Section 102 defines gifts as it relates to the Internal Revenue Code. In general, the individual receiving the gift does not pay taxes on the gift. Only the donor pays taxes if applicable.
If you received a 1099-C, the first question you ask is: ‘Do I have to include this in my taxable income?’ Well, the answer is ‘it depends’. Not what you want to hear but there are a lot of variables involved in answering this question.
The Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives authority to Congress to tax income. The Internal Revenue Service defines revenue via a term ‘Gross Income’. In Chapter 26 of the Federal Code (Chapter 26 is the Internal Revenue Code) Section 61, Congress defines gross income as “… all income from whatever source derived…”. This means even the penny you pick up off the ground is considered income.
