Cynthia K. Beatty - Page 37




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          tion before the Court, that at the time she signed each of the              
          respective joint returns for the years at issue (1) she did not             
          know that each such return showed tax due, and (2) therefore she            
          did not know at that time that Mr. Beatty would not pay such tax.           
          On the record before us, we find Washington v. Commissioner,                
          supra, to be materially distinguishable from the instant case and           
          petitioner’s reliance on that case to be misplaced.                         
               We address now whether petitioner has carried her burden of            
          establishing that the knowledge or reason to know factor weighs             
          in favor of granting relief.  In support of her position for                
          relief under section 6015(f), petitioner chose to present her               
          case to the IRS and to the Court by claiming that she did not               
          know that there was a tax shown due in each of the respective               
          joint returns for the years at issue.  Petitioner must bear the             
          consequences of that choice. Assuming arguendo that we were to              
          accept petitioner’s contention that she did not know that each of           
          the joint returns for the years at issue showed tax due, on the             
          record before us, we find that, by signing each such return,                
          petitioner is charged with constructive knowledge of, inter alia,           
          the tax shown due therein.  See Park v. Commissioner, 25 F.3d               
          1289, 1299 (5th Cir. 1994), affg. T.C. Memo. 1993-252; see also             
          Hayman v. Commissioner, 992 F.2d 1256, 1262 (2d Cir. 1993), affg.           
          T.C. Memo. 1992-228.  We further find that petitioner should have           
          inquired about whether the tax shown due in each of the joint               







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