- 10 - allow her accountant to testify on his calculation of her adjusted gross income for 1995, we decline to do so.5 Ms. Evans has been represented by counsel throughout this proceeding, and she could have called her accountant as a witness at trial. For some reason, which she has not articulated and which we decline to surmise, she did not call her accountant as a witness. Her failure to establish her 1995 adjusted gross income prevents her from qualifying as an innocent spouse on the deduction issue. Sec. 6013(e)(4); see Reser v. Commissioner, supra at 1262. Turning to the omitted income issue, which applies to 1989 only, we disagree with Ms. Evans that she has met the third requirement; i.e., an absence of actual and constructive notice of the substantial understatement upon signing the return. Although she may not have had actual knowledge that the income was omitted, because she did not review the 1989 return before it was filed, she should have known of the omitted income. A taxpayer should know about a substantial understatement 5 Petitioners have also moved to reopen the record to admit an affidavit of Ms. Evans' accountant for the purpose of establishing Ms. Evans' adjusted gross income for 1995; we filed petitioners' motion 10 days after we filed their reply brief. Respondent objected to petitioners' motion, stating that petitioners were aware of this issue before trial and could have addressed it at trial. Respondent also objected to the admission of the affidavit as hearsay. We shall deny petitioners' motion to include the affidavit in the record. Even if we were to exercise our discretion to reopen the record, which we do not do, we would not admit the affidavit into evidence. The affidavit is hearsay. Fed. R. Evid. 801.Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next
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