Michael Morrissey - Page 25

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            reversal, see Keystone Consol. Indus., Inc. v. Commissioner,              
            951 F.2d 76 (5th Cir. 1992).  With the state of the law as such           
            on the due dates of the 1990 and 1991 returns, we believe that            
            petitioner had reasonable cause for failing to file those                 
            returns.  Although the Commissioner, 2 years after the Supreme            
            Court's holding in Keystone, generally reminded taxpayers that            
            they needed to file excise tax returns for all transfers of               
            property to their pension plans and provided rules under which            
            the Government would not impose additions to tax for failing to           
            file these returns timely, see Announcement 95-14, 1995-8                 
            I.R.B. 47, we are unable to conclude that this announcement had           
            any bearing on additions to tax relating to returns which were            
            due before the date on which the announcement was published.              
            We repeat, for emphasis, that reasonable cause and the absence            
            of willful neglect must be gauged at the time that a return is            
            due, and the fact that a reasonable person may learn after that           
            time that his or her position is incorrect does not mean that             
            the position was unreasonable on the due date.  See Ellwest               
            Stereo Theatres, Inc. v. Commissioner, supra; see also                    
            Industrial Indem. v. Snyder, supra.                                       
                 As to the remaining years, i.e., 1992 through 1996, we               
            also do not believe that it was unreasonable for petitioner to            
            have failed to file excise tax returns.  On the basis of the              
            state of the law on the relevant filing dates, a reasonable               





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