Wheir was a body builder who attempted to deduct some body building expenses because he believed he was in the business of body building. Some of his expenses included bison meat, which he ate at the rate of 3 pounds per day, vitamins, protein shakes, body sprays, massage oils, and body building outfits.
The IRS argued that Wheir’s body building was a personal activity and was not a business of any sort and therefor none of the items were deductible.
The Tax Court ruled party in favor of the IRS, stating that the bison mean and protein shakes were not deductible because both of those items could be consumed by the general public and therefor were considered everyday food items.
However, the Tax Court also ruled partly in favor of Wheir, stating that the cost of the lotions and oils were deductible because those certain products were only available to body builders through a body building magazine and therefore were not generally available to the public. The Tax Court also ruled that the body building outfits were deductible because they were not suitable for normal wear and were an ordinary and necessary expense for body building.
If you are having trouble with the IRS and tax deductions, give us a call at 816-524-4949 or visit our website at www.Hoorfarlaw.com.