United States Tax Court Decision for the Week – You be the Judge

The United States Tax Court Holds Restaurant Owner Fraudulently Underpaid Taxes

A recent Tax Court decision was reported that may be of interest to individuals potentially dealing with tax litigation. J. Frank Best, Certified Public Accountant and United States Tax Court Practitioner, works to stay current on all IRS decisions concerning tax litigation to ensure we are fully informed and prepared for our clients.

The United States Tax Court held that civil fraud penalties applied to a restaurant owner’s tax underpayments, finding that several badges of fraud were present to support a determination that his underpayments were due to fraud; however, the court allowed some additional business expense deductions for nonemployee compensation.

ALAA I. MUSA,
Petitioner
v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE,
Respondent

T.C. Memo. 2015-58