- 8 - United States v. Md. Savings-Share Ins. Corp., 400 U.S. 4, 6 (1970). Moreover, “congressional judgments in the form of ‘irrebuttable presumptions’ in the economic area will be upheld where there is a rational relationship between the criteria set forth in the statutory mandate and a legitimate congressional purpose.” Sakol v. Commissioner, 574 F.2d 694, 698 (2d Cir. 1978), affg. 67 T.C. 986 (1977). Generally, the alleviation of “administrative burdens and practical problems of enforcement” constitutes a legitimate congressional purpose. Bryant v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 757, 766 (1979). By enacting the current version of section 152(e), Congress sought to avoid the very type of factual debates that petitioner advances regarding the expenses of supporting and raising children, and to ease the administrative burden that was placed on the IRS when it became involved in these types of disputes. Knight v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1992-710. Section 152(e) gives the custodial parent the deduction and the ability to waive it for the benefit of the noncustodial parent. Id. This eases the administrative burden on the IRS and advances enforcement of the statute in a rational way; therefore, section 152(e) does not violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Id. To be sure, there are other ways that Congress could have resolved the problem, and each way would have strengths andPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011