Tax Return Lost in the Mail Wasn’t Filed, Tax Court Says

A taxpayer challenging a lien stemming from a return that was lost in the mail still faces a $56,000 bill and additional penalties because his return wasn’t actually filed, the US Tax Court said Tuesday.

The court sustained the tax lien on the property or property rights of John Peter Zaimes for underpayment of taxes and failing to timely file his 2015 tax return. Zaimes mailed the return in October 2016 by placing it in a US Postal Service mailbox along with a tax payment for about $58,000, but it wasn’t received by the IRS, the court said.

“We believe ...