Abby's, Inc. v. Department of Revenue

16 Or. Tax 259, 2000 WL 34028012, 2000 Ore. Tax LEXIS 60
CourtOregon Tax Court
DecidedJuly 19, 2000
DocketTC-MD 983147B
StatusPublished

This text of 16 Or. Tax 259 (Abby's, Inc. v. Department of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abby's, Inc. v. Department of Revenue, 16 Or. Tax 259, 2000 WL 34028012, 2000 Ore. Tax LEXIS 60 (Or. Super. Ct. 2000).

Opinion

JILL A. TANNER, Magistrate.

Plaintiff appeals Defendant’s Notices of Tax Assessment, assessing Plaintiff for fiscal tax years ending June 30, 1995, and June 30, 1996. A trial was held April 11, 2002, in the Oregon Tax Court, Salem, Oregon. John Gadon, Attorney at Law, appeared on behalf of Plaintiff. James Wallace, Assistant Attorney General, appeared on behalf of Defendant. Richard P. Olson, Chief Financial Officer, Abby’s, Inc., and Victoria E. Hunt, Vice President and Escrow Officer, Commercial Title, testified on behalf of Plaintiff.

During the time allotted for preliminary matters, Gadon orally asked the court to grant Plaintiffs request that copies of its federal and state income tax returns, which were submitted as Exhibits 50, 51, 52, and 53, be sealed. Without objection from Defendant, the court granted Plaintiffs request.

At the conclusion of the trial, the parties requested additional time to discuss a possible revision to Defendant’s Notices of Tax Assessment and the submission of post-trial closing briefs. On June 12, 2000, Defendant filed its Post-Trial Brief, including four possible options for reporting the income tax liability based on the gain realized and recognized from the sale of the properties. Plaintiff filed Plaintiffs Response to Defendant’s Trial Memorandum June 13, 2000.

On June 27, 2000, Plaintiff submitted Plaintiffs Reply to Defendant’s Post-Trial Brief (Reply). Because it was filed after the parties’ agreed deadline for post-trial submissions, the court did not read Plaintiffs Reply.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

Plaintiff, Abby’s, Inc., is an Arizona corporation headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. It is the owner of various pizza restaurants and related real property located principally in southern Oregon and the Willamette Valley. In late May or early June 1995, Plaintiff decided to sell 19 restaurants and related real property (collectively referred to as [261]*261properties) in order to remove the debt associated with those properties from its financial balance sheet. The designated buyer of the properties was an Arizona corporation, ABRE, LLC, which was controlled by the majority shareholders of Abby’s, Inc.

On June 30, 1995, authorized representatives of Abby’s, Inc. and ABRE, LLC signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement (Agreement) that was labeled “blackline 06-22-95 at 4:00 pm from draft dated_(blank).” According to the Agreement, the parties agreed that 19 properties that were located in six Oregon counties and one Washington county would be sold subject to the outstanding debt. The Agreement required that the current debt holders consent to the transfer and agree to a novation, releasing Abby’s, Inc. from any liability for the debt and substituting ABRE, LLC, as the debtor. Without the debtor holders consent, a transfer of the properties would trigger the due-on-sale clauses contained in the existing deeds of trust. On June 29,1995, a five-page letter of escrow instructions was sent to Hunt. According to the escrow instructions, Abby’s, Inc., was to receive $150,000 in cash, and debt in the amount of $6,405,984 was assumed by ABRE, LLC. Abby’s, Inc., agreed to carry a note in the amount of $29,999.

On July 9, 1995, the representatives signing on behalf of Abby’s, Inc., and ABRE, LLC, revised the escrow instructions to Hunt. Using the letter of original escrow instructions as a pro forma, the representatives lined through and changed the consideration and the number of individual parcels sold, including the removal of all five parcels located in Lane County. Olson testified that the consideration was changed to reflect the real market value of the parcels determined by the certified appraiser rather than the tax assessed values that were used as the basis for the consideration in the original Agreement. According to a letter dated June 24,1998, from the certified appraiser, the values of the properties were verbally disclosed to Olson between July 1 and July 11, 1995, with the written reports delivered sometime after July 11,1995.

On July 13, 1995, Abby’s, Inc., received cash in .the amount of $140,000, ABRE, LLC, assumed existing debt in [262]*262the amount of $5,714,284 for the 14 parcels, and Abby’s, Inc., took back a loan from ABRE, LLC, in the amount of $208,866. The titles were transferred and the transaction for the 14 parcels closed.

On November 14, 1995, the five Lane County properties were transferred from Abby’s, Inc., to ABRE, LLC. Abby’s, Inc., was successful in securing novations from all debtholders, except I. L. Investments Group, Inc., which held a promissory note for the Junction City property. That Lane County property along with the other four was transferred to ABRE, LLC. I.L. Investments Group, Inc., did not exercise its right under the due on sale clause.

Plaintiff originally reported the gain arising from the sale of 14 of those properties on its federal income tax return for fiscal tax year ending June 30,1995. Because five of the 19 properties were finalized in November 1995, Plaintiff reported those sales on its federal income tax return for fiscal year ending June 30,1996. It did not report any gain on its Oregon state income tax return for either fiscal tax year. When Defendant audited Plaintiff’s corporate state tax return, Defendant concluded that Plaintiff should have reported the gain and issued its Notices of Tax Assessment. Subsequently, Plaintiff filed an amended state income tax return, alleging that the gain, if any, arising from the sale of all 19 properties should be reported in its fiscal year ending June 30,1996.1

Defendant filed an Amended Answer on January 7, 2000, stating that the November 1995 sales should be reported on Plaintiffs state income tax return for the fiscal year ending June 30,1995, and not fiscal year June 30,1996, as reported by Plaintiffs. Defendant continued to allege that the sale of the 14 properties should be reported by Abby’s, Inc., on its state income tax return for fiscal year ending June 30,1995.

[263]*263ANALYSIS

The parties agree that the year in which Plaintiff must recognize the gain on the sale of its properties is based on when the sale is complete for federal income tax purposes. Defendant would have the court begin and end its analysis based on the fact that Abb/s, Inc., uses the accrual method of tax accounting. Defendant argues that because Plaintiff uses the accrual method of accounting Plaintiff is required to include the gain from the sale in its taxable income prior to receipt in accordance with the Treasury Regulations under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 451, which, in relevant part, provides:

“Under an accrual method of accounting, income is includible in gross income when all the events have occurred which fix the right to receive such income and the amount thereof can be determined with reasonable accuracy.”

Treas Reg § 1.451-1(a).

Treasury Regulation section 1.451-l(a) requires a taxpayer using the accrual method of accounting to satisfy two tests prior to including an item in gross income. First, all the events must have occurred that fix the right to receive such income. Second, the amount to be included must be determined with reasonable accuracy. The court will explain that all events associated with the sale of the 19 properties by Abbys, Inc., including the sale price, could not be determined with reasonable accuracy until July 13,1995.

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16 Or. Tax 259, 2000 WL 34028012, 2000 Ore. Tax LEXIS 60, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abbys-inc-v-department-of-revenue-ortc-2000.