A. C. Burton & Co. v. Commissioner

14 T.C. 290, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 267
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 28, 1950
DocketDocket No. 17168
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 14 T.C. 290 (A. C. Burton & Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
A. C. Burton & Co. v. Commissioner, 14 T.C. 290, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 267 (tax 1950).

Opinions

OPINION.

TURNER, Judge:

The respondent determined deficiencies of $4,546.17 and $17,061.12 in the excess profits tax of A. C. Burton & Co. for 1942 and 1943, respectively.- The single issue presented is the correctness of respondent’s action in determining its excess profits tax credit on the invested capital basis.

The facts have been stipulated.

A. C. Burton & Co., sometimes herein referred to as the corporation, was a Texas corporation, had its principal place of business in Houston and filed its returns for 1942 and 1943 with the collector of internal revenue for the first district of Texas.

For 10 years or more prior to June, 1940, A. C. Burton had owned and operated a sole proprietorship business under the name of A. C. Burton & Co. in Houston. The business conducted under that name consisted of dealing in new and used automobiles, operating a repair shop, and the handling of installment paper acquired in connection with sales of automobiles.

On June 4, 1940, A. C. Burton and two employees of the sole proprietorship, Boy D. Henderson and George E. Ayers, as incorporators, executed an application for a charter for a corporation to be known as A. C. Burton & Co., with a capital stock of $100,000, consisting of 1,000 shares of a par value of $100 each, with Burton subscribing for 900 shares and Henderson and Ayers subscribing for 50 shares each. The purpose of the corporation was “To establish and maintain garages with authority to purchase, sell, store, house, rent, operate, repair and otherwise deal in automobiles and other motor vehicles and their accessories, gasoline, and oils necessary to the operation of motor vehicles. The right to operate shall not conflict with any ordinance of any incorporated city or town in which they shall operate.” The application was accompanied by an affidavit of the incorporators showing that they had subscribed for the entire capital stock and had paid lor one-half thereof in cash. The application was approved and filed by the Secretary of State of the State of Texas on June 20,1940.

On the day the application for the charter was executed, June 4, 1940, Burton caused the Burton Finance Co., a corporation owned by him, to issue to him its check for $50,000, which amount was entered on the books of that company as a loan to Burton. Thereupon on the same day Burton endorsed the check, opened an account with the First National Bank in Houston in the name of “A. C. Burton & Company, Inc.,” and deposited the check to the credit of that account.

On June 24,1940, the first meeting of the stockholders of the corporation and the first meeting of its directors were held. At the meeting of the directors Burton was elected president and his salary fixed at $750 a month. The First National Bank in Houston was named depository for the corporation, the officers of the corporation authorized to sign checks were designated and the bank was informed accordingly.

On June 24, 1940, the $50,000 deposited to the credit of the corporation by Burton on June 4,1940, was applied in payment for $50,000 of the corporation’s capital stock, after which the stock payment record of the corporation showed that the subscriptions of the incor-porators had been paid to the extent of one-half thereof. On the same day certificates for 500 shares (one-half) of the corporation’s authorized stock were issued as follows: Burton, 450 shares; Henderson, 25 shares; and Ayers, 25 shares. The stock issued to Henderson and Ayers, having been paid for by Burton, was owned by him but was issued in their names as his nominees.

On June 25, 1940, Burton caused the corporation to issue to him a check for $49,000 on its above mentioned account with the First National Bank of Houston. He thereupon applied it on an indebtedness owing to that bank by Burton Bealty Co., the payment of which he had guaranteed. From June 25 until July 1, 1940, when the proprietorship’s assets were transferred to the corporation, the corporation’s assets consisted of $1,000 in cash and an account receivable of $49,000 owing by Burton to the corporation on account of the foregoing withdrawal of cash. While no entry was made on the corporation’s books on June 25, 1940, respecting Burton’s cash withdrawal on that day, the amount of the withdrawal was entered on the corporation’s books on July 1,1940, as a debit to his personal drawing account, which was set up at that time on the corporation’s books.

The books of the proprietorship were closed as of Saturday, June 29, 1940. As shown by the stipulation of facts, the assets and liabilities of the proprietorship at the close of June 29, 1940, were as follows:

ASSETS
Cash on hand and in the hank_ $53,100.04
Other current assets_ 243,429.12
Miscellaneous__ 3,480. 78
Fixed assets, less depreciation_ 15,213.80
Deferred charges_ 1,150.48
Total_ 316,374.22
LIABILITIES
Notes and accounts payable_$155,235. 61
Accrued expenses_ 577. 52
Reserve for repossessions_ 8, 028.14
Accrued taxes- 2, 748.30
Burton Realty Co- 8,205. 78
A. C. Burton, drawing account- 50,408. 87
A. C. Burton, capital- 91,170.00
Total_ 316,374.22

On June 29, 1940, Burton caused the proprietorship to execute two checks to him on its bank accounts, one for $50,000 and one for $5,582.88. The two checks completely closed out the proprietorship’s bank accounts. The difference between the total of the checks, $55,-582.88, and the amount of $53,100.04 shown in the above statement as cash on hand and in bank was due to the fact that certain checks theretofore issued by the proprietorship had not cleared on June 29, 1940.

Burton endorsed the two checks to the order of the corporation and on Monday, July 1, 1940, they were deposited in the corporation’s bank account. Concurrently with the foregoing transaction, but without the execution of any instruments of conveyance or the adoption of any corporate resolution in connection therewith, the remaining assets of the proprietorship and all of its liabilities, except accrued taxes of $2,748.30 and the indebtedness to Burton Realty Go. of $8,205.78 for unpaid rental; were transferred from the proprietorship to the corporation.

On July 1, 1940, entries were made in the books of the corporation recording its acquisition of the assets of the proprietorship, including the $55,582.88 represented by the above mentioned two checks, together with the liabilities, except the accrued taxes and the indebtedness to Burton Realty Co.

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57 T.C. 128 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
14 T.C. 290, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/a-c-burton-co-v-commissioner-tax-1950.