Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Commissioner

1969 T.C. Memo. 123, 28 T.C.M. 635, 1969 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 172
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 18, 1969
DocketDocket Nos. 6100-66, 6101-66, 6303-66.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1969 T.C. Memo. 123 (Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling 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
Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Commissioner, 1969 T.C. Memo. 123, 28 T.C.M. 635, 1969 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 172 (tax 1969).

Opinion

Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Company, et al. 1 v. Commissioner.
Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 6100-66, 6101-66, 6303-66.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1969-123; 1969 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 172; 28 T.C.M. (CCH) 635; T.C.M. (RIA) 69123;
June 18, 1969, Filed
*172
Hugh R. Dowling and John W. Mooers, 1824 Barnett Bank Bldg., Jacksonville, Fla., for the petitioners. Vernon J. Owens, for the respondent.

SCOTT

Memorandum Findings of Fact and Opinion

SCOTT, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners' income taxes for the calendar years and in the amounts as follows:

Petitioner196219631964
Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Co.$ 6,670.57$ 5,932.33$ 1,400.24
Beaumont Coca-Cola Botting Co.3,044.7724,276.12845.00
Hygela Coca-Cola Bottling Co. 228,293.4528,537.7849,326.17

Some of the issues raised by the pleadings have been disposed of by the parties leaving for our decision the following:

(1) Whether the cost, including the cost of installation, of certain signs, clocks, and scoreboards to each petitioner during each of the years here in issue are deductible advertising expenses or capital expenditures which should be amortized over an estimated useful life of 5 years, and 636

(2) Whether petitioner, Hygeia Coca-Cola Bottling Co., was *173 availed of during each of the years here in issue for the purpose of avoiding Federal income taxes with respect to its shareholders or the shareholders of any other corporation.

Findings of Fact

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners herein, Alabama Coca-Cola Bottling Company (hereinafter referred to as Alabama), Beaumont Coca-Cola Bottling Company, (hereinafter referred to as Beaumont), and Hygeia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, (hereinafter referred to as Hygeia) are corporations each of which had at the time of the filing of its petition in this case an office and place of business in Pensacola, Florida, this city being the location of the principal office and place of business of Hygeia.

Alabama was organized under the laws of the State of Alabama and filed its Federal Corporate income tax returns for the calendar years 1962, 1963, and 1964 with the district director of internal revenue, Birmingham, Alabama.

Beaumont which was organized under the laws of the State of Texas, and Hygeia, which was organized under the laws of the State of Florida, each filed its Federal Corporate income tax returns for the taxable years 1962, 1963, and 1964, with *174 the district director of internal revenue at Jacksonville, Florida.

Alabama, Beaumont and Hygeia each are now and since their organization have been engaged in bottling and distributing coca-cola and other soft drinks under franchise of the Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, hereinafter referred to as Coke Company.

The business of a predecessor company of Hygeia was sold to Charles V. Rainwater (hereinafter referred to as Rainwater) and Henry J. Edmondson (hereinafter referred to as Edmondson) in March of 1924. After acquiring the plant and business of Hygeia's predecessor, Rainwater and Edmondson had Hygeia incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia. On September 1, 1930, the Georgia corporation was dissolved and Hygeia was incorporated under the laws of the State of Florida and has continued as a Florida corporation. The Hygeia stock was originally issued to Rainwater and Edmondson and it has continued to be held by them, members of their families, trusts created for members of their families or corporations the stock of which is owned or beneficially owned by members of their families.

Issue Involving Signs, Scoreboards and Clocks

Petitioners financed their advertising *175 through "dealer help advertising funds," "participation funds" and expenditures from their own funds without outside control. 3 The "dealer help advertising fund" is accumulated by an arrangement each petitioner had with The Coke Company, whereby that company made each petitioner an allowance of 5 cents for every gallon of Coca-Cola syrup purchased to establish a fund from which various advertising materials might be purchased from The Coke Company. The only way petitioners could use this fund was to purchase such materials. These materials generally known as "dealer help advertising," included such items as pencils, rulers, blotters, calendars and small decals as well as metal signs of various sizes, "tacker" signs which salesmen carry on their routes, illuminated signs, pole signs, hang-out signs, thermometers, and indoor and outdoor clocks.

The "participation fund" is composed of amounts set aside by the bottler for certain *176 types of advertising which are matched by The Coke Company. The Cke Company designates the type of advertising for which these funds may be used.

Petitioners also use their own funds without supplement or subsidy from The Coke Company for advertising through the media of newspapers, billboards, radio and by various other methods. The extent and method of such advertising is determined by petitioners without direction by The Coke Company.

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1969 T.C. Memo. 123, 28 T.C.M. 635, 1969 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alabama-coca-cola-bottling-co-v-commissioner-tax-1969.