T.C. Memo. 1996-490
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
PENNEL PHLANDER IRWIN, Petitioner v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 23534-94. Filed October 30, 1996.
Pennel Phlander Irwin, pro se.
Daniel J. Parent, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
PANUTHOS, Chief Special Trial Judge: This case was heard
pursuant to the provisions of section 7443A(b)(3) and Rules 180,
181, and 182.1 Respondent determined deficiencies inpetitioner's
Federal income taxes, and accuracy-related penalties as follows:
1
All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code
as amended, unless otherwise indicated. All Rule references are
to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.
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Sec. 6662(a)
Year Deficiency Accuracy-Related Penalty
1990 $3,522 $704
1991 4,383 877
1992 4,906 981
After a concession by petitioner,2 the issues for decision
are: (1) Whether respondent's determination in the notice of
deficiency was arbitrary; (2) whether petitioner has any remedy
in this Court in regard to respondent's purported misconduct in
the course of examining petitioner's returns; (3) whether
petitioner is entitled to claimed Schedule C deductions for
various expenses incurred pursuant to his activities as a free-
lance writer; (4) whether petitioner is liable for self-
employment taxes with respect to his net income earned as a free-
lance writer; and (5) whether petitioner is liable for the
accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a).
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are
so found. The stipulated facts and attached exhibits are
incorporated herein by reference. At the time of the filing of
the petition, petitioner resided in Lodi, California.
During the years in issue, petitioner worked as an
electronics training instructor for the Department of Defense.
At that time, petitioner was also a self-employed writer,
reporting items of income and deductions on Schedules C.
2
Petitioner concedes that slot machine winnings of $1,421,
reported on Schedule C for 1991, should be recharacterized as
"other income".
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Petitioner received a B.A. degree in history from California
State University at Sacramento. He has written five unpublished
novels, including: Great Woods Poppy; Trappers; Forever Three
Friday; Positively People; and Atla One, the first of a trilogy.
With respect to his activities as a "self-employed
writer/editor/educator", petitioner reported income and claimed
expenses on Schedules C as follows:3
Expenses 1990 1991 1992
Car and truck expenses $4,187 $5,633 $10,228
Insurance 2,549 2,917 2,597
Legal and professional services 139 100 545
Office expense 157 1,498 1,647
Vehicle lease 2,621 2,639 2,658
Lease of other business property 3,222 2,925 3,130
Repairs and maintenance 48 582 629
Taxes and licenses 445 535 527
Travel, meals, and entertainment 1,892 738 1,833
Utilities 1,393 2,263 1,702
Postage 75 151 211
Research 9,455 10,237 4,366
Writing experimentation 67 255 171
Telephone 784 910 804
Total expenses 27,034 31,383 31,048
1
Gross income 2,356 1,421 3,419
Net income/loss (24,678) (29,962) (27,629)
1
Petitioner now concedes that this amount
constituted gambling income, unrelated to his writing
activities. See supra note 2.
3
The items and amounts listed are taken from petitioner's
amended returns (Forms 1040X) for the years 1990, 1991, and 1992.
On the amended returns, petitioner claimed larger deductions than
claimed on his original returns. The notice of deficiency
specifically disallows the amounts claimed on both the original
and the amended returns.
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Petitioner's claimed deductions include, inter alia: (1) The
costs related to leasing petitioner's purported home office, a
five-room modular building located on a 5-acre compound, where
petitioner and his wife also resided; (2) all utility costs
associated with the purported home office; (3) the costs
associated with furnishing petitioner's purported home office,
including the costs related to purchasing a television, washing
machine, bed, and hot tub; (4) the cost of purchasing an
insurance policy on petitioner's life; (5) all costs associated
with three cars used by petitioner and members of his family,
including the costs incurred in driving between petitioner's job
location as a military instructor in Sacramento, California, and
his purported home office in Lodi, California; (6) expenses
incurred in traveling to Michigan, where he attended his mother's
funeral; (7) his daughter's dormitory expenses at college; (8)
dental expenses for himself and his family; and, (9) all costs
associated with the telephone in petitioner's home office, which
was the only telephone line in the dwelling.
