Decision will be entered for respondent regarding the income tax liabilities and
GOEKE,
The parties submitted this case fully stipulated under
Petitioner timely filed her 2006 and 2007 individual income tax returns reporting tax due for both years but failed to have an adequate amount of Federal tax withheld for either year or otherwise to pay the reported liabilities. *231 Respondent made an assessment for both years for the unpaid tax, "penalties",3 and interest (collectively, tax liability) and issued petitioner a notice and demand for payment on April 21, 2008, for the 2006 tax year and on May 26, 2008, for the 2007 tax year. After petitioner either refused or neglected to pay the tax liability, respondent sent petitioner a Letter 1058, Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing (final notice of intent to levy), on April 11, 2009. The final notice of intent to levy stated that petitioner owed $15,0424 for her 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*228 2006 and 2007 tax years: (1) 2006—$9,833 income tax liability; $1,248 in interest; and $545 in additions to tax; and (2) 2007—$3,009 income tax liability; $135 in interest; and $272 in additions to tax.
Petitioner requested a collection 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*229 due process (CDP) hearing by timely filing Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process or Equivalent Hearing. Respondent's Appeals officer received petitioner's CDP hearing request on May 12, 2009. The CDP hearing request sought the abatement of the additions to tax, an offer-in-compromise, and an installment agreement because: (1) the levy action and additions to tax are a hardship and burden in this recession; (2) petitioner cannot fully pay the tax liability; and (3) petitioner has reasonable cause for the abatement of the additions to tax. Moreover, the CDP request indicated that respondent should contact petitioner's representative, Suzanne A. Ascher.
On January 14, 2010, the Appeals officer received petitioner's offer-in-compromise (OIC). Petitioner stated two reasons for the OIC: (1) doubt as to collectibility—petitioner has insufficient assets and income to pay the tax liability; and alternatively (2) effective tax administration—petitioner has sufficient assets to pay the tax liability amount, but because of exceptional circumstances, requiring full payment would cause economic hardship or would be unfair and inequitable. In support of petitioner's 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*230 assertions, she submitted a Form 433A, Collection *233 Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals (CIS).5 Petitioner reported, inter alia, the following information on her CIS: (1) monthly income of $5,540;6 (2) two dependents;7 (3) $240 per month for child and dependent care expenses;82012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*231 and (4) a $440 monthly loan payment9 for a Chevy Trailblazer. Petitioner offered to pay $1,000 in compromise of the tax liability. Moreover, the OIC indicates that the $1,000 offer is also in compromise for tax liabilities relating to petitioner's 2003, 2004, and 2005 tax years.10 Petitioner did not submit a deposit payment with the OIC.
In response to petitioner's CIS, the Appeals officer made two sets of calculations on the basis of different assumptions to determine whether to accept or reject the OIC. One calculation considered all of the expense information petitioner provided (favorable calculation), and the other calculation (less favorable calculation) disallowed some of petitioner's claims for lack of supporting documentation. Moreover, the Appeals officer determined that petitioner's gross monthly income was $6,914 and used that figure in both calculations.
The favorable calculation assumed, among other things, a two-person household, $120 per month for medical expenses, $240 per month for child care expenses, and $440 per month for transportation. The less favorable calculation disallowed petitioner's unsupported claims—it assumed only a one-person 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*232 household and it did not consider child care expenses or transportation expenses. Under both calculations the Appeals officer determined that petitioner could fully pay the tax liability without economic hardship. Moreover, because petitioner failed to support certain claims on her CIS, the Appeals officer provided petitioner with a calculation worksheet showing how she arrived at the less favorable calculation.
*235 As a result of the less favorable calculation, the Appeals officer determined that petitioner had net equity in assets of $27,793, net monthly income of $1,741, and a reasonable collection potential of $172,322. Around March 22, 2010, the Appeals officer recommended rejection of petitioner's OIC because petitioner failed to demonstrate that paying the tax liability in full would cause her economic hardship.
A settlement officer was then assigned to petitioner's CDP hearing. The settlement officer sent petitioner a letter dated April 30, 2010, regarding petitioner's OIC for the 2003 through 2007 tax years. The letter indicated that petitioner's tax liability as of May 15, 2010, was $54,450.11 Moreover, the letter indicated that the settlement officer: 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*233 (1) reviewed petitioner's file and agreed with the Appeals officer's decision to reject petitioner's OIC; and (2) determined on the basis of petitioner's last filed income tax return that petitioner's monthly income was $7,077.
Furthermore, the settlement officer requested that petitioner provide the following documentation: (1) her 2009 Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement; (2) *236 support for $550 of monthly transportation expenses; (3) support for a loan balance on her section 401(k) plan account with Verizon; and (4) support for $240 of monthly child and dependent care expenses. The settlement officer's letter concludes: "If you wish to continue with the appeals process and have additional information that you would like to be considered, contact me by 05/17/2010. If I do not hear from you or receive any additional information I will make my final determination based on the current contents of your file."
On May 17, 2010, Ms. Ascher responded to the settlement officer's request by faxing the following: (1) a cover letter explaining petitioner's 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*234 request for an OIC; (2) petitioner's 2009 Form W-2 reporting $82,780 of wages for Federal income tax purposes; (3) petitioner's 2010 pay stub from Verizon reporting $26,457 of wages earned as of May 1, 2010; (4) a billing statement from GMAC Financial Services supporting monthly automobile payments of $435; (5) a signed letter from Mary Holmes stating that petitioner pays Ms. Holmes $60 per week for childcare services; and (6) a Fidelity statement supporting petitioner's section 401(k) plan loan balance of $5,341.
The cover letter requests that the settlement officer reconsider petitioner's OIC and the abatement of the additions to tax because requiring full payment of the tax liability would cause petitioner economic hardship as she is a single mother *237 in 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*235 New York City with no means of support beyond her Verizon salary and the economy is in recession. Moreover, the cover letter suggests that petitioner's 2010 pay stub should be used to calculate her gross monthly income essentially because of poor economic conditions which, to Ms. Ascher's understanding, have led to cutbacks and job layoffs at Verizon. Finally, the cover letter requests an installment agreement if the OIC is not granted.
On May 19, 2010, the settlement officer reviewed the faxed information and determined that petitioner's gross monthly income was $7,050, net equity in assets was $6,432, and net monthly income was $1,718. He concluded that petitioner could fully pay the tax liability and therefore determined that petitioner's OIC should be denied. Moreover, the settlement officer found that petitioner's status as a single mother did not meet the criteria for "penalty" abatement or efficient tax administration. Thereafter, the settlement officer left a voicemail with Ms. Ascher reporting his findings and offering an installment agreement requiring $1,000 monthly payments over 5 years.
The following day Ms. Ascher left a voicemail with the settlement officer stating that 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*236 she wanted petitioner's additions to tax abated and that the settlement officer should correct his findings by adjusting the national standard expenses and health insurance expenses for two people. The settlement officer recalculated *238 petitioner's asset equity table and income-expense table and decided to deny petitioner's OIC as a collection alternative on June 1, 2010. He secured approval to close the CDP hearing on June 8, 2010.
On July 1, 2010, respondent's Appeals Office issued petitioner a Notice of Determination Concerning Collection Action(s) Under
At the conclusion of the hearing, the Appeals officer must determine whether and how to proceed with collection and shall take into account: (1) whether the requirements of applicable law and administrative procedure have been met; (2) any issues the taxpayer raised; and (3) whether the collection action balances the need for efficient collection of tax 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*238 with the taxpayer's legitimate concern that any collection action be no more intrusive than necessary.
Where the validity of the underlying tax liability is properly at issue, the Court will review the matter de novo.
Petitioner argues that: (1) respondent abused his discretion because he did not give fair consideration to all of the financial information provided to him in attempts to establish an OIC, installment agreement, and abatement of the additions to tax; and (2) respondent abused his discretion by prematurely concluding the CDP hearing.12 As discussed
We review the Commissioner's determination of additions to tax de novo.
Respondent asserts that petitioner is liable for
Petitioner concedes that she did not pay the tax due shown on her 2006 and 2007 tax returns on or before the prescribed dates. Therefore, respondent satisfied his burden of production with respect to the
Petitioner has failed to show reasonable cause for her failure to pay the 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*242 tax due. A failure to pay will be considered due to reasonable cause if the taxpayer makes a satisfactory showing that she exercised ordinary business care and prudence in providing for payment of her tax liability but nevertheless either was unable to pay the tax or would suffer undue hardship if she paid on the due date.
However, in order to permit this Court to make the analysis required by
Notwithstanding our findings with regard to the burden of production, we do not sustain respondent's collection action with regard to the
A clear record of relevant transactions is very important in a
The notice of intent to levy states that "penalties" were assessed for late payment under
*247 Furthermore, petitioner bears the burden of persuading us that respondent's determination of an addition to tax is incorrect.
In these circumstances, we hold that respondent failed to provide petitioner with adequate notice of the
Doubt as to collectibility exists in any case where the taxpayer's assets and income are less than the full amount of the liability.
Where, because the reasonable collection potential of the case exceeds the taxpayer's liability, doubt as to collectibility is not a ground for compromise, the *249 Secretary may enter into a compromise on the ground of effective tax administration.
We do not conduct an independent review of what would be an acceptable OIC.
Petitioner requested her OIC based on doubt as to collectibility and effective tax administration and asserts respondent abused his discretion by failing to give fair consideration to all of the financial information she provided. However, petitioner does not point to anything in the record to support her assertion that respondent failed to consider any financial information. Conversely, the record is replete with instances in which the Appeals officer and the settlement officer made *250 calculations on the basis of documentation petitioner provided. Moreover, both the Appeals officer and the settlement officer made additional calculations on the basis of assumptions favorable to petitioner but still concluded that petitioner's OIC should be rejected.
In the May 17, 2010, cover letter petitioner suggests that her 2010 pay stub for the period ending May 1, 2010, should be used to calculate her gross monthly wages, rather than her 2009 Form W-2. Petitioner supports her argument by stating that she understands that there have been some layoffs at Verizon due to the poor 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*250 economy. The settlement officer determined that the 2009 Form W-2 provided a better indication of petitioner's gross monthly income than the partial-year pay stub. Petitioner's "understanding" that there had been layoffs at Verizon is insufficient to support a finding that the settlement officer abused his discretion in calculating petitioner's gross monthly income.
Petitioner offered $1,000 in compromise of the tax liability. Moreover, petitioner's reasonable collection potential was determined to be $124,935—well in excess of the tax liability. The $1,000 OIC does not reflect the reasonable collection potential. Moreover, doubt as to collectibility is not grounds for a compromise because the reasonable collection potential exceeds the tax liability. *251 Furthermore, the settlement officer determined that collection in full would not cause economic hardship that would justify a compromise on the basis of effective tax administration. Petitioner argues that she is a single mother living in New York in tough economic times. The settlement officer took note of this in the record, but after making numerous calculations, determined that collection in full would not cause economic hardship. 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*251 He determined that petitioner's net monthly income was $1,718 and offered an installment agreement requiring monthly payments of $1,000 for five years. The settlement officer's calculations were reasonable. Accordingly, we conclude that respondent did not abuse his discretion in rejecting petitioner's OIC.
After 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*252 deciding to reject petitioner's OIC, the settlement officer offered an installment agreement requiring $1,000 monthly payments for five years. He determined that petitioner could make $1,000 monthly payments because he calculated her net monthly income to be $1,718. Instead of attempting to further negotiate or offer an installment agreement of her own, Ms. Ascher merely left a voice message with the settlement officer demanding the abatement of additions to tax and stating that his expense calculations need to be adjusted for two people. She made no further attempt to contact the settlement officer, nor did she offer any new information supporting her assertions. The settlement officer recalculated petitioner's income-expense table and asset equity table and again found that his original installment agreement was appropriate. Accordingly, we conclude that respondent did not abuse his discretion with regard to the proposed installment agreement.
Petitioner argues that the settlement officer prematurely closed the CDP hearing by failing to return Ms. Ascher's May 20, 2010, phone message when Ms. Ascher was trying to establish a collection 2012 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 226">*253 alternative and the abatement of additions to tax. We note that there is no requirement that the Appeals Office wait a certain amount of time before issuing a notice of determination.
We again note that Ms. Ascher's voicemail was not an attempt to establish a collection alternative or the abatement of additions to tax—she merely reiterated assertions included in her May 17, 2010, cover letter. She did not offer an installment agreement of her own, nor did she make another attempt to contact the settlement officer after leaving a voice message.
The Appeals Office issued the notice of determination approximately 13 months after petitioner filed her CDP request—one year longer than the period *254 upheld in
We conclude that the settlement officer did not abuse his discretion, and we sustain respondent's collection action, with regard to the 2006 and 2007 income tax liabilities and the
*255 In reaching our holding herein, we have considered all arguments made by the parties, and, to the extent not mentioned above, we conclude they are moot, irrelevant, or without merit.
To reflect the foregoing,
1. Respondent also vaguely references the 1999 tax year on the second page of the notice of determination but does not argue anywhere in the record that petitioner owes tax for that year. In response, petitioner asserts in the petition that she does not owe any tax for the 1999 tax year. Accordingly, we find that the 1999 tax year is not in dispute in this proceeding.
2. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect at all relevant times, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
3. Respondent and petitioner incorrectly refer to additions to tax under
Moreover, the record is replete with inconsistent references to the additions to tax. The final notice of intent to levy indicated that the additions to tax were assessed pursuant to
4. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.↩
5. While respondent's OIC case history listing makes several references to information provided in petitioner's Form 433A, the form is not included in the record.↩
6. Petitioner provided pay stubs in support of her claimed monthly income. The pay stubs also indicate that petitioner had a section 401(k) plan with Verizon.↩
7. Petitioner's 2006, 2007, and 2008, income tax returns report only one exemption.↩
8. The child and dependent care expenses were supported by a statement from a third party claiming that she receives $60 per week from petitioner for caring for petitioner's child.
9. In another section of the CIS, petitioner claimed the monthly payment on the loan for the Chevy Trailblazer is $550. Petitioner did not provide support for the monthly loan payment or the associated loan balance with the CIS.↩
10. There is no information in the record explaining petitioner's 2003-05 tax years.↩
11. It is unclear from the record whether the $54,450 tax liability includes petitioner's 2003-05 tax years or relates only to petitioner's 2006-07 tax years.↩
12. Petitioner also argues that respondent abused his discretion by not providing petitioner with an asset equity table and income-expense table. Petitioner does not cite any authority for this assertion, nor have we found any law requiring respondent to unilaterally produce these documents. Moreover, petitioner did not request either of these documents throughout the hearing. Accordingly, we fail to see the merit in this argument.↩
13. The
14. Respondent also appears to have had difficulty deciphering the record—he implies in his brief that "penalties" were assessed under