T.C. Memo. 1996-45
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
KENT J. AND RUTH W. DAWSON, Petitioners v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 25220-93. Filed February 12, 1996.
Kenneth A. Burns, for petitioners.
David W. Sorensen, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
DAWSON, Judge: This case was assigned to Special Trial Judge
Stanley J. Goldberg pursuant to section 7443A(b)(4) and Rules
180, 181, and 183.1 The Court agrees with and adopts the opinion
of the Special Trial Judge which is set forth below.
1
All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in
effect for the years in issue. All Rule references are to the
Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.
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OPINION OF THE SPECIAL TRIAL JUDGE
GOLDBERG, Special Trial Judge: Respondent determined the
following additions to petitioners' Federal income taxes:
Additions to Tax Additional Interest
Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec.
Year 6653(a) 6653(a)(1) 6653(a)(2) 6659 6621(c)
1980 $479 --- --- $ 2,877 2
1981 --- $ 833 1 4,996 2
1982 --- 737 1 4,421 2
1983 --- 2,812 1 16,870 2
1
50 percent of the interest payable with respect to the portion of the
underpayment attributable to negligence.
2
120 percent of the interest payable under section 6601 with respect to any
substantial underpayment attributable to tax-motivated transactions.
Following a concession by petitioners,2 the issues for
decision are: (1) Whether petitioners are liable for an addition
to tax under section 6653(a) for 1980; (2) whether petitioners
are liable for additions to tax under section 6653(a)(1) and (2)
for tax years 1981, 1982, and 1983; and (3) whether petitioners
are liable for additions to tax under section 6659.
Petitioners were residents of Henderson, Nevada, when the
petition was filed in this case. Petitioner Kenneth Dawson
(hereinafter referred to as petitioner) is an attorney engaged in
the private practice of law, primarily insurance defense and
2
Although respondent determined increased interest under sec.
6621(c) for all taxable years at issue, petitioners did not raise
this issue in their pleadings or during trial. As such, the
issue is deemed conceded.
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Government consulting, with the law firm of Dawson and Harding in
Las Vegas, Nevada. His wife Ruth Dawson (Mrs. Dawson) is a
teacher and was employed by the Clark County School District
during the taxable years at issue. On their 1983 joint Federal
income tax return, petitioners reported gross income of wages,
interest, dividends, capital gains, and other sources in the
amount of $894,414. Consequently, in the absence of significant
deductions or credits, they would be subject to the payment of a
substantial amount of Federal income taxes for 1983.
During 1983, petitioner's law firm experienced a dramatic
increase in profits resulting from its participation in
litigation involving a fire at the MGM Hotel. Petitioner was
aware of this windfall early in the year, and sought investments
for his income. After reading an advertisement in a local
newspaper that promised tax sheltered investments with a tax
write-off ratio of 4 to 1, petitioner contacted Michael Southard
(Southard) of the Mission Company. At their first meeting,
Southard introduced petitioner to Arthur Geldbach (Geldbach), a
self-described specialist in tax sheltered investments and
financial consulting. Based solely on Southard's recommendation
and Geldbach's promotional material, petitioner hired Geldbach to
provide him and his law partner Samuel Harding with financial
planning services. For his services, petitioner paid Geldbach an
initial fee of $4,000.
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Petitioner informed Geldbach that he was seeking the type of
investments that would provide initial tax benefits and future
income. Geldbach recommended that petitioner invest in a variety
of limited partnerships, including Medical Science Associates
(MSA).3 MSA was engaged in the production, marketing, and
distribution of medical educational video tapes (the tapes) for
continuing medical education of primary care physicians. The
tapes were produced by Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of
Philadelphia (Hahnemann) in a series of approximately 20 programs
centered around one medical subject area. At issue in this case
is the "Therapeutics through Exercise; Sports Medicine and
Chronic Pain Management in Clinical Practice" series.
