- 9 - sufficient evidence to establish a rational basis for making the estimate. See Cohan v. Commissioner, 39 F.2d 540, 543-544 (2d Cir. 1930); see also Vanicek v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 731, 742- 743 (1985). Section 274(d) supersedes the general rule of Cohan v. Commissioner, supra, and precludes us from estimating the taxpayer’s expenses with regard to certain items. See Sanford v. Commissioner, 50 T.C. 823, 827 (1968), affd. per curiam 412 F.2d 201 (2d Cir. 1969). Section 274(d) imposes strict substantiation requirements for expenses relating to, among other things, travel, entertainment, and “listed property”, including automobiles and other property used as a means of transportation. Sec. 1.274-5T(a), Temporary Income Tax Regs., 50 Fed. Reg. 46014 (Nov. 6, 1985). To obtain a deduction for such items, the taxpayer must substantiate “by [either] adequate records or sufficient evidence corroborating * * * [his] own statement” the amount of the expense, the time and place of travel or entertainment, the business purpose of the expense, and the business relationship to the taxpayer of the person entertained. Sec. 274(d); Beale v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2000-158; sec. 1.274-5(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. To meet the “adequate records test”, a taxpayer must maintain an account book, diary, statement of expense, or similar record prepared contemporaneously with the expenditure and documentary evidence of certain expenditures,Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011