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is due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules or
regulations. Section 6653(a)(2) imposes an addition to tax equal
to 50 percent of the interest payable with respect to the portion
of the underpayment attributable to negligence or intentional
disregard of rules or regulations.
Negligence is defined as the failure to exercise the due
care that a reasonable and ordinarily prudent person would employ
under the circumstances. Neely v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 934, 947
(1985). The question is whether a particular taxpayer's actions
in connection with the transactions were reasonable in light of
his experience and the nature of the investment or business. See
Henry Schwartz Corp. v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. 728, 740 (1973).
When considering the negligence addition to tax, we evaluate the
particular facts of each case, judging the relative
sophistication of the taxpayers, as well as the manner in which
they approached their investment. McPike v. Commissioner, T.C.
Memo. 1996-46. Compare Spears v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1996-
341 with Zidanich v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-382.
Petitioners argue that they were reasonable in claiming
deductions and credits with respect to the Partnerships. They
maintain that they reviewed the offering memoranda, expected an
economic profit in light of the so-called oil crisis in the
United States in 1981, and that they reasonably relied upon
Maxfield as a qualified adviser on this matter.
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