Charles Wendell Harkey, Sr. and Barbara Anne Harkey - Page 13

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               Although the present case involves a potential installment             
          payment agreement and not an offer in compromise, we think the              
          deference shown in Rodriguez v. Commissioner, supra, to the                 
          Commissioner’s collection procedures applies equally to the                 
          present case.  Specifically, we do not think it is an abuse of              
          discretion for the Commissioner to decline to offer an                      
          installment payment agreement to a taxpayer if the taxpayer                 
          continues to dispute the underlying liability.5  After all, an              
          installment payment agreement contemplates payment of an amount             
          acknowledged as owed.  See Internal Revenue Manual 5.19.1.5.4.1;            
          Form 433-D, Installment Agreement; see also sec. 6159; sec.                 
          301.6159-1, Proced. & Admin. Regs.                                          
               In sum, petitioners have failed to demonstrate that the                
          proposed levy action is inappropriate, that another collection              
          alternative is more appropriate, or that some other relevant                
          issue adversely affects respondent’s proposed collection action.            
          Respondent’s determination to proceed by levy with the collection           
          of petitioners’ outstanding liabilities for 1992 and 1993 was not           
          an abuse of discretion.                                                     






               5  Indeed, it is hard to imagine that a taxpayer would even            
          want to enter into an installment payment agreement if the                  
          taxpayer not only disputed the underlying liability but wished to           
          take that dispute to court.                                                 





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