Arrott v. Commissioner

34 B.T.A. 133, 1936 BTA LEXIS 744
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedMarch 18, 1936
DocketDocket No. 73870.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 34 B.T.A. 133 (Arrott 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
Arrott v. Commissioner, 34 B.T.A. 133, 1936 BTA LEXIS 744 (bta 1936).

Opinion

OPINION.

Matthews :

The respondent determined a deficiency in petitioner’s income tax for the calendar year 1931 of $5,917.48. Three assignments of error are set out in the petition but, one of these having been disposed of by stipulation of the parties, only the two following-issues remain :

1. Whether respondent erred in applying the first in, first out rule in determining gain or loss on sale of certain stock by petitioner;

2. Whether respondent erred in taking the date of distribution as the date of petitioner’s acquisition of a legacy for the purpose of valuation in determining gain or loss on a later sale.

The facts which were stipulated are as follows:

The petitioner is a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In April 1929 petitioner held three lots of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation stock, as follows: (1) 77,856 shares upon which the basis for determining gain or loss on sale or other disposition is $3.05875 a share; (2) 109 shares upon which the basis is $34.99 a share; and (3) 109 shares upon which the basis is $33.02 a share, or a total of 78,074 shares.

On May 2, 1929, stock rights were issued to petitioner on his 78,074 shares, entitling him to acquire 7,807.4 shares of new stock at $25 per share. He exercised these rights, together with six additional rights acquired by purchase, and on May 29, 1929, 7,808 shares of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation stock were purchased for petitioner’s account by the Union Trust Co. of Pittsburgh (hereafter referred to as the Trust Co.) and were held by it as collateral for a loan made by the Trust Co. to petitioner to finance the purchase. These shares are hereinafter referred to as the “fourth lot.”

On June 19, 1929, petitioner gave away 21,799 shares from the “first lot” and sold 1,000 from the “fourth lot.” The first three lots were thereafter mingled, part being pledged with the Monongahela National Bank, but the remaining 6,808 shares of the fourth lot, here in question, were kept intact as collateral at the Trust Co.

Petitioner on December 2, 1929, therefore, owned in all 63,083 shares of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation [135]*135stock, the certificates for which were in temporary form, distributed as follows:

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On that day the Monongahela National Bank exchanged the temporary certificates for 6,542 shares which were pledged with it impermanent certificates. On December 4, 1929, petitioner sent the temporary certificates for 49,738 shares which were in his possession to the Trust Co. and that company sent those certificates together with the temporary certificates for the 6,808 shares, held by it as collateral, to the transfer agent of the American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation to be exchanged for permanent certificates. The Trust Co. received from the transfer agent permanent certificates which were in such denominations that the Trust Co. found it impossible to extract the 6,808 shares to be held in its collateral account. It therefore returned them to the transfer agent and received permanent certificates again, but in form as follows:

8 certificates for 5,000 shares each.
15 certificates for 1,000 shares each.
15 certificates for 100 shares each.
1 certificate for 83 shares.
1 certificate for 8 shares.

Of these certificates, the Trust Co. retained as collateral to petitioner’s loan the six lowest numbered certificates for 1,000 shares each, the eight lowest numbered certificates for 100 shares each, and the certificate for 8 shares. These certificates were numbered as follows:

CB-1188 to 1193 for 1,000 shares each, C-43658 to 43665 for 100 shares each and CO-24870 for 8 shares. The certificates for the remaining 49,733 shares were sent to petitioner.

On December 14, 1931, petitioner wrote to the Trust Co., as follows:

Sell for my account and risk at $5.00 per share or better, 6,808 shares American Radiator common stock, Certificates Nos. said stock held' as collateral under my loan, crediting the proceeds thereof to the account of my son, Mr. James W. Arrott, with your institution.
In the meantime, I will authorize your Trust Department to hand you in substitution for the stock sold an equal number of shares of American Radiator common stock.

In a letter dated December 17, 1931, the Trust Co. advised petitioner that it had sold for his account from the collateral on his [136]*136loan 6,808 shares “represented by certificate numbers CB-1188 to 1198, inclusive, for 1,000 shares each, C-43658 to 43665, inclusive, for 100 shares each, and 00-24870 for 8 shares”, and had received in payment $34,510.08, which had been credited to the checking account of petitioner’s son. It also acknowledged receipt from its trust department of 6,800 shares of the same common stock and a due bill for 8 shares yet to be delivered.

On December 15, 1931, the Trust Co. held as collateral for the •aforesaid loan of petitioner the following number of shares of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation stock:

6,S08 shares common, received as above set forth.
3,000 shares common, received November 10, 1930.
13,000 shares common, received October 27, 1931.
971 shares preferred, received October 27, 1931.

The certificates delivered upon the sale of 6,808 shares of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation stock in December 1931 were the same which had originally been retained by the Trust Co. in the collateral account after the exchange of temporary for permanent certificates, as set forth above.

The 6,808 shares- of American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation stock sold by the Trust Co. for petitioner’s account realized the sum of $35,293, less tax and commission of $782.92, or a net amount of $34,510.08.

None of the permanent certificates issued to petitioner by the American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation were issued with respect to any particular temporary certificate surrendered by petitioner or his agent to that company.

The respondent determined that the 6,808 shares sold were not identifiable with those purchased at any particular date, and applying the first in, first out rule, computed a profit, as follows:

Sale price December 15, 1931_$34, 510. 08
Basis for determining gain or loss on “first lot”
$3.05875 per share_ 20, 823. 97
Capital net gain- 13, 6S6.11

Annie M. Arrott, wife of petitioner, died December 27, 1930, and her will of one sentence read, as follows:

To my beloved husband, James W. Arrott, Jr. I leave all that I possess at the time of my death.

Annie M. Arrott owned at the time of her death, inter alia,

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Related

Hitchcock v. United States
36 F. Supp. 507 (E.D. Michigan, 1940)
Campbell v. Commissioner
39 B.T.A. 916 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1939)
Arrott v. Commissioner
34 B.T.A. 133 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1936)

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Bluebook (online)
34 B.T.A. 133, 1936 BTA LEXIS 744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arrott-v-commissioner-bta-1936.