L. Ben Smith & Carol Smith - Page 8

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          petitioners’ $79,781 exclusion of 1999 wages and petitioners’               
          $99,980 exclusion of 2001 wages.  Respondent further determined             
          in the notice that petitioners are liable for 1999 and 2001 for             
          the accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a) because of:              
          (1) Negligence or disregard of rules or regulations under section           
          6662(b)(1) or (2) a substantial understatement of tax in peti-              
          tioners’ 2001 joint return under section 6662(b)(2).                        
                                       OPINION                                        
               We must determine whether petitioners are liable for 2001              
          for the accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a) because of           
          negligence under section 6662(b)(1) or a substantial understate-            
          ment of tax under section 6662(b)(2).7                                      
               Section 6662(a) imposes an accuracy-related penalty equal to           
          20 percent of the underpayment to which section 6662 applies.               
          Section 6662 applies to the portion of any underpayment which is            
          attributable to, inter alia, negligence, sec. 6662(b)(1), or a              
          substantial understatement of tax, sec. 6662(b)(2).                         
               The term “negligence” in section 6662(b)(1) includes any               
          failure to make a reasonable attempt to comply with the Code.               
          See sec. 6662(c).  Negligence has also been defined as a failure            
          to do what a reasonable person would do under the circumstances.            
          See Leuhsler v. Commissioner, 963 F.2d 907, 910 (6th Cir. 1992),            


               7Respondent concedes that petitioners are not liable for               
          1999 for the accuracy-related penalty under sec. 6662(a).                   





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