2006 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 111">*111 PURSUANT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b), THIS OPINION MAY NOT BE TREATED AS PRECEDENT FOR ANY OTHER CASE.
COUVILLION, Special Trial Judge: This case was heard pursuant to
Some of the facts were stipulated. Those facts, with the exhibits annexed thereto, are so found and made part hereof. Petitioners' legal residence at the time the petition was filed was Laplace, Louisiana.
Petitioners live and work in Louisiana. Mrs. 2006 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 111">*112 Carter was not employed during 2000. Mr. Carter retired from Kaiser Aluminum on January 14, 1999, after being employed there for 30 years. Mr. Carter exercised an early retirement payout during a strike. During 2000, Mr. Carter received retirement benefits in the form of a $ 750 per month pension from Frank Russel Trust Co. 2 Mr Carter also received a cash payout for saved vacation time. The record does not reflect the exact amount of this payout.
Petitioners filed a timely joint Federal income tax return for 2000. On the return, petitioners failed to include as gross income the retirement benefits Mr. Carter received that year.
2006 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 111">*113 On November 4, 2002, respondent determined a deficiency and issued separate notices of deficiency to petitioners. The deficiency was for taxable year 2000 in the amount of $ 5,396 and the section 6662(a) accuracy-related penalty of $ 1,079.
Petitioners failed to petition this Court with respect to the notices of deficiency, and respondent, in due course, assessed the deficiency and the accuracy-related penalty recited above.
On July 12, 2003, respondent notified petitioners of an intent to levy with respect to their unpaid tax liability for 2000 and advised them of their right to a hearing under
On September 10, 2003, petitioners filed a timely Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process Hearing, under section 6320; however, the request was untimely with respect to
Petitioners filed a timely petition in this Court appealing the Appeals officer's determination. The only issue petitioners raised, both during appeals and at2006 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 111">*115 trial, was a challenge to the validity of the underlying income tax liability for the year at issue.
Petitioners may challenge the underlying tax only if they did not receive a statutory notice of deficiency or were not otherwise afforded an opportunity to dispute the tax liability.
Petitioners asserted for the first time at trial that they never received the above-mentioned notices of deficiency. Respondent has the burden of showing that petitioners received the notices of deficiency. See
In the absence of clear evidence to the contrary, respondent may rely upon presumptions of official regularity and delivery or other circumstantial evidence to prove receipt.
Where the underlying tax liability is not at issue, as in this case, this Court reviews the determination2006 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 111">*117 under an abuse of discretion standard.
Petitioners received an appropriate hearing under section 6320(b).
Reviewed and adopted as the report of the Small Tax Case Division.
Decision will be entered for respondent.
1. Unless otherwise indicated, subsequent section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the year at issue.↩
2. Mr. Carter also testified to working nights in some capacity during the year in question and until a few weeks before trial, when he began receiving disability payments. He did not specify the nature of his work. The deficiency assessed related solely to the retirement benefits received from Kaiser Aluminum; therefore, the nature of Mr. Carter's other employment is inconsequential.↩
3. Petitioners filed a Form 12153 with respect to the