 541. All partnership income is taxed to the
partners REGARDLESS of whether there is a distribution of money or property.