Procedural Issues
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Disqualification of an IRS Appeals Officer for Prior Involvement

Background to a Fair Collection Due Process Hearing In a previous Taxing, Briefly article, we discussed the IRS collection process including Collection Due Process (CDP) appeal procedures.  As we noted in that article, a CDP appeal is a taxpayer’s opportunity to dispute the appropriateness of a lien or levy.[1] In this post, we’ll discuss the disqualification of an IRS Appeals Officer for prior involvement in a collection due process hearing and the IRS’s vehement arguments

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Scott St. Amand September 17, 2021
Procedural Issues
All Articles

On Penalties and Burdens

A burden is a burden, right?  A thirty-three-year-old man-child, living in his mother’s basement, with a Cheeto-stained, self-described “ironical” mustache, then yes.  That’s a burden, no matter how you slice it.  No need to prove it or to produce evidence to support it.  He’s a bum and a burden.  Shave the flavor saver, and get a damn job, hippie. Proof and production, though.  Six of one, half a dozen of another?  Not when it comes

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Scott St. Amand August 30, 2021
Procedural Issues
All Articles

Perfection of Imperfect CDP Appeals

On Latin Nerdery and Perfection of Imperfect CDP Appeals If you have read many of the posts on Briefly Taxing, it should come as no surprise to you that I was a Latin nerd in high school…and college…and at present. The truth of the matter is that I competed nationally, my specialty being Greek mythology. My sophomore year of high school I missed a single question on the national exam. One question. My Latin teacher,

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Scott St. Amand August 12, 2021
Procedural Issues
All Articles

The Truth about Amending Tax Returns

Clients are untrustworthy.  As a tax controversy attorney, this is my experience. I have heard that other types of law deals with more honorable sorts, but I’ll believe it when I see it.  When a client comes to you and says “whoopsie, I forgot to report [insert absurdly large number here] on my return, what should I do?” what should you tell him?  What if the IRS has already discovered the understatement?  Is he under

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Scott St. Amand July 13, 2021
Procedural Issues
Tax Articles

Current Developments on Prior Written Supervisory Approval under IRC § 6751(b)(1)

The Statute No penalty under the Code[1] may be assessed unless the initial determination of such assessment is personally approved in writing by the immediate supervisor of the individual/agent making such determination (or another appropriate higher-level official).[2] This approval requirement, introduced in 1998, was the subject of only three substantial decisions prior to 2020. This year, however, was a boon for taxpayers, and the full opinions of the Tax Court defined the metes and bounds

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Scott St. Amand April 30, 2021
Income Tax Issues
Tax Articles

A Deep Dive into Innocent Spouse Relief

Uncle Bill has four children…that he knows of. We met Jedediah in a previous post. Jethro is on year four of his five-year stint at Raiford for possession of amphetamines with intent to distribute. In his defense, Jethro agreed with the officer that the crank was his.  However, he vehemently denied that he had any intent whatsoever to share it with anyone else. (Candidly, you absolutely believe him.)  Bill and Ethel’s daughters Jennie and Jaime

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Scott St. Amand April 29, 2021
Procedural Issues
Tax Articles

What is a Tax Return and When is it Good Enough?

As Supreme Court Justice William Brandies noted so eloquently in a 1930 opinion, “[t]he word ‘return’ is not a technical word of art.”[1] Translated from circumlocution and niceties to frank and righteous indignation, this means that Congress (via the IRS), which exerts so much time, energy, resources, and three to four shared administrative brain cells to the task of assigning and perfecting the definitions of definitions, beating a dead horse until even the glue factory

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Scott St. Amand April 29, 2021
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Redefining Your Financial Outlook for Greater Life Success
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Redefining Your Financial Outlook for Greater Life Success Guest Writer:  Michael Longsdon of ElderFreedom.net* It’s a powerful realization that our financial success is deeply intertwined with our money mindset. This article will guide you through the steps to rewire your perception of money and to redefine your financial outlook, opening

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Scott St. Amand November 28, 2023

Can an Estate’s Creditor Compel a Florida Personal Representative to Produce an Estate Tax Return in a Probate Proceeding?

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Scott St. Amand June 26, 2023

Norberg v. Commissioner
T.C. Memo. 2022-30

On April 5, 2022, the Tax Court issued a Memorandum Opinion in the case of Norberg v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2022-30). The primary issue presented in Norberg v. Commissioner was whether the settlement officer abused its discretion in upholding a notice of intent to levy and denying the petitioners’ request

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Scott St. Amand January 24, 2023

Salter v. Commissioner
T.C. Memo. 2022-29

On April 5, 2022, the Tax Court issued a Memorandum Opinion in the case of Salter v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2022-29). The primary issues presented in Salter v. Commissioner were (i) whether the Code section providing exception from imposition of additional tax resulting from early distribution from retirement plan applied;

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Scott St. Amand November 23, 2022

Middleton v. Commissioner
T.C. Memo. 2022-28

On April 4, 2022, the Tax Court issued a Memorandum Opinion in the case of Middleton v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2022-28). The primary issues presented in Middleton v. Commissioner were (i) whether the taxpayer could challenge the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty at his CDP hearing; and (ii) whether the taxpayer

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Scott St. Amand November 22, 2022