Petitioner was familiar with continuing legal education for
attorneys and was aware that similar requirements for physicians
were being proposed. Prior to investing in MSA, petitioner
consulted with Geldbach with respect to its tax benefits and
income potential, and thoroughly reviewed MSA's private placement
memorandum (the offering materials or memorandum). Petitioner
testified that he also consulted with his accountant David
Andrews (Andrews) who informed him that he was not qualified to
3
The remaining partnerships included: (1) Balanced Oil and
Gas Drill/Production Fund; (2) Krypton Associates; (3) Genetic
Bank, Inc.; (4) Seigler Partners Ltd.; and (5) Finalco Equipment
Investors XI. Each reported significant ordinary losses and tax
write-offs.
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give advice on the matter but was impressed by the information in
the offering materials.
The offering materials for MSA consists of 267 pages, a
significant portion of which is dedicated to a discussion of the
tax aspects of the investments. For example, in the initial
pages of the memorandum, the following information is provided:
Estimated Tax Although Medical Science Associates, Limited
Effect Per Partnership * * * may have income from its
$30,600 Unit operations, for illustration purposes, the
figures below do not take into account any
income and assume a 50% tax bracket taxpayer.
The [IRS] may disallow any of the various
elements used in calculating Partnership
expenses and credits thereby reducing federal
income tax benefits of an investment.
1983 1984
Capital Contribution $15,300 $15,300
Deductible Loss Equivalent $44,692 $47,520
Investment Ratio 2.9 to 1 3.1 to 1
The memorandum goes to describe the risks associated with MSA,
including 5 pages dedicated to the tax risks alone. Included as
part of the memorandum is an appraisal by McGraw-Hill Information
Systems Company (McGraw-Hill) which determined the fair market
value of the tapes to be $877,663.
Petitioner invested $61,200 in MSA during 1983 and signed a
promissory note for $61,200 due in 1984. Shortly thereafter, he
began to have misgivings regarding the partnership. In January
1984, when petitioner received a second invoice in the amount of
$5,000 from Geldbach for services to be rendered, he expressed
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concerns about the return of his investment. In a letter dated
May 29, 1984, in response to a conversation held on May 22, the
general partner of MSA Jules Klar (Klar), reassured petitioner
that the Internal Revenue Service had not audited the partnership
returns to date and he had no indication that such a challenge
would be forthcoming.
In July 1984, Andrews wrote a letter to Samuel Harding in
reference to his introduction to Geldbach. Andrews stated:
You asked me how I got acquainted with Arthur Geldbach. My
memory will, perhaps, be faulty with specific details but I
remember the gist of the matter.
In the late spring or early summer of 1984, Art and I met
during a backyard party at the home of a mutual friend.* * *
* * * * *
The next week, we met at the Port Tack Restaurant [to
discuss the investments he had presented to you]. I told
him I was unable to judge the quality of the partnership
investments but that I had serious misgivings about [MSA].
I also told him that you and [petitioner] were less than
happy for me to direct them to staple checks to their 1983
tax return extension requests. He said that [MSA] was an
excellent "tax shelter" and he owned an interest in it also.
I told Art that until the IRS examined, neither of us would
ever know for sure. Art said he was proud of the investments
he had sold you and [petitioner]. He said he was confident
they would perform well both as to investment quality and
tax advantages, and that he had done a good job in selecting
them for you. I interpreted these remarks as meaning he had
performed "due diligence" in reviewing their quality.
As to the fact that you had to pay tax for 1983, he said
your tax was extremely small compared to your income. My
response was that $60,000 was still a huge surprise to you
when you had expected none. Art said you were unrealistic
to interpret Mr. Barney's opinion to mean no tax at all.
Since that lunch, Art and I have had no contact. In fact, we
avoid each other when circumstances put us in the same room.
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I guess it would be awkward for us to talk about anything,
including the weather.
Sam, I hope this limited amount of information has some
usefulness for you and [petitioner]. Frankly, I never
dreamed four years ago that I would need to reconstruct my
slight involvement with a "peripheral" fellow being.
[Emphasis added.]
