- 27 - to file returns, report income, and pay taxes. See id. at 1005. The taxpayer's total gross income for his 1954 taxable year dictated the inference that he knew he owed taxes for that year. In the case before us no inference is necessary because petitioner herself testified that had she prepared and filed tax returns for the 1987 and 1990 taxable years, she would have owed taxes. Furthermore, Nelon v. Commissioner, supra, is distinguishable. In that case, the taxpayer, a high school dropout and inexperienced in bookkeeping and financial matters, operated a logging business as a sole proprietorship. The taxpayer's income from his logging business could easily be traced from the Forms 1099 supplied by payers. The taxpayer joined a tax protester group and did not file tax returns under the belief that he was not subject to Federal income tax. The Commissioner asserted that the taxpayer was liable for the addition to tax for fraud, contending that the following facts established fraud: (1) Failure to file tax returns for 5 consecutive years; (2) consistent failure to report substantial amounts of income; (3) failure to maintain books and records of his logging business; (4) failure to pay estimated taxes; and (5) cashing, rather than depositing, checks derived from his logging business. We held that the Commissioner did not clearly and convincingly establish that the taxpayer's underpayment was duePage: Previous 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Next
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