Andrews Steel Co. v. United States

42 F.2d 573, 70 Ct. Cl. 235, 8 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 11182, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 429
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedJune 2, 1930
DocketNo. J-388
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 42 F.2d 573 (Andrews Steel Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andrews Steel Co. v. United States, 42 F.2d 573, 70 Ct. Cl. 235, 8 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 11182, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 429 (cc 1930).

Opinion

LITTLETON, Judge.

There is no controversy with reference to the interest paid by the Commissioner upon the amounts refunded. The controversy relates to the computation of interest upon the overpayments for 1917 and 1918 credited against the tax due for other years.

The first question is as to the daté on which the Commissioner allowed the credit within the meaning of section 1324 of the Revenue Act of 1921 (42 Stat. 316). The defendant contends that the credit was allowed on August 25,1922, the date when the Commissioner first signed the schedule of overassessments for transmission to the collector, while the plaintiff contends that the credits were allowed within the meaning of the act on September 6, 1922, when the Commissioner signed the schedule of refunds and credits certified to him by the collector authorizing the disbursing clerk of the Treasury to pay the amounts shown to be refundable, and interest.

The second question is whether, in providing for the payment of interest on credits to the date of the allowance of claim for credit, the aet intended to give the government the right to collect interest on the unpaid installments of the tax reported and due on the return of the taxpayer for years prior to 1921 against which unpaid installments the credits were applied.

As to the first question, relating to the date on which the Commissioner allowed the [576]*576credit, the position of the plaintiff is correct. Girard Trust Co. v. United States, 279 U. S. 163, 46 S. Ct. 229, 79 L. Ed. 524; Swift & Co. v. United States, 68 Ct. Cl. 97; Boston Buick Co. v. United States (D. C.) 27 F.(2d) 395, affirmed (C. C. A.) 35 F.(2d) 569; West Leechburg Steel Co. v. United States, 49 F.(2d) 131; Atlas Powder Co. v. United States, 40 F.(2d) 136; and Pottstown Iron Co. v. United States, 49 F.(2d) 142, decided by this court April 7, 1930.

On the second issue, the plaintiff contends that it is entitled to additional interest on the amounts credited against the original tax for 1919 and 1920 from the due dates of the tax for those years to which the Commissioner computed interest to September 6, 1922, the date when the Commissioner allowed the credit; that it is entitled to additional interest upon the amounts credited against the additional 'assessment of $1,596 for 1920 from August 25, 1922, the date when the Commissioner first signed the schedule of overassessments, to September 6, 1922, the date when he allowed the credit. The defendant insists that it was not intended by the enactment of section 1324 (a) of the Revenue Act of 1921 (42 Stat. 316), to provide for the payment of interest on overpayments of tax credited against a tax due for 'subsequent years without charging a corresponding amount of interest on the amount due and unpaid, and that it is immaterial whether interest be computed to the due date of the original tax against which the sum was credited or to the date of the allowance of the credit, since each computation of interest offsets the other. In other words, it is the contention of the defendant that the tax is a debt and that the United States has a com.m.on-law right to charge the taxpayer interest on the tax from the date it is due.

The defendant computed and paid interest on the overpayment for 1917, $13,773.--53 of which was credited to additional assessments for the years 1919 to 1913, inclusive, and $91,885.66 of which was credited against the unpaid original 1919 tax, and on the overpayment for 1918, $179,309.21 of whieh was applied as a eredit against the unpaid original installments of tax for 1920, and $1,596 of which was credited against an additional assessment for the years 1909 to 1917, inclusive, and the plaintiff claims additional interest upon the amounts so credited as follows;

1917.

Interest Allowed and Paid ty Government.

Amount of Overpayment Amount Credited Amount Refunded Interest Allowed Interest From— To— $159,532.63 $15,669.50 10 — 12—20 1 10 — 12—20 None. 9— 6 — 22 2 8 — 25—22 $1,788.05 1,544.52 $13,773.53 91,885.66 $3,332.57

Additional Interest Claimed hy Plaintiff.

Amount Credited Interest Claimed Additional Interest From— To— $13,773.53 91,885.66 8 — 25—22 10 — 12—20 3 9 — 6—22 3 9 — 6—22 $27.17 10,485.12

[577]*5771918.

Interest Allowed and Paid by Government.

Amount of Overpayment Amount Refunded Amount Credited Interest Allowed Interest Prom— To— $783,977.28 $612,081.07 10 — 12—20 110 — 12—20 110 — 12—20 110 — 12—20 110 — 12—20 110 — 12—20 9— 6 — 22 4 3 — 15—21 4 6 — 15—21 4 9 — 15—21 412 — 15—21 2 8 — 25—22 $69,844.31 3,190.39 914.22 626.41 795.73 178.97 $125,146.80 22,577.21 11,288.10 11,288.10 1,596.00 $75,550.03

Additional Interest Claimed by Plaintiff.

Amount Credited Interest Claimed Additional Interest Próm— To— $125,146.80 22,577.21 11,288.10 11,288.10 1,596.00 3 — 15—21 6 — 15—21 9 — 15—21 12 — 15—21 8 — 25—22 3 91 — 6—22 3 9 — 6—22 3 9 — 6—22 3 9 — 6—22 3 9 — 6—22 $11,090.08 1,662.05 661.66 492.31 3.15

The question of interest on the overpayment of $13,773.53 for 1917 credited against additional assessments for 1910 to 1913, inclusive, and on $1,596 of the overpayment for 1918 credited against additional assessments for 1909 to 1917, inclusive, is entirely disposed of by our decision on the first issue. •Interest on these credits should therefore be computed from October 12,1920, to September- 6, 1922. There is left under the second issue the questions whether plaintiff is entitled to interest upon that portion of the 1917 overpayment of $91,885.66 credited against the unpaid installments of the original tax reported for 1919, upon which the Commissioner computed no interest, and whether it is entitled to additional interest upon that portion of the 1918 overpayment amounting to $170,300.21 credited against the unpaid installments of the original tax reported for 1920 as set forth in the above tabulation, and upon which the Commissioner allowed and paid interest from six months after the filing of the claim for credit to the dates on which the installments of the original tax for 1920 were due.

As shown in findings 3 and 4, plaintiff paid none of the tax due on the return for 1919, and paid only a portion of the installments of the tax reported on the return for 1920. In applying a portion of the 1917 overpayment as a credit against the unpaid balance of the original tax for 1919, and a portion of the overpayment for 1918 against the unpaid balance of the installments of the original tax for 1920', the Commissioner allowed no interest on the 1917 overpayment credited against the 1919 tax and allocated the amount of the 1918 overpayment credited to' the unpaid portion of the four installments of the tax for 1920 and allowed interest on the amounts so allocated and credited to the dates on which the installments became due in March, June, September, and December, 1921. Plaintiff insists that it should have been paid interest upon these credits from October 12, 1920, to September 6, 1922.-

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42 F.2d 573, 70 Ct. Cl. 235, 8 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 11182, 1930 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/andrews-steel-co-v-united-states-cc-1930.