Again I’m brought up short by a reader of this blog, when I assume that something is obvious. See my blogpost “Maybe Not So Obvious”, 8/28/11.

This time it’s Mr. T. J. Walker, who finds some of my abbreviations and slang  incomprehensible.

Mr. Walker is right. No readers need play guessing-games here; Tax Court and tax law are sufficiently obscure.

So here’s a brief glossary of terms and abbreviations, with more to follow if time (and reader interest) permits. And if some items are really obvious, I nevertheless include them because, as G. M. Fraser once remarked “someone, somewhere, is sure to clamor for enlightenment if I don’t.”

CAP – Collection Appeal Process. Like a CDP (see below), but no Tax Court review.

CDP – Collection Due Process hearing. See 26USC§6320 and 26USC§6330.

CFR – Code of Federal Regulations. All the published regulations of Federal Administrative Agencies. Available online from http://www.law.cornell.edu

CPA – Certified Public Accountant. For my non-US readers, the equivalent of a Chartered Accountant.

Designated Hitter – A Tax Court designated order. For more details, see https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/InternetOrders/TodaysOrders.aspx

EA – Enrolled Agent. See 31CFR§10.4.

FRCP – Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Available online from http://www.law.cornell.edu

FRE – Federal Rules of Evidence. Available online from http://www.law.cornell.edu

NIFL – Notice of Intent to File Lien.

NITL – Notice of Intent to Levy.

NOD – Notice of Determination. Usually from Appeals after a CDP or equivalent hearing, but can come from Whistleblower Office (the “Ogden Sunseteers”) determining a whistleblower claim.

Off-the-bencher – A Tax Court opinion rendered from the bench after hearing. See 26USC§7459(b). The transcript of the Judge’s oral remarks is the opinion (or order and decision).

Partitive Genitive – A syntactical form carried over from Latin, where one shows an object as a part of a greater whole, as in “a cup of coffee”, “a couple of rounds of briefing”, etc. Much derided by His Honor Judge Mark V. Holmes

Reg – Regulation. Usually Treasury Regulation. See CFR above.

Rounder – A frequent Tax Court litigant. May or may not be found by the Court to make protester or frivolous arguments. IRS periodically publishes notices setting forth what it defines as frivolous arguments.

RTRP – Registered Tax Return Preparer. One who qualified under the now-extinct Shulman-Williams registration regime, abolished by Loving v IRS, No. 13-5601, USCADC.

SNOD – The Statutory Notice of Deficiency, also known as the “ninety-day letter” or “ticket to Tax Court”.

State Abbreviations – I use the United States Postal Service version, i.e., CA for California, AZ for Arizona.

Summary J – Summary judgment. Judgment on the law without need for a trial, as no material facts are disputed. See FRCP§56.

The Hill Far Above – Location of Cornell University Law School.

USCA – United States Circuit Court of Appeals.

USCFC – United States Court of Federal Claims.

USDC – United States District Court. Usually followed by State (or District or Commonwealth or Territory) designation, and geographical designation, i.e., E (Eastern), W (Western), N (Northern), S (Southern), or M (Middle). Thus, I’d write United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee as USDCMDTN, and United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York as USDCEDNY.

USFC – United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

USPS – United States Postal Service

USSC – United States Supreme Court, sometimes also known as “The Supremes.”