- 21 - in the record that Mr. Wellman, the author of that letter, was involved in any way with the filing of the 1993 Form 4868 in April 1994 or was otherwise involved in petitioners’ affairs at that time. Had petitioners gone to trial, they presumably could have elicited the testimony of Mr. Chambers (the C.P.A. whose signature appears on the 1993 Form 4868) regarding the circumstances that allegedly rendered their 1993 tax liability inestimable as of April 1994. Because petitioners chose not to do so, we may presume that such testimony would have been unfavorable to them. See, e.g., ASAT, Inc. v. Commissioner, 108 T.C. 147, 172 (1997) (citing Wichita Terminal Elevator Co. v. Commissioner, 6 T.C. 1158, 1165 (1946), affd. 162 F.2d 513 (10th Cir. 1947)). Relying on the C.P.A. letter, petitioners have failed to convince us that, as of April 1994, their 1993 tax liability was inestimable and the 1994 remittance was intended as a deposit. 3. Inconsistencies Between the C.P.A. Letter and Petitioners’ 1993 Return Moreover, the C.P.A. letter itself does not square with information from petitioners’ 1993 return contained in the record. For instance, the 1993 return belies the assertion in the C.P.A. letter that petitioners’ ignorance of their 1993 tax liability in April 1994 was attributable to the sale of their business in, and “numerous other complicated transactions during”, 1993. The only sale referenced in the 1993 return is anPage: Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011