- 60 -                                         
          from a taxpayer's reliance on an expert's advice.  Estate of La             
          Meres v. Commissioner, supra at 314.                                        
               The record contains no explanation as to why the Takaos'               
          1988 return was not timely filed.  Petitioners have not shown               
          that the Takaos' failure to file timely returns was due to good             
          faith reliance on Nakamura's erroneous advice, rather than                  
          reliance on him to perform their nondelegable duty to file that             
          return.  Petitioners have not satisfied their burden of proving             
          that the Takaos had reasonable cause for not timely filing their            
          1988 return, and, accordingly, we sustain respondent's                      
          determination of the addition to tax under section 6651(a).                 
          Sections 6653(a)(1) and 6662(a)                                             
               Respondent determined that the Takaos are liable for an                
          addition to tax under for negligence under section 6653(a)(1) for           
          1988 and accuracy-related penalties for negligence under section            
          6662(a) for 1989, 1990, and 1991.  Petitioners contend that the             
          Takaos are not liable for the addition to tax or accuracy-related           
          penalties for negligence, because they relied in good faith on              
          Nakamura to prepare their tax returns properly for the years in             
          issue.  Respondent contends that petitioners failed to prove that           
          the Takaos had reasonable cause for understating their income on            
          their returns for 1988 through 1991, and that the understatements           
          constitute negligence within the meaning of section 6653(a)(1)              
          and section 6662(a)(1).  We agree with respondent.                          
               Section 6653(a)(1) imposes an addition to tax equal to 5               
          percent of the underpayment if any part of the deficiency was due           
Page:  Previous   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   NextLast modified: May 25, 2011