Cathy M. and Randy L. Crosson - Page 9

                                        - 9 -                                         
          worthless during 1999.  Cimarron Trust Estate v. Commissioner, 59           
          T.C. 195 (1959); Flood v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2001-39.                 
          Although petitioners claimed the loss in 1999, the record shows             
          that petitioners deemed the debt worthless as of October 1998,              
          when petitioner filed his bankruptcy petition.  Accordingly,                
          petitioners are not entitled to the business bad debt deduction.            
               As we have found that petitioners are not entitled to their            
          claimed deductions, we consider next whether petitioners are                
          liable for a section 6662 accuracy-related penalty for                      
          negligence.  Section 6662(a) provides that if any portion of any            
          underpayment is due to negligence, then a taxpayer will be liable           
          for a penalty equal to 20 percent of the underpayment of tax                
          required to be shown on the return that is attributable to the              
          taxpayer’s negligence.  Negligence is defined as “the lack of due           
          care or failure to do what a reasonable and ordinarily prudent              
          person would do” under the circumstances.  Niedringhaus v.                  
          Commissioner, 99 T.C. 202, 221 (1992).  “Negligence” includes the           
          failure to make a reasonable attempt to comply with the                     
          provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and also includes any               
          failure to keep adequate books and records or to substantiate               
          items properly.  Id.; sec. 1.6662-3(b)(1), Income Tax Regs.                 
               With respect to the accuracy-related penalty, respondent               
          bears the burden of production.  Sec. 7491(c); Higbee v.                    
          Commissioner, 116 at 446.  In that regard, respondent “must come            






Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  Next

Last modified: May 25, 2011