Arrow Fastener Co. v. Commissioner

76 T.C. 423, 1981 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 161
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 12, 1981
DocketDocket Nos. 5468-77, 5469-77, 5470-77
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 76 T.C. 423 (Arrow Fastener 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
Arrow Fastener Co. v. Commissioner, 76 T.C. 423, 1981 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 161 (tax 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

Wilbur, Judge: Respondent determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

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We are asked to pass on the validity of a regulation applying to Domestic International Sales Corporations (DISCs). Congress provided special tax benefits to DISCs to encourage exports, but required that 95 percent of their assets be “qualified export assets.” Section 993(b)(7)2 states that obligations of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank obligations) are qualified export assets. Section 1.993-2(h)(2), Income Tax Regs., disqualifies Ex-Im Bank obligations to the extent their adjusted bases exceed accumulated DISC income. The validity of this limitation is the sole issue presented.3

This case was submitted fully stipulated pursuant to Rule 122, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. The stipulation of facts and the attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

Arrow Fastener Co., Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Arrow), is a corporation organized on October 28, 1966, under the laws of the State of New Jersey. At the time of the filing of the petition in this case, Arrow’s principal place of business was located in Saddle Brook, N.J.

Arrow Fastener Sales Corp. (hereinafter referred to as Sales) is a corporation organized on May 17,1972, under the laws of the State of New Jersey. At the time of the filing of the petition in this case, Sales' principal place of business was located in Saddle Brook, N.J.

Arrow Fastener International, Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as International), is a corporation organized on February 14, 1968, under the laws of the State of New Jersey. At the time of the filing of the petition in this case, International’s principal place of business was located in Saddle Brook, N. J.

Since its incorporation, Arrow has been engaged in the business of manufacturing stapling machines and staples. Sales and International are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Arrow engaged in the business of exporting stapling machines and staples.

On or about July 31, 1972, Sales made a valid election under section 992(b) to be treated as a DISC. On December 20, 1972, Sales purchased an obligation in the amount of $1,011,040.67 issued by the Export-Import Bank of the United States due April 30, 1973. Sales was inactive during its first taxable year ending December 31, 1972, and thus reported no income, deductions, or accumulated DISC income on its Federal income tax return for 1972. The obligation referred to above, having been held on December 31, 1972, was listed as an asset on the corporation’s balance sheet on the return.

Subsequent to the redemption of the aforementioned Ex-Im Bank obligation, Sales purchased another Ex-Im Bank obligation on May 9, 1973, which was due on May 4, 1974, in the amount of $985,854.17. This Ex-Im Bank obligation was held by Sales on December 31, 1973, and was shown as an asset on Schedule L of Sales’ 1973 Federal income tax return, filed with the District Director, Brookhaven Service Center, Holtsville, N.Y. The 1973 return revealed two sources of income: qualified export receipts from the sale of export property of $637,369.33, and interest on the Ex-Im Bank obligations of $51,648.96. After subtracting cost of goods sold of $290,003.05, gross income was reported as $399,015.24. Accumulated DISC income was shown as $156,341.37.

In his statutory notice of deficiency, respondent determined that Sales did not qualify as a DISC for its taxable year 1973 because, as of the close of that year, its basis in Ex-Im Bank obligations exceeded its accumulated DISC income by approximately $620,000, and pursuant to the regulation in issue (sec. 1.993-2(h)(2), Income Tax Regs.), this excess investment was not a qualified export asset. If respondent is correct, Sales fails to meet the requirement of section 992(a)(1)(B) that 95 percent of its assets be qualified export assets.4

On or about October 1, 1972, International made a valid election under section 992(b) to be treated as a DISC. At the close of its taxable year ending September 30,1973, International had total assets of $1,233,568.50 ($1,093,148.46 of working capital and $140,420.04 of trade receivables). On its 1973 Federal income tax return filed with the District Director, Brookhaven Service Center, Holtsville, N.Y. International reported gross income of $580,385.77 ($1,064,928 in qualified export receipts from the sale of export property less $484,542.23 cost of goods sold). The sale of export property was International’s only reported source of income. Accumulated DISC income at the end of its fiscal year 1973 was $202,260.03.

On November 16, 1973, International purchased an Ex-Im Bank obligation at a cost of $990,000, with a maturity of May 4, 1974. This obligation was renewed on May 10, 1974, at a cost of $971,875. International held the original Ex-Im Bank obligation at the close of the sixth and seventh months following the end of its 1973 taxable year, and held the renewed obligation at the end of the eighth month. The adjusted basis of these obligations exceeded International’s accumulated DISC income at the end of each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth months by approximately $500,000.

Section 993(b)(4) and the regulations thereunder treat money, bank deposits, and other similar temporary investments which are reasonably necessary to meet the working capital requirements of the corporation as qualified export assets. The respondent determined that of the $1,093,148.46 reported by International as working capital at the end of the taxable year 1973, over $1 million of this amount was in excess of the working capital requirements of the corporation (“excess working capital”) pursuant to section 1.993-2(e), Income Tax Regs., and thus did not constitute qualified export assets.5

However, under section 993(b)(9), amounts on deposit in the United States, other than reasonable working capital, can constitute qualified export assets if used within the period prescribed in the regulations to acquire other qualified export assets.6 Thus, International’s bank deposits in the United States, to the extent they were in excess of required working capital, were treated by the respondent as “funds awaiting investment” at the close of the taxable year 1973 in accordance with section 1.993-2(j), Income Tax Regs.

“Funds awaiting investment” are treated as qualified export assets (see sec. 1.993-2(a)(9), Income Tax Regs.) only if two tests are met. First, they must be bank deposits in the United States, at the end of the taxable year, in excess of required working capital. Second, the funds must be reinvested in qualified export assets after the end of the taxable year. The reinvestment requirement is met if on the last day of each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth month after the close of the taxable year the sum of the bases of the qualified export assets equals or exceeds 95 percent of the sum of the adjusted basis of all assets held on the last day of the taxable year.7 International timely invested the “funds awaiting investment” in Ex-Im Bank obligations. Nevertheless, respondent concluded that International did not meet the qualified export asset test (sec.

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Arrow Fastener Co. v. Commissioner
76 T.C. 423 (U.S. Tax Court, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
76 T.C. 423, 1981 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arrow-fastener-co-v-commissioner-tax-1981.