Arata v. Commissioner

31 T.C. 346, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 38
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 12, 1958
DocketDocket No. 67293
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 31 T.C. 346 (Arata 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
Arata v. Commissioner, 31 T.C. 346, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 38 (tax 1958).

Opinion

Bruce, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners’ income tax and additions to tax as follows:

_Addition to tax_

Tear Deficiency Sec. 294(d) (2) Sec. 294(d)Xl) (A)

1953_$19,701.88 $714.13 $1,071.18

Certain adjustments determined by respondent have not been contested. The following issues are presented: (1) Whether the petitioners are entitled to a loss deduction in the amount of $38,250 claimed as a result of the transaction whereby George F. Arata exchanged 765 shares of his stock in Snyder & Black for 765 worthless shares of stock in Salers, Incorporated; (2) whether petitioners are liable for additions to tax under the provisions of sections 294 (d) (1) (A) and 294 (d) (2), I. E. C. 1939.

FINDINGS OF FACT.

Most of the facts were stipulated and together with attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

The petitioners are husband and wife with residence at Five Mile Eiver Eoad, Darien, Connecticut. They filed a joint income tax return for the year 1953 with the district director of internal revenue at Hartford, Connecticut. Carolyn M. Arata is apparently a party in this proceeding only because she joined with her husband in filing a joint return for the year 1953. George F. Arata will sometimes hereinafter be referred to as the petitioner.

At all times here in issue petitioner was president and a director of Snyder & Black, a New York corporation having its principal office in New York City. Snyder & Black is engaged in the business of creating and manufacturing lithographic advertising. Lithographic advertising is primarily the color printing of posters, calendars, booklets, and various related types of display advertising material.

Petitioner is also president and a director of a wholly owned subsidiary of Snyder & Black, Black Building Corporation, also a New York corporation. The business carried on by Black Building Corporation is the ownership and operation of the 11-story building at 200 William Street, New York City, four-fifths of which is occupied by Snyder & Black.

Petitioner was president and a director of 200 William Street Corporation, which was another wholly owned subsidiary of Snyder & Black. 200 William Street Corporation, now inoperative, was the predecessor of Black Building Corporation and carried on the same business as that now carried on by Black Building Corporation.

Petitioner advanced capital in connection with the formation of a corporation known as American Lithograph and was its vice president and a director during the year involved. During the year 1953 he was president of the 415 Norwood Corporation, and a stockholder and director of two corporations known respectively as Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Wheeling, West Virginia, and Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Hartford, Connecticut. He was also a stockholder and former officer of Coca-Cola Bottling Plants, Inc., which was the franchised Coca-Cola bottler operating in the States of Maine and New Plampshire. Petitioner advanced capital in connection with the formation of 415 Norwood Corporation and all of the Coca-Cola bottling companies referred to above.

A New York corporation called “The Tollgate House, Incorporated” was organized on April 24, 1946, and a certified copy of its certificate was filed in New York City, the place of its principal office. The name of “The Tollgate House, Incorporated,” was changed to “Salers, Incorporated,” sometimes hereinafter referred to as Salers. Salers’ personnel consisted mainly of commercial artists, designers, and engineers who had extensive experience in the advertising display business and who were engaged in furnishing original designs and ideas for display advertising. Snyder & Black was the selling agent for Salers.

Salers was authorized to issue 200 shares of common stock without par value. The entire 200 shares of Salers’ capital stock were originally subscribed to and paid for by Snyder & Black. On November 21, 1946, Salers’ charter was amended to increase its authorized capital stock from 200 to 1,000 shares of common stock without par value. By action of the board of directors of Salers on January 10, 1947, the price at which the shares were to be issued was fixed at $115 per share.

During 1953 Salers encountered financial difficulty and was unable to meet its bank loan. During this period Snyder & Black advanced to Salers funds to meet its payroll in order to enable Salers to continue operations. In November 1953, a report to the board of directors of Salers indicated that the operations of Salers for 1953 had resulted in a considerable loss. The petitioner was fully aware of the financial difficulties and business losses suffered by Salers.

In November 1953, Snyder & Black purchased for $1 all the assets of Salers subject to all its liabilities and thereafter Salers ceased to do business. The common stock of Salers was worthless as of November 10, 1953. At that time petitioner presented certain of his common stock certificates in Snyder & Black to its treasurer and directed him to issue certificates of stock in Snyder & Black to the stockholders of Salers. Each stockholder of Salers received the exact number of shares in Snyder & Black that he had previously held in Salers. In exchange for his stock in Snyder & Black, petitioner received from the stockholders of Salers their worthless stock in the latter corporation. At this time the value of common stock of Snyder & Black was $50 per share.

The individual shareholders of Salers throughout its existence, the number of shares held, the holders of common stock of Snyder & Black, immediately prior and immediately subsequent to the above-described transaction, and the net change in stockholdings in Snyder & Black resulting from such transaction are reflected in the schedule below:

[[Image here]]

The preferred stock of Snyder & Black immediately prior and immediately subsequent to the above-described transaction was held as follows:

The value of the preferred stock of Snyder & Black in November 1953 was $100 per share.

At the time of the trial herein, the value of Snyder & Black common stock was estimated to be $68 per share.

At the time he entered into the transaction referred to above, petitioner knew that the stock of Salers was worthless.

When the stockholders of Salers originally acquired their stock in Salers, petitioner did not promise to indemnify or guarantee any one of them against loss on his or her investment and none of them was obligated to work for Snyder & Black after the transaction occurred.

Frank Springer-Miller was the president of Salers at all times here involved. Prior to the time petitioner transferred his stock in Snyder & Black to Frank Springer-Miller, George S. Snyder, Walter G. Boe-der, and E. Bussell Palmer in the manner described above, none of these individuals had stated that he was going to seek employment with a competitor of Snyder & Black. Paul Jepson had told petitioner that he intended to seek employment with a competitor of Snyder & Black.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Murphy v. Commissioner
1993 T.C. Memo. 292 (U.S. Tax Court, 1993)
Frantz v. Commissioner
83 T.C. No. 11 (U.S. Tax Court, 1984)
McGlothlin v. Commissioner
44 T.C. 611 (U.S. Tax Court, 1965)
Dooley v. Commissioner
1962 T.C. Memo. 305 (U.S. Tax Court, 1962)
Nash v. Commissioner
31 T.C. 569 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)
Arata v. Commissioner
31 T.C. 346 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 T.C. 346, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arata-v-commissioner-tax-1958.