An order and decision will be entered for respondent.
PUGH,
Respondent filed a Motion for Summary Judgment and accompanying exhibits, including a declaration of Christina L. Cook. Petitioner filed a Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment in response. We then held a hearing on the pending motions at which both sides appeared and represented that this case was ripe for decision without trial as there is no dispute over any material fact.
We have reviewed respondent's motion and the documents submitted in support of respondent's motion, and we have considered petitioner's response and cross-motion. We incorporate by reference the statement of facts contained in the declaration of Ms. Cook. We agree with the parties that the material facts are not *92 in dispute, and for the reasons summarized below, we hold that respondent is entitled to a decision sustaining the proposed levy.
Petitioner failed to file Federal income tax returns for 2009 and 2010. In two notices of deficiency, both dated September 9, 2013, respondent determined deficiencies for petitioner's 2009 and 2010 taxable years on the basis of substitutes for returns prepared pursuant to
On April 19, 2014, respondent sent a Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*89 to petitioner with respect to his unpaid 2009 and 2010 tax liabilities. On May 15, 2014, respondent received petitioner's Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process or Equivalent Hearing.
On May 29, 2014, respondent mailed a letter to petitioner, requesting that petitioner complete Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for 2011, 2012, and 2013. On August 5 and 6, 2014, Settlement Officer Monica Coronado (SO Coronado) verified that the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) records included notices of deficiency for 2009 and 2010 and a certified mailing list, with a date *93 stamp and postal employee signature, confirming that the notices were sent to petitioner's last known address. The mail article numbers on the certified mailing list matched the mail article numbers on the copies of the notices of deficiency, and the corresponding tracking information showed that both articles of mail were reported as being delivered in Glencoe, MN. The address on the certified mailing list is the same address as was on petitioner's Form 12153 and on his petition to this Court.
On August 12, 2014, SO Coronado mailed a letter to petitioner scheduling a telephonic administrative hearing for September2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*90 17, 2014. The letter notified petitioner that to qualify for a face-to-face hearing petitioner had to submit Form 433-A, Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals, and signed Forms 1040 for 2011, 2012, and 2013. The letter explained that petitioner might not be able to dispute the underlying liabilities for 2009 and 2010 because SO Coronado's review of the record indicated that the notices of deficiency were properly sent. The letter, therefore, asked for petitioner's address on the date that the notices were sent, asked whether he had received the notices of deficiency, and enclosed copies thereof. The letter also informed petitioner that he could prepare corrected Forms 1040 for 2009 and 2010 *94 if he believed the amounts due were inaccurate. On September 9, 2014, Settlement Officer Cheryl Rieux (SO Rieux) was assigned the case.
On September 16, 2014, SO Rieux received a letter from petitioner, in which he asserted that he had not received a notice of deficiency for 2009 or 2010. He again requested a face-to-face hearing and requested that his case be transferred to a settlement officer in Minnesota so that a face-to-face hearing would be more convenient.2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*91 He did not answer the other questions posed or provide any of the requested documents. Petitioner also failed to contact SO Rieux at the scheduled date and time for the administrative hearing.
On October 21, 2014, SO Rieux mailed petitioner a letter notifying him that he had missed the scheduled administrative conference and that she had not received any of the documents the IRS Office of Appeals (Appeals) had requested. The letter informed petitioner that SO Rieux had reviewed the administrative file and reiterated that to be eligible for an in-person hearing, petitioner would have to be in compliance with his tax filing obligations. The letter also notified petitioner that Appeals would make a determination based on the administrative record and information previously provided and gave petitioner an additional 14 days to provide any other information he wanted Appeals to consider. On that same day, *95 SO Rieux attempted to call petitioner at two different numbers but was unable to reach him.
On November 12, 2014, petitioner sent a letter to SO Rieux again requesting a face-to-face hearing. Petitioner did not provide any of the requested documents.
On November 26, 2014, SO Rieux sent petitioner2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*92 a notice of determination sustaining the collection action. Petitioner then timely petitioned this Court for redetermination.
A taxpayer requesting a hearing in response to a notice of levy pursuant to
Where the validity of the underlying tax liability is at issue, we review the Commissioner's determination de novo.
When, as here, the IRS prepares a substitute for return pursuant to
Although petitioner sent several letters asserting that he did not receive a notice of deficiency for either 2009 or 2010, his failure to present evidence, such as Forms 1040 for 2009 and 2010 or the requested financial information, amounts to a failure properly to raise the issue of his underlying liabilities at the *98 administrative hearing.
Compliance with Postal Service Form 3877 mailing procedures raises a presumption of official regularity in favor2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*96 of the Commissioner.
Petitioner argues that respondent is not entitled to the presumption of official regularity in this case because the certified mailing list did not indicate the number of items received by the U.S. Postal Service office and is not signed or initialed by the IRS employees who issued the notices. We have found in other cases that such infirmities render the presumption of official regularity inapplicable.
While not sufficient to create a presumption of official regularity, the incomplete certified mailing list serves as evidence that the notices of deficiency were mailed to petitioner.
Furthermore, Appeals did not rely solely on the certified mailing list to verify that the notices of deficiency had been mailed to petitioner. Appeals also reviewed the copies of the notices of deficiency for the years at issue, and each notice of deficiency bears the same mailing date, mailing address, and certified mail article number as the corresponding entry on the certified mailing list. In *101 addition, SO Coronado reviewed the tracking information for each piece of mail corresponding to the certified mail article numbers on the notices of deficiency and verified that those articles of mail were reported as being delivered.
Although respondent is not entitled to a presumption of mailing, we conclude that the dated copies of the notices of deficiency, combined with the incomplete mailing list, are sufficient to show that the notices of deficiency for the years at issue were mailed to petitioner at his last known address. Consequently, we hold that it was not an abuse of discretion for the settlement officers to rely on2016 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 87">*98 this information to verify that valid assessments had been made and that the settlement officers properly verified, pursuant to
In addition, petitioner sought a face-to-face rather than a telephonic administrative hearing. A face-to-face hearing is not a requirement under
The record demonstrates that a face-to-face hearing would not have been productive. The settlement officers provided petitioner with a reasonable opportunity for a telephonic hearing, and petitioner failed to take advantage of that opportunity. In addition, petitioner failed to submit any of the requested financial information and was not in compliance with his Federal income tax obligations. *103 Aside from his argument that he did not receive the notices of deficiency, petitioner did not present any relevant arguments. Therefore, the settlement officers did not abuse their discretion by denying a face-to-face hearing.
On the basis of our review of the administrative record and the notice of determination, the Court concludes that Appeals satisfied the requirements of
To reflect the foregoing,
1. Unless otherwise indicated all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect at all relevant times. Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