- 13 - determine whether petitioner is liable for the additions to tax for fraud with respect to 1984 and 1985. A. Underpayment The record provides sufficient evidence that for 1984 and 1985 petitioner omitted significant amounts of income and underpaid his taxes. As stated earlier, petitioner is liable for self-employment tax because he failed to meet his burden of proof. Rule 142(a). While respondent determined that petitioner underpaid his taxes by $78,807.11 for 1984 and $41,092.63 for 1985, she failed to produce clear and convincing evidence that petitioner's income was derived from self-employment. As a result, these underpayments must be reduced accordingly. B. Fraudulent Intent To prove fraud, respondent must establish that petitioner intended to evade taxes. This intent may be established by conduct designed to conceal, mislead, or otherwise prevent the collection of taxes. Korecky v. Commissioner, 781 F.2d 1566, 1568 (11th Cir. 1986), affg. T.C. Memo. 1985-63; Rowlee v. Commissioner, 80 T.C. 1111, 1123 (1983). Fraudulent intent is not to be imputed or presumed but rather must be established by some independent evidence. Beaver v. Commissioner, 55 T.C. 85, 92 (1970); Otsuki v. Commissioner, 53 T.C. 96, 106 (1969). Because direct proof of the taxpayer's intent is rarely available, fraudulent intent may be established by circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences drawn from the facts. SpiesPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011