As indicated in the notice of deficiency, respondent denied
all of petitioner's claimed deductions, with the exception of
expenses for postage and depreciation attributable to the cost of
certain office equipment.4 Respondent determined that the
4
Respondent allowed petitioner deductions for postage in
the amounts of $70 in 1990, $143 in 1991, and $211 in 1992.
Respondent allowed deductions for depreciation expenses in the
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expenses underlying the denied deductions were either personal in
nature, or inadequately substantiated. On the other hand, in a
2-page document entitled "The Audit of '91", by Pennel P. Irwin,
petitioner states in part:
Because of the nature of the business, expenses vary
depending upon the type of writing being done. For
non-fiction writing, expenses are limited to just those
items directly related to the subject being researched.
For fiction writing all personal experiences and
observations are all business experiences and
observations * * * so there is no distinction between
personal and business costs * * *. (Example: Upon
awaking in the morning the toiletry and dressing
process carried out by myself, and observed in others,
is research whose end observations are included in the
fictional writing for similar actions carried on by the
various characters; and therefore, different grooming
products would be justifiable research expenses as well
as different clothing that conveys fit and feel * * *.)
Thus all expenses I incur are either for business
research or business maintenance or business
production, though I have, out of choice, not declared
all of these---such as food, clothing, toiletries or
amusements.
In an attempt to substantiate his claimed deductions, petitioner
provided copies of canceled checks, drawn on his personal
account. Petitioner, however, failed to indicate the precise
nature of the expenses underlying many of the checks. For
example, petitioner lists many of the expenses under the broad
rubric, "research materials", without specifying the expenditure
in any detail.
During the course of the examination of petitioner's return,
respondent sought certain materials, including a log or diary to
amounts of $101 in 1991 and $172 in 1992, attributable to the
costs of a computer disk drive and a cabinet.
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substantiate where petitioner had traveled, and the business
purpose of his travel expenses. Respondent also requested an
itemized list of petitioner's business-related telephone calls.
Petitioner refused to provide the requested materials to
respondent's agents.
At trial, petitioner reiterated the same objections made
during the course of the examination, arguing that respondent
engaged in prior restraint of free speech in violation of the
First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by seeking to examine
petitioner's "works in progress", and that respondent's
examination of petitioner's copyrighted literary works resulted
in copyright infringement. Petitioner also argued that
respondent's determinations in the notice of deficiency were
arbitrary and without foundation. In short, petitioner fervently
believes that because his activities involve writing, the First
Amendment and copyright protections entitle him to deduct any
expenses which he deems ordinary and necessary, without being
questioned.
OPINION
1. General
Petitioner makes various claims of illegal and
unconstitutional conduct by agents of respondent. We have
attempted to limit our discussion to those matters with a hint of
plausibility. With respect to the more frivolous claims,
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however, "We perceive no need to refute these arguments with
somber reasoning and copious citation of precedent; to do so
might suggest that these arguments have some colorable merit."
Crain v. Commissioner, 737 F.2d 1417, 1417 (5th Cir. 1984).
(A) Arbitrariness of respondent's determinations in
notice of deficiency
Petitioner repeatedly claims that respondent's notice of
deficiency was "arbitrary, capricious, and without foundation".
Generally, the notice of deficiency is presumed correct, and the
taxpayer carries both the burden of proof and the burden of going
forward with evidence. Dellacroce v. Commissioner, 83 T.C. 269,
280 (1984). When a taxpayer establishes that a statutory notice
is arbitrary or without foundation, however, the Commissioner
bears the burden of going forward with evidence. Alanis v.
Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-263. The cases dealing with
arbitrary determinations, however, involve issues of omitted
income, where the Commissioner failed to introduce any
substantive evidence indicating that the taxpayer had received
income as determined in the notice of deficiency. E.g.,
Weimerskirch v. Commissioner, 596 F.2d 358 (9th Cir. 1979), revg.
67 T.C. 672 (1977). In this case, respondent's determination was
based upon petitioner's failure to establish that he is entitled
to claimed deductions.
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Deductions are a matter of legislative grace, and petitioner
bears the burden of proving entitlement to any claimed
deductions. Rule 142(a); INDOPCO, Inc. v. Commissioner, 503 U.S.
79, 84 (1992). This is not a situation where respondent
determined that petitioner had omitted income, and it is evident
that the notice of deficiency was based upon an examination of
petitioner's returns. As such, we reject petitioner's claim that
the determination in the notice of deficiency was arbitrary.
(B) Respondent's actions in conducting the examination
We now turn to petitioner's claim that respondent engaged in
an unconstitutional prior restraint of speech in her attempt to
examine "confidential" details of petitioner's research in regard
to his works in progress. Petitioner appears to object to
respondent's request for information during the examination of
the returns. Respondent, in an attempt to ascertain the
correctness of a taxpayer's return, may examine any books,
papers, records, or other data which may be relevant or material
to such inquiry. Sec. 7602(a). Even if the "confidential"
materials in question were somehow not subject to examination,
petitioner must present other evidence sufficient to meet his
burden of proving entitlement to the deductions in question.
Coulter v. Commissioner, 82 T.C. 580, 581-582 (1984); Mayo v.
Commissioner, a Memorandum Opinion of this Court dated Oct. 30,
1951 (disallowing deductions for lack of substantiation where
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petitioner refused to provide records, invoking Fifth Amendment).
For the foregoing reasons, we reject petitioner's assertions.
Petitioner also contends that respondent, in the course of
the examination, abridged petitioner's copyright interest in a
1993 article entitled, "The Audit of '91". Petitioner's
copyright infringement claims have no foundation. Respondent is
entitled to examine petitioner's literary works in order to
establish whether there was a connection between petitioner's
claimed business deductions and petitioner's business as a
writer. Accordingly, we reject petitioner's arguments.
2. Schedule C Deductions
We now turn to the question of whether petitioner may
properly claim the deductions in question. As explained supra,
petitioner bears the burden of proving entitlement to any claimed
deductions. In this regard, taxpayers must keep sufficient
records to establish the amount of deductions or other matters
required to be shown on the taxpayer's return. Sec. 1.6001-1(a),
Income Tax Regs.
Section 162(a) generally allows a deduction for "ordinary
and necessary" expenses incurred while carrying on a trade or
business. Respondent does not appear to question that
petitioner's writing activities constitute a "trade or business".
Respondent, however, argues that petitioner has failed to prove
that the deductions claimed are "ordinary and necessary" expenses
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arising from petitioner's writing activities. An ordinary and
necessary expense is one which is appropriate and helpful to the
taxpayer's business and which results from an activity which is
common and accepted practice. Boser v. Commissioner, 77 T.C.
1124, 1132 (1981), affd. without published opinion (9th Cir.
1983). Where taxpayers establish that they have incurred trade
or business expenses, but are unable to substantiate the precise
amount of the expenses, we may estimate the amount of the
deductible expenses. Cohan v. Commissioner, 39 F.2d 540, 543-544
(2d Cir. 1930). However, we cannot estimate deductible expenses
unless the taxpayer presents evidence sufficient to provide some
rational basis upon which estimates may be made. Vanicek v.
Commissioner, 85 T.C. 731, 743 (1985).
Section 262 denies a deduction for any personal, living, or
family expenses. The distinction between deductible trade or
business expenses on the one hand, and nondeductible personal
expenses on the other, is based on a weighing and balancing of
the facts and circumstances of each case. R.R. Hensler, Inc. v.
Commissioner, 73 T.C. 168, 176-177 (1979). With respect to
deductions under section 162, the taxpayer bears the burden of
proving that an expense was incurred for business, rather than
personal reasons. Walliser v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 433, 437
(1979). Specifically, taxpayers must show that the expense was
incurred primarily to benefit their business, and there must have
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been a proximate, rather than remote or incidental, relationship
between the claimed expense and petitioner's business. Id.
We have also recognized that some expenditures are so
"inherently personal" that they are never deductible, regardless
of the relative importance of the expenditures in connection with
the taxpayer's trade or business. Fred W. Amend Co. v.
