Service Employees International Union - Page 11

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               Petitioners further argue that section 6652(c)(1) penalties            
          are analogous to 6651(a)(2) additions to tax because “There is a            
          scaling of the penalty * * * that is tied to gross revenue--a               
          more appropriate measure of size for an exempt organization than            
          tax liability.”  The section 6651(a)(2) addition to tax is                  
          calculated as follows: “there shall be added to the amount shown            
          as tax on such return 0.5 percent of the amount of such tax if              
          the failure is for not more than 1 month, with an additional 0.5            
          percent for each additional month.” (Emphasis added.)  The                  
          section 6652(c)(1) penalty is calculated as follows:                        
               $20 for each day during which [failure to file] * * *                  
               continues.  The maximum penalty under this subparagraph                
               * * * shall not exceed the lesser of $10,000 or 5                      
               percent of the gross receipts of the organization for                  
               the year.  In the case of an organization having gross                 
               receipts exceeding $1,000,000 for any year * * * the                   
               first sentence of this subparagraph shall be applied by                
               substituting “$100” for “$20” and, in lieu of applying                 
               the second sentence of this subparagraph, the                          
               maximum penalty under this subparagraph shall not                      
               exceed $50,000.  [Emphasis added.]                                     
               As is clear from the above-emphasized language, a section              
          6651(a)(2) addition to tax is directly tied to the amount of tax            
          due.  On the other hand, a section 6652(c)(1) penalty is not tied           
          to the amount of tax due, but instead it is a flat daily rate of            
          accumulation.  While the flat daily rate and the cap on the                 
          penalty are scaled depending on the gross revenue of the                    
          organization, they are not directly tied to the amount of tax               
          due.  Thus, the manner in which the section 6652(c)(1) penalty              






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Last modified: May 25, 2011