American Cigar Co. v. Commissioner

21 B.T.A. 464, 1930 BTA LEXIS 1842
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedNovember 29, 1930
DocketDocket No. 16229.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 21 B.T.A. 464 (American Cigar Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Cigar Co. v. Commissioner, 21 B.T.A. 464, 1930 BTA LEXIS 1842 (bta 1930).

Opinion

[488]*488OPINION.

MuRdock :

1. Early in the year 1902 the petitioner purchased all of the stock of the Cabanas Co. for $1,500,000. It exchanged this stock about five months later for $1,800 in cash, $3,500,000 par value of the bonds, and $19,998,200 par value of the common stock of the Havana Tobacco Co, It computes a profit on this latter transaction as follows;

[489]*489Received-—
$3,500,000 par value of bonds worth 90_$3,150, 000
$19,998,200 par value of stock worth 50---- 9, 999,100
Cash_ 1, 800
Total_ 13,150,900
Gave for the above—
Cabanas stock purchased at par- 1, 500, 000
Profit_11, 650, 900

It claims that this profit, reduced by subsequent sales of the stock to $11,015,992.60, was a part of its earned surplus during the years 1918 to 1920, inclusive.

The respondent contends that the petitioner realized no profit from this transaction because the stock and bonds received were worth no more than $1,500,000, the cost of the Cabanas stock. He computed invested capital without including any part of this alleged profit in the petitioner’s earned surplus. However, there is evidence before us that the fair market value of the securities received by the petitioner exceeded $1,500,000 and this evidence overcomes the presumption of correctness which attaches to the Commissioner’s determination. Cf. Christensen Machine Co., 18 B. T. A. 256; Citrus Soap Co. of California v. Lucas, 42 Fed. (2d) 372. Thus, the fact that the petitioner realized a profit has been established, and our question is to determine the amount of such profit which remained as earned surplus during the year's 1918 to 1920, inclusive.

The petitioner points to the fine prospects of the new company, to the array of successful men back of it, and to the sales of the Havana Tobacco Co. common stock at $50, and up, about the time of the exchange to prove that its fair market value was at least $50 a share. It also argues that this value is shown by the fact that Havana Commercial common, 2½ shares of which were exchangeable under the plan of consolidation for one share of Havana Tobacco Co. common, was selling at $20 on the day of the exchange. Similarly, 100 shares of Havana Commercial preferred, for which $61 was bid and $63 asked, were exchangeable for 60 shares of preferred and 40 shares of common of Havana Tobacco Co. stock, therefore, Havana Tobacco Co. common was worth $50, allowing $70 as the value of its preferred.

There were no sales of the bonds of the Havana Tobacco Co. at or about the time of the exchange. No “ bid and asked ” prices for these bonds are available. The petitioner called an expert witness to prove that their fair market value was about 90. This was a proper method of proof, as we had no special knowledge of the probable value of these bonds. Heiner v. Crosby, 24 Fed. (2d) 191; Boggs & Buhl, Inc. v. Commissioner, 34 Fed. (2d) 859. This man [490]*490told why he thought these bonds would have sold readily at 90. He was well qualified to express an opinion, his reasoning is persuasive, his testimony was not weakened upon cross-examination, and not only was there no proof of a contradictory nature, but his opinion is supported by other evidence that the bonds were valuable. Therefore his opinion is entitled to weight. Boggs & Buhl, Inc. v. Commissioner, supra.

There were no sales of large blocks of Havana Tobacco Co. common at or reasonably near the date of the exchange, but such sales as there were indicate that the value of this stock was between $41 and $60 a share. There were no peculiar circumstances connected with these sales so far as we know.

We have tried to determine the petitioner’s earned surplus as accurately as possible from a careful study of all of the evidence presented. Where necessary, we have borne down heavily upon the petitioner whose duty it was to prove a larger profit, if larger profit there was. George M. Cohan v. Commissioner, 39 Fed. (2d) 540. Our conclusion is that, of the original profit, $9,907,092.60 remained as earned surplus in the years 1918 to 1920, inclusive. Cf. Conley Tin Foil Corporation, 17 B. T. A. 65; Ralph Andrew Applegate, Executor, 10 B. T. A. 705; Walter A. Edwards, 10 B. T. A. 39; Marshall Field, Glore, Ward & Co., 16 B. T. A. 1299; Wilber National Bank of Oneonta, N. T., Executor, 17 B. T. A. 654; Simplex Engineering Co., 17 B. T. A. 504. This amount should be included in the petitioner’s earned surplus in computing its invested capital for these years.

2. The petitioner alleges that the respondent erred in including in its gross income the amount of bond interest owed it by the Havana Tobacco Co., which company was insolvent and unable to pay this interest. As an alternative, it alleges that the Commissioner erred in not allowing the amounts of these interest payments due in each of the years to be deducted in the respective years as debts ascertained to be worthless and charged off. These allegations, in view of the facts, require a somewhat complicated discussion.

We do not know of any decided case which is directly in point. The case has some points in common with the case of Great Northern Railway Co., 8 B. T. A. 225, but in several important details the two cases are different. One difference, although not the only one, is that in the present case the petitioner actually received the interest. It is true that it loaned the money to the Havana Co. with which the latter paid the interest. But the petitioner, by this method of its own choosing, materially changed its relations with the Havana Co. It surrendered the coupons on the bonds and received the interest therefor, and at the same time it became a creditor of the Havana Co. in [491]*491the amount of its advances, which advances were secured by interest bearing notes. As has frequently been said, tax liability must be determined by what was done as opposed to what might have been done, and it makes no difference that the petitioner might have advanced only the money to pay the interest on bonds held by others and .left its coupons uncut. Cf. Nixon v. Lucas, 42 Fed. (2d) 833. If it had done that, this case would be one step nearer the Great Northern Railway Co. case, supra.

The petitioner kept its books and reported its income on an accrual basis. Apparently, it accrued the interest on these bonds on its books, but it did so in a special way by means of an “ interest suspense account.” The financial situation of the Havana Tobacco Co. was very bad. Nevertheless, the petitioner received its interest. Furthermore, it had a valid claim to the amount of the interest and the interest was a proper accrual as it became due. The president of the Havana Tobacco Co. testified that the men back of the American Tobacco Co. were very proud of the fact that they had never brought out a failure; they were loath to allow the Havana Tobacco C6. to get into the hands of a receiver; and they wanted him to make every possible effort to bring the company out of its difficulties.

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American Cigar Co. v. Commissioner
21 B.T.A. 464 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1930)

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Bluebook (online)
21 B.T.A. 464, 1930 BTA LEXIS 1842, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-cigar-co-v-commissioner-bta-1930.