Commissioner, 55 T.C. 320, 325-326 (1970), affd. 454 F.2d 399
(7th Cir. 1971). As we noted in Bakewell v. Commissioner, 23
T.C. 803, 805 (1955), where we held that the taxpayer could not
deduct the cost of a hearing aid:
We believe that a hearing aid is so personal as to
come within the meaning of section 24(a)(1). Even if
it is used in petitioner's business, * * * the device
is so personal as to preclude it from being a business
expense. A businessman's suit, a saleslady's dress,
the accountant's glasses are necessary for their
businesses but the necessity does not overcome the
personal nature of these items and make them a
deductible expense. * * *
In this case, petitioner suggests that his status as a writer of
fiction can convert otherwise personal expenses into deductible
business expenses, simply because the expenditure is related to
something petitioner may wish to write about. We shall address
separately each category of claimed expenses.
(A) Home Office Deductions
Petitioner describes his entire five-room modular home as a
"business location", and claims deductions for all expenses
relating to rent, utilities, maintenance, furnishings, and
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insurance. Section 280A(a) provides that, generally, taxpayers
may not deduct expenses (that are otherwise allowable) with
respect to the use of a dwelling unit that also serves as the
taxpayer's residence during the taxable year. There are several
exceptions to this rule. The limitations imposed by section 280A
do not apply to expenses attributable to any portion of a
taxpayer's dwelling unit used both exclusively and on a regular
basis as the principal place of petitioner's trade or business.
Sec. 280A(c)(1)(A). In the present instance, respondent argues
that petitioner has failed to show that the business use of his
residence was regular and exclusive.
In order for a taxpayer to establish use on a "regular"
basis, the business use must be more than occasional or
incidental. Jackson v. Commissioner, 76 T.C. 696, 700 (1981). A
taxpayer "exclusively" uses a portion of his dwelling in a trade
or business if the portion in question is not used for other than
business purposes. Sec. 1.280A-2(g)(1), Proposed Income Tax
Regs., 45 Fed. Reg. 52404 (Aug. 7, 1980); Hefti v. Commissioner,
T.C. Memo. 1993-128. Petitioner has not offered sufficient
evidence regarding the amount of time and nature of the work
conducted at his home to establish regular use. Browning v.
Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1988-293, affd. 890 F.2d 1084 (9th Cir.
1989). Furthermore, petitioner has failed to prove that any
portion of his home was used exclusively for his writing
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activities. Browning v. Commissioner, 890 F.2d at 1087-1088.
Petitioner has failed to establish that the business use of his
home is within the exception provided in section 280A(c)(1)(A).
As such, petitioner's dwelling unit does not qualify as a home
office, and we deny petitioner's claims for deductions related to
his home.
(B) Car and Truck Expenses
Petitioner claims automobile expense deductions with respect
to three vehicles used during the years 1990, 1991, and 1992.
Petitioner's automobile logs, offered as substantiation for these
expenses, were not prepared contemporaneously. Petitioner claims
that all the vehicles in question were used exclusively for
business purposes.
(1) 1985 Nissan Sentra
For 1990, petitioner claims that he used his 1985 Nissan
exclusively for business purposes. The total mileage for the
year is 23,900 miles. Of this amount, 22,767 miles are travel
between petitioner's teaching job in Sacramento, and his
residence in Lodi.5 We find that petitioner's primary motivation
in traveling between Sacramento and Lodi was to commute to and
from the home where he and his family resided. Petitioner would
have returned to his Lodi residence regardless of whether it also
5
The remaining 1,133 miles relate to travel away from
petitioner's home and are separately discussed infra.
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served as his writing compound. As such, the expenses in
question were nondeductible personal commuting expenses. Curphey
v. Commissioner, 73 T.C. 766, 777-778 (1980); Mazzotta v.
Commissioner, 57 T.C. 427, 429 (1971), affd. per curiam 465 F.2d
1399 (2d Cir. 1972), affd. without opinion 467 F.2d 943 (2d Cir.
1972).
