Walter L. Medlin - Page 26

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          informed business decisions is persuasive evidence that the                 
          business activity was not engaged in for profit.  Burger v.                 
          Commissioner, 809 F.2d at 359.  Further, with respect to the                
          cattle and the orange grove, the record and petitioner’s                    
          testimony show that he had a very primitive expertise in those              
          activities.  For example, even though petitioner noted the                  
          importance of the age of cattle as an “economic factor” in their            
          “economic production”, he could not testify from personal                   
          knowledge regarding the age of the cattle he acquired from Mr.              
          Partin.  This indicates to us a lack of a bona fide profit                  
          motivation.                                                                 
               Petitioner did not provide evidence of the amount of time              
          that he devoted to the particular activities during the tax years           
          at issue, or any evidence that he was required to withdraw from             
          his real estate business to devote more time to any of those                
          activities.  See McCarthy v. Commissioner, supra; sec. 1.183-               
          2(b)(3), Income Tax Regs.  On the record before us, we find that            
          petitioner was not engaged in a trade or business with respect to           
          the orange grove, cattle, and Ferrari activities.                           
               Taxpayers must substantiate any expenses which they claim as           
          deductions.  See Hradesky v. Commissioner, 65 T.C. 87, 89-90                
          (1975), affd. 540 F.2d 821 (5th Cir. 1976); Tarakci v.                      
          Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2000-358.71  Further, to be an                     


               71Sec. 274(d) provides for more stringent substantiation               
                                                             (continued...)           




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