- 40 - violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because it does not set forth an ascertainable standard sufficient to alert taxpayers as to the section’s reach. Petitioner points to the term "significant tax avoidance effect", and argues that the term is too vague to be interpreted without regulations. We disagree with petitioner's claim that section 845(b), without regulations, is unconstitutionally vague. The Constitution does not require that the Commissioner prescribe regulations for section 845(b). See SEC v. Chenery Corp., 332 U.S. 194, 201-203 (1947); Columbia Broadcasting Sys. v. United States, 316 U.S. 407, 425 (1942). In the absence of regulations, the statutory text may be interpreted in light of all the pertinent evidence, textual and contextual, of its meaning. See Commissioner v. Soliman, 506 U.S. 168, 173 (1993); Crane v. Commissioner, 331 U.S. 1, 6 (1947); Old Colony R. Co. v. Commissioner, 284 U.S. 552, 560 (1932). Although it is true, as petitioner points out, that the Congress anticipated that regulations would be issued under section 845(b), see H. Conf. Rept. 98-861, at 1064-1065 (1984), 1984-3 C.B. (Vol. 2) 1, 318-319, it is not true, as petitioner would have us hold, that section 845(b) requires regulations in order to be effective. We find nothing in the statutory text, or in its legislative history, that conditions the section's effectiveness on the issuance of regulations. See Estate of Neumann v. Commissioner, 106 T.C. (1996); H. Enters. Intl., Inc.,Page: Previous 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 Next
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