Donna M. Keitz - Page 17

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          to fulfill a duty of inquiry.  The Court concludes that this                
          factor favors petitioner.                                                   
               7. Whether the Underpayment of Tax Is Attributable to                  
                    Petitioner's Husband                                              
               Respondent concedes that the underpayment of tax for 1996 is           
          attributable to Mr. Keitz.  The Court concludes that this factor            
          favors petitioner.                                                          
               8. Legal Obligation To Pay Tax                                         
               During the evaluation process, respondent's examiner                   
          determined that Mr. Keitz bears the legal obligation for the tax            
          liability.  As neither party has introduced any additional                  
          evidence on this point, the Court accepts this determination and            
          concludes that this factor favors petitioner.                               
               9. Conclusion                                                          
               Petitioner has presented a strong case for relief from joint           
          liability under the factors promulgated by the Commissioner in              
          Rev. Proc. 2000-15, supra.  All of the factors except one,                  
          economic hardship, either weigh in favor of petitioner or are               
          neutral.  While the economic hardship factor weighs against                 
          petitioner, it does not outweigh the positive and neutral                   
          factors.  Rev. Proc. 2000-15, sec. 4.03(2).                                 
               Petitioner is no longer married to Mr. Keitz.  She did not             
          significantly benefit from the underpayment, the underpayment was           
          solely attributable to Mr. Keitz, petitioner has complied with              






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