- 8 - relevant facts and circumstances, and most importantly, the extent to which he attempted to assess his proper tax liability. See Neely v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 934 (1985); Stubblefield v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1996-537; sec. 1.6664-4(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. As petitioner has not shown this Court the method by which she kept track of her business profits and losses, we are unable to find that petitioner attempted, in good faith, to properly assess her tax liability. Despite this, petitioner maintains that there are other factors which show she acted in good faith. Petitioner points out that (1) she relied upon an accountant who prepared her original Federal income tax returns; (2) she submitted bank statements to respondent’s examiner upon notice of audit; (3) she corrected the discrepancies on her returns; (4) she paid the tax due; and (5) she hired and relied on tax professionals. Reliance on the advice of a competent adviser can be a defense to the accuracy-related penalty. United States v. Boyle, 469 U.S. 241, 252 (1985); Zfass v. Commissioner, 118 F.3d 184 (4th Cir. 1997), affg. T.C. Memo. 1996-167; sec. 1.6664-4(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. However, it must be established that the reliance was reasonable, in good faith, and based upon full disclosure. Ewing v. Commissioner, 91 T.C. 396, 423-424 (1988), affd. without published opinion 940 F.2d 1534 (9th Cir. 1991); Metra Chem Corp. v. Commissioner, 88 T.C. 654, 662 (1987);Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011