- 37 - 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 jointPage: Previous 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 NextLast modified: November 10, 2007