- 16 - negligence, there shall be added to the tax an amount equal to 5 percent of the underpayment. The term "underpayment" generally is defined as the amount of the deficiency. Sec. 301.6653- 1(c)(1)(i), Proced. & Admin. Regs. The term "negligence" is defined as the failure to exercise the due care that a reasonable and ordinarily prudent person would exercise under the circumstances. Zmuda v. Commissioner, 731 F.2d 1417, 1422 (9th Cir. 1984), affg. 79 T.C. 714 (1982); Neely v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 934, 947 (1985). Petitioner excluded from the gross estate one-half of the value of the Joint Tenancy Account. The validity of this position depended on whether property interests passed under Earl's will, which in turn depended on the value of the assets Earl held at the time of his death. Although David knew the approximate value of Earl's assets in years prior to Earl's death, he did not know the value of Earl's assets on the date Earl died. Further, he apparently did not determine whether Earl had liabilities. Therefore, he failed to exercise reasonable care when he excluded one-half of the value of the Joint Tenancy Account. Because petitioner's underpayment of tax was due in part to negligence, respondent's imposition of the addition to tax for negligence is sustained. VII. Addition to Tax for Late Filing Section 6651(a)(1) imposes an addition to tax for failure to file a return prior to the due date, including extensions, unlessPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011