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did not receive any statutory notice of
deficiency for such tax liability or did not
otherwise have an opportunity to dispute such
tax liability.
Once the Appeals officer has issued a determination
regarding the disputed collection action, section 6330(d) allows
the taxpayer to seek judicial review in the Tax Court or a
District Court, depending upon the type of tax at issue. In
considering whether taxpayers are entitled to any relief from the
Commissioner’s determination, this Court has established the
following standard of review:
where the validity of the underlying tax liability is
properly at issue, the Court will review the matter on
a de novo basis. However, where the validity of the
underlying tax liability is not properly at issue, the
Court will review the Commissioner’s administrative
determination for abuse of discretion. [Sego v.
Commissioner, 114 T.C. 604, 610 (2000).]
B. Analysis
1. Appeals Hearing
Hearings conducted under sections 6320 and 6330 are informal
proceedings, not formal adjudications. Katz v. Commissioner, 115
T.C. 329, 337 (2000); Davis v. Commissioner, 115 T.C. 35, 41
(2000). There exists no right to subpoena witnesses or documents
in connection with these hearings. Roberts v. Commissioner, 118
T.C. 365, 372 (2002), affd. 329 F.3d 1224 (11th Cir. 2003);
Nestor v. Commissioner, 118 T.C. 162, 166-167 (2002); Davis v.
Commissioner, supra at 41-42. Taxpayers are entitled to be
offered a face-to-face hearing at the Appeals Office nearest
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