People keep telling me to ask for first-time abatement. Should I do that before arguing reasonable cause?
I am in Singapore and my Delaware LLC received a filing penalty related to our first year of U.S. compliance. Various people online say to ask for first-time abatement first because it is easier than proving reasonable cause. Others say international penalties are more complicated and I should not rely on that.
I want to know how to think about the order of the arguments before I call or write the IRS.
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