- 25 - underpayment attributable to fraud. For 1986, 1987, and 1988, if respondent establishes that any portion of the underpayment is attributable to fraud, the entire underpayment is treated as attributable to fraud and subjected to an addition to tax except with respect to any portion of the underpayment that the taxpayer establishes is not attributable to fraud. Sec. 6653(b)(2). A. Underpayment of Tax The filing of an amended return reporting additional income is an admission of an underpayment of tax. See Badaracco v. Commissioner, 464 U.S. 386, 399 (1984). Petitioner's 1987 amended return is an admission that he underreported, in his original returns, $56,000 of income in 1987. Additionally, on brief, petitioner concedes that he underreported his income from his Schedules C medical practice by $17,170.91 in 1985 and $44,401.56 in 1986. Furthermore, respondent has established by clear and convincing evidence an underpayment of tax by petitioner for each of the years in issue. B. Fraudulent Intent The Commissioner must prove that a portion of such underpayment for each taxable year was due to fraud. Professional Servs. v. Commissioner, 79 T.C. 888, 930 (1982). The existence of fraud is a question of fact to be resolved from the entire record. Gajewski v. Commissioner, 67 T.C. 181, 199 (1976), affd. without published opinion 578 F.2d 1383 (8th Cir. 1978). Because direct proof of a taxpayer's intent is rarely available, fraud may be proven by circumstantial evidence, andPage: Previous 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011