- 31 - the testimony of petitioners' witnesses to be credible and decline respondent's invitation to dismiss it as "simply the unsupported self-serving testimony of petitioners." In this regard, we note that, as of the time of trial, Ms. Ruble had no ongoing business or other connection with petitioners or her former employer, Mr. Whittington. The problem with petitioners' evidence, however, is that it does not go far enough. Petitioners have shown that for the year 1988, after making reasonable inquiry of petitioner's former law firm and petitioner's cattle feeding business, petitioners' accountants estimated petitioners' income from those activities. According to petitioners: "These two items alone accounted for more than the difference between the amount of tax shown due on the 1988 return and the amount of tax estimated on Form 4868 for 1988." In effect, petitioners have limited their case to showing the reasonableness of their estimated tax liability for 1988, $1,408, as compared to the total tax of $96,418 reported on their 1988 return. Petitioners have not addressed the adjustments determined in the notice of deficiency, as revised by the agreed computation of the 1988 deficiency, on the basis of which their total tax liability is $175,686, or $79,268 more than the tax reported on their return. Nor have petitioners shown anyPage: Previous 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Next
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