- 12 - respect to her entitlement to the standard deduction in 1992. Accordingly, respondent is sustained on this issue. Additions to Tax Section 6651(a)(1) imposes an addition to tax for failure to file a timely return of 5 percent of the tax due for each month a return is delinquent, not to exceed 25 percent. The addition does not apply if the failure to timely file is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. Sec. 6651(a)(1). Petitioner has the burden of proving reasonable cause and the lack of willful neglect. United States v. Boyle, 469 U.S. 241, 245 (1985); Baldwin v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. 859, 870 (1985). To prove "reasonable cause", taxpayers must show they exercised ordinary business care and prudence and were nevertheless unable to file the return within the statutorily prescribed time. Crocker v. Commissioner, 92 T.C. 899, 913 (1989); sec. 301.6651- 1(c)(1), Proced. & Admin. Regs. Taxpayers may, generally, establish reasonable cause by proving that they reasonably relied on the advice of an accountant or attorney that it was unnecessary to file a return and later found that such advice was erroneous or mistaken. United States v. Boyle, supra at 250; Estate of Paxton v. Commissioner, 86 T.C. 785, 820 (1986). Petitioner contends that she had reasonable cause not to file returns for 1992 and 1993 based on various tax protester arguments described above. Petitioner also relies on the two IRSPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011