Arthur A. Lemann III and Roberta A. Lemann - Page 26

                                       - 26 -                                         
          calculating petitioners' reasonable collection potential.  These            
          issues are therefore not material, even if disputed.                        
               Regarding the issue of whether petitioners have monthly                
          excess income of $2,813, petitioners' claim that this is a                  
          disputed issue of fact merely restates their challenge to the               
          analysis and conclusions reached by the offer specialist and                
          Appeals officer concerning their future income, which we have               
          fully considered and addressed above.                                       
          Conclusion                                                                  
               We note that we are not called upon to decide in this case             
          what would have been an acceptable offer-in-compromise or                   
          installment agreement.  Rather, we must decide whether the                  
          Appeals officer's rejection of the collection alternatives                  
          offered by petitioners was an abuse of discretion.  See Speltz v.           
          Commissioner, 124 T.C. 165, 179-180 (2005); Fowler v.                       
          Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2004-163.  As noted, the only collection           
          alternatives offered by petitioners were substantially below                
          their reasonable collection potential as estimated under                    
          respondent's published guidelines.  Accordingly, we hold that it            
          was not an abuse of discretion to reject them, that there are no            
          genuine issues of material fact that would preclude summary                 
          judgment, and that respondent is entitled to a decision in his              
          favor that he may proceed with the proposed collection by levy.             







Page:  Previous  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  Next

Last modified: May 25, 2011