Taxpayer Can Only Get Credit When Credit Is Due

My son loves to play soccer, and he generally has a pretty good read on the pitch. Often, when he’s battling for the ball, he makes a calculated gamble: If he takes a hit, he gets a little more physical in response. His thinking is that the referee could decide that the behaviors offset. But if he’s wrong? He could get called for a penalty. It typically comes down to timing.

That’s similar to what happened in a recent payroll tax case that landed before the U.S. Tax Court. Congregation Bais Yaakov is a tax-exempt organization, but still responsible ...