(2) 1988 Toyota Pickup
Petitioner's wife (Ms. Irwin) was a teacher who also
assisted petitioner with his writing activities on a part-time
basis. Ms. Irwin was the primary driver of a 1988 Toyota pickup
leased by petitioner. Petitioner claims 1,297 business miles
driven in 1990, 2,618 in 1991, and 2,164 in 1992. Apart from
identifying each log entry as "writing research travel",
petitioner offers no evidence regarding the business purpose of
any of the miles driven. As such, we deny petitioner's claims
for deductions with respect to the Toyota pickup.
(3) 1990 Toyota Camry
For the years 1991 and 1992, petitioner claims that he used
his 1990 Toyota Camry for business purposes. The purported
business mileage is 22,616 for 1991, and 21,850 for 1992. Of
these amounts, petitioner's commuting mileage totals 21,806 in
1991, and 21,420 in 1992. As explained supra, expenses relating
to commuting are nondeductible. In attempt to substantiate the
remaining mileage, petitioner introduces a copious amount of
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material, including insurance policies, gas station receipts, and
canceled checks. While these materials establish the amounts
expended, petitioner has completely failed to specify the
business purpose of each expense underlying the receipt or
canceled check. Thus, petitioner has failed to provide any
specific evidence that would indicate that he used the car in
pursuit of his writing activities. Petitioner's claimed
deductions relating to the 1990 Toyota are not allowable. Cobb
v. Commissioner, 77 T.C. 1096, 1101 (1981); Telfeyan v.
Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1988-425, affd. without published
opinion 881 F.2d 1086 (11th Cir. 1989).
(C) Dues and Publications
Petitioner claims deductions for various magazine
subscriptions and membership dues. Petitioner must provide
evidence sufficient to establish a specific connection between
the expenditures and petitioner's trade or business as a writer.
Gorman v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1986-344. Petitioner has
failed to establish any connection, and we sustain respondent's
determination on this issue.
(D) Insurance
Petitioner claims a deduction for a life insurance policy
providing $50,000 in benefits upon his death. Generally, the
cost of life insurance is not deductible. Sec. 1.262-1(b)(1),
Income Tax Regs. Therefore, we sustain respondent on this issue.
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We also reject petitioner's claims for deductions related to
the expense of insuring his vehicles. As previously discussed,
petitioner has failed to establish any business use of the
vehicles in question. Therefore, we sustain respondent on this
issue.
(E) Office Expenses/Supplies
Petitioner claims deductions for "supplies" related to his
literary activities. Most of these expenses, such as furniture
for his residence, a washing machine, and a microwave oven, are
inherently personal. Section 262 precludes such deductions. The
record, however, indicates that petitioner incurred deductible
expenses for stationery and envelopes. We allow petitioner a
deduction with regard to these expenses in amounts equal to $5.55
in 1990 and $35.43 in 1991.
(F) Travel, Meals, and Entertainment
Taxpayers may deduct travel expenses incurred while away
from home in pursuit of a trade or business. Sec. 162(a)(2).
Traveling expenses, however, are governed by the strict
substantiation requirements of section 274(d). Under section
274(d), petitioner must substantiate the amount of the expense,
the time and place of the travel, and the business purpose of the
expense. If petitioner fails to meet the provisions of section
274(d), we cannot employ the principles of Cohan v. Commissioner,
39 F.2d 540 (2d Cir. 1930), to estimate petitioner's travel
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expenses. Keating v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-101; sec.
1.274-5(a), Income Tax Regs.
Petitioner claims deductions with respect to: (1) Trips to
Reno, Nevada, in 1990 and 1991; (2) a trip to Michigan in 1990,
including expenses for his daughter, employed as a "research
assistant"; (3) trips to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 1990 and 1992;
and (4) a trip to Pacific Grove, California, in 1991. In a
misguided attempt to protect the names of purported writing
sources, petitioner has refused to provide sufficient evidence,
such as contemporaneously prepared logs or diaries, from which we
could ascertain the business purpose of his travel. Sec. 1.274-
5T(c)(2), Temporary Income Tax Regs., 50 Fed. Reg. 46017 (Nov. 6,
1985). Furthermore, we are convinced that some of petitioner's
expenditures, such as the costs of travel to Michigan with his
daughter to attend petitioner's mother's funeral and conduct
"research" for Great Woods Poppy, were undoubtedly personal in
nature. As petitioner has failed to meet the substantiation
requirements of section 274(d), we sustain respondent's denial of
all travel expenses.
(G) Research
Petitioner introduced canceled checks, attributable to a
variety of expenditures, purportedly related to his literary
research. While petitioner lists the amounts of expenditures, he
failed to present any detailed evidence concerning the specific
nature of each expenditure. Many of these expenditures are
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inherently personal in nature, including: The cost of his
family's dental work; the cost of his daughter's college
education, Ates v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1985-469; personal
grooming expenses, Hynes v. Commissioner, 74 T.C. 1266, 1289-1292
(1980); and the cost of a television used in his home, O'Connor
v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1986-444; sec. 1.262-1(b)(9), Income
Tax Regs. These expenses are nondeductible. With respect to the
remaining expenditures, petitioner's testimony was vague and
self-serving. As petitioner has failed to specify the business
purpose of any item of expense, we sustain respondent's
determination disallowing deductions for all research expenses.
(H) Telephone Expenses
Petitioner claims deductions for telephone expenses.
Petitioner testified that one telephone line was located at his
residence. Section 262(b) provides that the cost of basic local
telephone service provided to the first telephone line at the
taxpayer's residence is a nondeductible expense. Furthermore,
petitioner has refused to provide details regarding the nature of
long distance calls, invoking the First Amendment. As discussed
supra, we rejected petitioner's arguments concerning
constitutional violations, and we accordingly uphold respondent's
disallowance of all telephone expenses.
(I) Charitable Contributions
During 1990, petitioner contributed $75 to a public radio
station and $35 to the Roman Catholic Church. Generally,
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contributions to charitable organizations are deductible as
itemized deductions. Secs. 170(a), 67(b)(4). Petitioner claims
that these expenses were incurred for the purpose of collecting
research for his writing activities, thereby rendering the
expenses deductible under section 162. Petitioner, however, has
failed to specify the precise nature of the research materials he
received in consideration for the payments in question. As such,
we regard the payments as charitable contributions under section
170. Petitioner did not elect to itemize deductions on his 1990
return. Therefore, he is not entitled to a charitable
contribution deduction.
3. Self-Employment Tax
With regard to his writing activities, petitioner reported
self-employment income in 1990 and 1992. Respondent asserts that
these amounts are subject to the self-employment tax imposed by
section 1401. Petitioner has the burden of proving that
respondent erroneously determined liability for the self-
employment tax. Snyder v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-285.
Petitioner has failed to address this issue. As such, we sustain
respondent's determination imposing the self-employment tax on
the Schedule C income.
4. Accuracy-Related Penalty Under Section 6662(a)
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for the
accuracy-related penalty provided under section 6662(a). The
accuracy-related penalty is equal to 20 percent of any portion of
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underpayment attributable to a taxpayer's negligence or disregard
of rules and regulations. Sec. 6662(a), (b)(1). The term
"negligence" includes any failure to do what a reasonable and
ordinarily prudent person would do under the same circumstances.
Neely v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 934, 947 (1985). The term
"disregard" includes any careless, reckless, or intentional
disregard. Sec. 6662(c). The penalty does not apply to any
portion of an underpayment for which there was reasonable cause
and with respect to which the taxpayer acted in good faith. Sec.
6664(c). Respondent's determination imposing the accuracy-
related penalty is presumed correct, and taxpayers bear the
burden of proving that they are not liable for the accuracy-
related penalty imposed by section 6662(a). Rule 142(a);
Tweeddale v. Commissioner, 92 T.C. 501, 505 (1989).
While petitioner may honestly believe that he is entitled to
deductions for the expenses in question, his position is not
reasonable under the circumstances. Prudent individuals in
petitioner's position would be aware that engaging in the trade
or business of a writer does not transform personal expenses into
deductible business expenses, simply because "life's experiences"
are incorporated into their literary materials. Additionally,
petitioner offered little evidence to substantiate the business
relationship between the expenses and his literary activities.
Petitioner has not met his burden of proof with respect to the
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accuracy-related penalty, and respondent is, accordingly,
sustained on this issue.
To reflect the foregoing,
Decision will be entered
under Rule 155.