In August 1984, Gersten, Savage, Kaplowitz & Simensky (Gersten),
the law firm representing the partnership, wrote petitioner and
demanded the second payment of $61,200. Gersten explained that
failure to pay would result in a forfeiture of petitioner's
partnership interest and a loss of all tax advantages stemming
from MSA in 1984. Petitioner assured Gersten that payment was
forthcoming but that it was made with "great reluctance" and that
it should "not be construed as a waiver of any claims" which may
arise from his investment in MSA.4
In October 1984, petitioners filed their 1983 joint Federal
income tax return, wherein they claimed an ordinary loss of
$35,539 and an investment tax credit of $79,441 relating to their
investment in MSA. The tax credit was calculated using the
unadjusted basis ($993,014) of the tapes as reported by MSA on
the Schedule K-1. Petitioner also claimed carryback credits for
4
In 1985, petitioner filed suit against Geldbach and Klar,
and joined in a suit against McGraw-Hill allegedly for
preparation of a fraudulent appraisal.
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the taxable years 1980, 1981, and 1982 in the respective amounts
of $9,589, $16,653, and $14,738.
In Charlton v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1990-402, affd. 990
F.2d 1161 (9th Cir. 1993), a test case involving limited
partnerships engaged in the production, marketing, and
distribution of similar tapes (the CME Partnerships), this Court
found: (1) The transaction was not engaged in for profit; (2)
that the appraisal grossly overstated not only the quality and
value of the tapes but also the sales forecast; and (3) that the
transaction was a sham because it lacked economic substance and a
business purpose. We upheld the section 6661 addition to tax for
substantial understatement of tax, and found that losses and
credits claimed with respect to the CME partnerships were
attributable to tax-motivated transactions within the meaning of
section 6621(c). The underlying transaction in the instant case
is in all material respects identical to the transaction
considered in the Charlton case.
In the notice of deficiency, respondent determined that
petitioners were negligent in claiming their distributive share
of MSA losses and investment tax credits. As such, she
determined that they are liable for additions to tax under
section 6653(a) for 1980, and sections 6653(a)(1) and (2) for
1981 through 1983. Respondent also determined that petitioners
are liable for additions to tax under section 6659 for 1980
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through 1983. Petitioners concede they are liable for the income
tax deficiencies exclusive of additions to tax. However,
petitioner argues that the circumstances of this case differ from
those of the taxpayers in Charlton in that he was not negligent.
Therefore, petitioner contends that he should not be held liable
for additions to tax as determined by respondent.
Section 6653(a) for taxable year 1980 and section 6653(a)(1)
for taxable years 1981, 1982, and 1983, provide that if any
portion of an underpayment of tax is due to negligence or
intentional disregard of rules and regulations, an amount equal
to 5 percent of the underpayment is added to the tax. Section
6653(a)(2) for taxable years 1981 through 1983 provides for an
addition to tax equal to 50 percent of the interest on the
portion of the negligence. Negligence is defined as the failure
to exercise the due care that a reasonable and ordinarily prudent
person would employ under the circumstances. Zmuda v.
Commissioner, 731 F.2d 1417, 1422 (9th Cir. 1984), affg. 79 T.C.
714 (1982); Neely v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 934, 947 (1985). The
question is whether a particular taxpayer's actions in connection
with the transactions were reasonable in light of his experience
and the nature of the investment or business. See Henry Schwartz
Corp. v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. 728, 740 (1973). Respondent's
determinations are presumed correct and petitioners bear the
burden of establishing otherwise. Hall v. Commissioner, 729 F.2d
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632, 635 (9th Cir. 1984), affg. T.C. Memo. 1982-337; Bixby v.
Commissioner, 58 T.C. 757, 791-792 (1972).
Petitioner maintains that he acted reasonably and with all
due care in claiming deductions and credits with respect to his
investment in MSA. In support thereof, petitioner argues: (1)
He relied on advice from an independent financial planner; (2) he
relied on an appraisal of the tapes prepared by a well known and
respected company; (3) he was familiar with the use of videos for
continuing professional education; (4) he did not have time
during 1983 to independently investigate each partnership he
invested in; and (5) he monitored his investment and filed suit
against those involved when MSA did not perform as expected.
Under certain circumstances, a taxpayer may avoid liability
for the additions to tax under section 6653(a) if reasonable
reliance on a competent professional advisor is shown. Freytag
v. Commissioner, 89 T.C. 849, 888 (1987), affd. 904 F.2d 1011
(5th Cir. 1990), affd. 501 U.S. 868 (1991). Reliance on advice
of a professional is not, standing alone, an absolute defense to
negligence, but rather a factor to be considered. Id. In order
for reliance on professional advice to excuse a taxpayer from the
negligence additions to tax, the reliance must be reasonable, in
good faith, and based upon full disclosure. Id.
A taxpayer's reliance on representations by insiders,
promoters, or offering materials has been found to be an
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inadequate defense to negligence. LaVerne v. Commissioner, 94
T.C. 637, 652-653 (1990), affd. without published opinion 956
F.2d 274 (9th Cir. 1992), affd. without published opinion sub
nom. Cowles v. Commissioner, 949 F.2d 401 (10th Cir. 1991);
Marine v. Commissioner, 92 T.C. 958, 992-993 (1989), affd.
without published opinion 921 F.2d 280 (9th Cir. 1991); McCrary
v. Commissioner, 92 T.C. 827, 850 (1989). We have rejected pleas
of reliance when neither the taxpayer nor advisers purportedly
relied upon knew anything about the nontax business aspects of
the contemplated venture. Beck v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 557
(1985); Flowers v. Commissioner, 80 T.C. 914 (1983).
Petitioner essentially argues that he reasonably relied on
the purported value of the tapes as set out in the offering
materials and on statements made by Geldbach as to the legitimacy
of the investment. In light of the size of his investment and
the proportionately large tax write-offs, further investigation
by petitioner was mandated. Saviano v. Commissioner, 765 F.2d
643, 654 (7th Cir. 1985), affg. 80 T.C. 955 (1983). While
petitioner consulted with his accountant, he did so after making
his investment, and after considering the information he received
from Andrews and Geldbach. Andrews had no experience in
continuing medical education or the use of tapes for that purpose
and based his opinion that "due diligence" had been done simply
on Geldbach's assurances. Moreover, prior to his investment in
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MSA, both Geldbach and Southard were unknown to petitioner. We
cannot say that reliance on the advice of virtual strangers who
promoted MSA amounts to reasonable conduct. Such reliance is not
the type of activity that overcomes the additions to tax for
negligence or intentional disregard of the rules or regulations.
Patin v. Commissioner, 88 T.C. 1086, 1130 (1987), affd. without
published opinion 865 F.2d 1264 (5th Cir. 1989), affd. sub nom.
Gomberg v. Commissioner, 868 F.2d 865 (6th Cir. 1989), affd. sub
nom. Skeen v. Commissioner, 864 F.2d 93 (9th Cir. 1989), affd.
without published opinion sub nom. Hatheway v. Commissioner, 856
F.2d 186 (4th Cir. 1988).
Petitioner points to his reliance on the appraisal prepared
by McGraw-Hill as evidence of his reasonable and prudent conduct.
However, the appraisal was part and parcel of the memorandum and
may not be considered unbiased and independent information. In
addition, a thorough reading of the appraisal indicates that the
calculation of the fair market value of the tapes was based on
many assumptions, several of which are in direct conflict with
information provided elsewhere in the memorandum. Petitioner's
argument that the cost of an independent appraisal would have
been prohibitive is unconvincing. See Kirwan v. Commissioner,
T.C. Memo. 1994-520.
Petitioner cites Mollen v. United States, 72 AFTR2d 93-
6443), 93-2 USTC par. 50,585 (D. Ariz. 1993), in support of his
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position that he reasonably relied on the advice of independent
parties. Petitioner contends that the factors considered by the
Court in Mollen are generally applicable to the instant case.
The underlying transaction in Mollen is in all material respects
identical to the transactions at issue in this case and that of
Charlton v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1990-402. However, the
facts and circumstances surrounding the taxpayer in Mollen and
his investment in the limited partnership Diabetics CME Group,
Ltd. (Diabetics) are distinguishable from the instant case.
The taxpayer in Mollen was a physician specializing in the
study of diabetes and a leader of a continuing medical education
(CME) accreditation program for a local hospital. He served on a
committee in charge of evaluating CME programs and had a prior
association with Hahnemann. Prior to investing in Diabetics, he
consulted with his personal accountant and a tax attorney. The
taxpayer had no prior business experience. Petitioner, on the
other hand, is a sophisticated attorney with business experience
and knowledge of investments, as evidenced by his interest in a
real estate partnership and rental properties. Petitioner had no
expertise in medicine or therapeutic exercise. His experience
with continuing legal education does not equate to a knowledge of
the nontax business activities of MSA. Petitioner also relied on
the advice of an adviser to whom he had just been introduced by
an unknown promoter of tax shelters. We find Mollen v. United
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States, supra, to be distinguishable and not binding on this
Court.
Petitioner also cites Pelham v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo.
1993-441 in support of his case. The taxpayers in Pelham were
uneducated and unsophisticated investors who were introduced to
their financial planner by their personal accountant, with whom
they had a prior relationship of trust. They invested in a tax
shelter based on the assurances of their accountant and the
financial planner, who was later indicted for fraud and filing
fraudulent tax returns. Clearly, petitioner is distinguishable
from the taxpayers in Pelham.
Petitioner attempts to distinguish himself from the
taxpayers in Charlton v. Commissioner, supra, by arguing that he
relied on independent counsel and specifically on the appraisal
by McGraw-Hill. We find petitioner's reliance to be inadequate;
as an attorney he should have exercised more care. While he did
not have considerable experience with tax shelters, petitioner is
well educated and was sophisticated in business. By his own
testimony, petitioner owned and managed a law firm that at one
time employed 18 or 19 attorneys, and he earned close to $900,000
in fees during 1983. We conclude that a reasonable person with
his background would have been on notice that further
investigation of the investment in MSA was warranted.
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Petitioner contends that his continued monitoring of his
investment and the subsequent litigation against Geldbach and
McGraw-Hill demonstrate that he had a bona fide profit motive in
investing in MSA. However, much of the correspondence received
by petitioner in response to his concerns primarily addressed the
validity of the tax benefits of the partnership, not the income
potential. In addition, petitioner made a second investment in
MSA during 1984, well after he began to have serious doubts about
MSA and its ability to withstand an audit by the Internal Revenue
Service. Petitioners filed their 1983 Federal income tax return
in October 1984, wherein they claimed their distributive share of
partnership losses and credits, well after both they and Andrews
voiced concerns about the credibility of the investment.
We are not persuaded that petitioner lacked interest in the
tax benefits generated by MSA. He testified that he was seeking
an investment that provided initial tax benefits. According to
the memorandum, the projected benefits for investors of $30,600
were investment tax credits and losses exceeding the investment
by a ratio of 2.9 to 1 in 1983, and 3.1 to 1 in 1984. In the
first year, petitioners claimed an operating loss in the amount
of $35,539 and credits totaling $79,441, while petitioners'
investment was only $61,200. The direct reductions in
petitioners' Federal income tax equaled 188 percent of their cash
investment. Given that petitioners' gross income for 1983
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approximated $900,000, their alleged lack of interest in the tax
benefits generated by MSA is unconvincing.
We are also unpersuaded by petitioners' argument that
because of his busy law practice and heavy responsibilities with
the MGM disaster litigation, he could not be expected to spend
time investigating the MSA partnership. Petitioner claims that
he hired a financial planner so that he would not have to spend
his time or resources investigating potential investments. In
our view, despite his numerous responsibilities, petitioner is
required to exercise due care with respect to his Federal income
taxes. Wilson v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-525.
Based on the foregoing we find that petitioner failed to
establish that he acted in a reasonable and prudent manner when
he invested in MSA. Accordingly, we find petitioners were
negligent in claiming the loss and credits on their returns for
the taxable years at issue. Respondent's determination of the
additions to tax under section 6653(a) for 1980 and 6653(a)(1)
and (a)(2) for 1981, 1982, and 1983 is sustained.
We next consider whether petitioners are liable for
additions to tax under section 6659. Under this section, a
graduated addition to tax is imposed when an individual has an
underpayment of tax that equals or exceeds $1,000 and "is
attributable to" a valuation overstatement. Sec. 6659(a), (d).
A valuation overstatement exists if the fair market value (or
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adjusted basis) of property claimed on a return equals or exceeds
150 percent of the amount determined to be the correct amount.
Sec. 6659(c). If the claimed valuation exceeds 250 percent of
the correct value, the addition is equal to 30 percent of the
underpayment. Sec. 6659(b).
Petitioners claimed an operating loss and investment tax
credits based on purported values of $993,014 for the tapes. This
Court found in Charlton v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1990-402,
that the tapes were grossly overvalued. We find that if
disallowance of petitioners' claimed tax benefits is attributable
to valuation overstatement, petitioners are liable for the
section 6659 additions to tax at the rate of 30 percent of the
underpayments of tax attributable to the tax benefits claimed
with respect to MSA.
Section 6659 does not apply to underpayments of tax that are
not "attributable to" valuation overstatements. See McCrary v.
Commissioner, 92 T.C. 827 (1989); Todd v. Commissioner, 89 T.C.
912 (1987), affd. 862 F.2d 540 (5th Cir. 1988). To the extent
taxpayers claim tax benefits that are disallowed on grounds
separate and independent from alleged valuation overstatements,
the resulting underpayments of tax are not attributable to
valuation overstatements. Krause v. Commissioner, 99 T.C. 132,
178 (1992), affd. sub nom. Hildebrand v. Commissioner, 28 F.3d
1024 (10th Cir. 1994). However, when valuation is an integral
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factor in disallowing deductions and credits, section 6659 is
applicable. See Illes v. Commissioner, 982 F.2d 163, 167 (6th
Cir. 1992) (section 6659 addition to tax applies if a finding of
lack of economic substance is "due in part" to a valuation
overstatement), affg. T.C. Memo. 1991-449.
Petitioners concede they are not entitled to any losses or
credits arising from their investment in MSA. The record in this
case and the test case of Charlton v. Commissioner, supra,
clearly shows that the overvaluation of the tapes was integral to
and was the core of our holding that the underlying transaction
herein was a sham and lacked economic substance. When a
transaction lacks economic substance, section 6659 will apply
because the correct basis is zero and any basis claimed in excess
of that is a valuation overstatement. Gilman v. Commissioner,
933 F.2d 143, 151 (2d Cir. 1991), affg. T.C. Memo. 1989-684;
Rybak v. Commissioner, 91 T.C. 524, 566-567 (1988). Accordingly,
we conclude that the deficiency caused by the disallowance of the
claimed loss and credits was attributable to the overvaluation of
the tapes.
Petitioners contend that respondent abused her discretion in
failing to waive the section 6659 additions to tax pursuant to
section 6659(e). Section 6659(e) authorizes respondent to waive
all or part of the addition to tax for valuation overstatements
if taxpayers establish that there was a reasonable basis for the
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adjusted basis or valuations claimed on the returns and that such
claims were made in good faith. Respondent's refusal to waive a
section 6659 addition to tax is reviewable by this Court for
abuse of discretion. Krause v. Commissioner, 99 T.C. at 179.
Petitioner argues that he arrived at his valuation of the
tapes by virtue of his relying on Geldbach and Andrews, and on an
appraisal prepared by McGraw-Hill, in addition to representations
made in the offering materials. He contends that such reliance
was reasonable, and, therefore, respondent should have waived the
section 6659 addition to tax. We have found that petitioner's
reliance on the above was not reasonable because neither Geldbach
nor Andrews had expertise in continuing medical education, the
offering materials contained numerous disclaimers and stated that
prior similar ventures had not been as successful as predicted,
and petitioner did not perform any independent investigation into
the history, experience, credibility, reputation, or finances of
MSA or its promoters.
Petitioners did not have a reasonable basis for the adjusted
base or valuation claimed on their 1983 return with respect to
their investment in MSA. The record does not establish an abuse
of discretion on the part of respondent with respect to the
addition to tax under section 6659. In addition, the record
fails to indicate that petitioners ever requested a waiver from
respondent pursuant to section 6659(e) until briefing after
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trial. We are reluctant to find that respondent abused her
discretion here when, for all the record shows, she was not even
timely requested to exercise it. See Wilson v. Commissioner,
T.C. Memo. 1995-525 (citing Haught v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo.
1993-58; Lapin v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1990-343, affd.
without published opinion 956 F.2d 1167 (9th Cir. 1992).
Accordingly, respondent is sustained on this issue.
Decision will be entered
for respondent.