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.
IRS Collection Actions Were Abuse of Discretion Where the Settlement Officer Used Wrong Address: In Talbot v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2016-191, the Tax Court determined that an IRS settlement officer (SO) abused her discretion in sustaining a levy and notice of federal tax lien for three of a taxpayer’s seven tax years because she had failed to properly verify that deficiency notices had been mailed to the taxpayer’s last known address for those years. The court noted the SO relied solely on the IRS’s certified mailing list, which contained an incorrect address for the taxpayer.
ROBERT TALBOT, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent