Richard D. Irving and Cynthia A. Burrough Irving - Page 12

                                       - 12 -                                         
          and the accuracy-related penalties are appropriate.  See Higbee             
          v. Commissioner, 116 T.C. 438, 446 (2001).  Once respondent meets           
          his burden of production, petitioner must produce sufficient                
          evidence to persuade the Court that respondent’s determination is           
          incorrect.  Id. at 447.                                                     
               Section 6651(a)(1) provides for an addition to tax of 5                
          percent of the tax required to be shown on the return for each              
          month or fraction thereof for which there is a failure to file,             
          not to exceed 25 percent.  The addition to tax for failure to               
          file a return timely will be imposed if the return is not filed             
          timely unless the taxpayer shows that the delay was due to                  
          reasonable cause and not willful neglect.  Sec. 6651(a)(1).  In             
          the instant case, the parties stipulated that petitioners filed             
          the 2000 tax return on March 19, 2002.  Consequently, we must               
          determine whether petitioners have shown that the delay was due             
          to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.7                               
               A delay is due to reasonable cause if the taxpayer exercised           
          ordinary business care and prudence and was nevertheless unable             
          to file the return within the prescribed time.  Sec. 301.6651-              
          1(c)(1), Proced. & Admin. Regs.  “[W]illful neglect” is defined             



               7We note that the parties have made no contentions and                 
          offered no evidence as to whether petitioners filed a written               
          statement with respondent pursuant to sec. 301.6651-1(c)(1),                
          Proced. & Admin. Regs.                                                      





Page:  Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  Next

Last modified: May 25, 2011