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accounting so as to reflect income clearly. United States v.
Hughes Properties, Inc., 476 U.S. 593, 603 (1986); Commissioner
v. Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., 394 F.2d 738, 743 (2d Cir.
1968), revg. 46 T.C. 698 (1966). To prevail in a dispute over
the Commissioner's determination on an accounting matter, a tax-
payer must establish that the determination is "clearly unlawful"
or "plainly arbitrary." Thor Power Tool Co. v. Commissioner, 439
U.S. 522, 532-533 (1979) (quoting Lucas v. American Code Co., 280
U.S. 445, 449 (1930), and Lucas v. Structural Steel Co., 281 U.S.
264, 271 (1930)).
Nonetheless, where a taxpayer's method of accounting does
clearly reflect income, the Commissioner cannot require the
taxpayer to change to a different method even if the Commis-
sioner's method more clearly reflects income. Ford Motor Co. v.
Commissioner, 71 F.3d at 213; Ansley-Sheppard-Burgess Co. v.
Commissioner, 104 T.C. 367, 371 (1995); Molsen v. Commissioner,
85 T.C. 485, 498 (1985). We limit our inquiry to whether the
accounting method at issue clearly reflects income, and we do not
decide whether one method is superior to other possible methods.
RLC Indus. Co. v. Commissioner, 98 T.C. 457, 492 (1992), affd. 58
F.3d 413 (9th Cir. 1995); see also Brown v. Helvering, 291 U.S.
193, 204-205 (1934).
During the years at issue, EIC bought and sold undeveloped
real property in the outlying areas of Los Angeles and elected to
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