Beus v. Commissioner

28 T.C. 1133, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 96
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 10, 1957
DocketDocket Nos. 60842, 60843
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 28 T.C. 1133 (Beus 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
Beus v. Commissioner, 28 T.C. 1133, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 96 (tax 1957).

Opinion

Bruce, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies and additions to tax with respect to petitioners’ income tax as follows:

[[Image here]]

Of the several adjustments made by respondent only three remain in dispute. The issues for decision are as follows:

(1) Whether in -1952 the petitioners sustained a loss of $20,000 with respect to an irrigation system.

(2) Whether the respondent erred in determining that the amounts of $6,500 and $8,500 paid in 1952 by W. J. Beus and Beus Bros, partnership, respectively, pursuant to the terms of a certain “Farm Lease — With Option to Buy” were not paid as rentals.

(3) Whether respondent erred in determining additions to tax under section 293 (a), I. R. C. 1939, with respect to petitioners W. J. and Leone Beus.

FINDINGS OE FACT.

The stipulated facts, together with annexed exhibits, are incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioners Ersel H. Beus and Anna M. Beus are husband and wife. At all times material to the issues involved they resided at Nyssa, Oregon. They filed a joint income tax return for the calendar year 1952 with the director of internal revenue for the district of Oregon. Petitioners W. J. Beus (William J. Beus) and Leone Beus a,re husband and wife. At all times material to the issues involved they resided at Nyssa, Oregon. They filed a joint income tax return for the calendar year 1952 with the director of internal revenue for the district of Oregon,

Ersel H. Beus and William J. Beus are brothers. Among their other business interests and activities during the taxable year 1952, they were equal members of a partnership known as Beus Bros., engaged in the business of farming. Their farming operations during that year in which their principal crops were potatoes and onions, were principally conducted on certain farmlands in Payette County, Idaho. The partnership return of income for the calendar year 1952, duly signed by W. J. Beus on behalf of said partnership, was filed with the director of internal revenue for the district of Oregon.

The farmlands referred to above, consisting of approximately 200 acres, were acquired by petitioners from Arvel L. Child and his wife at a purchase price of $61,500 under an agreement or arrangement whereby petitioners took possession and use of said property on or about J anuary 20, 1952. Petitioners paid $5,000 down and the balance was paid upon delivery of title, December 21,1953. The 200 acres consisted of 2 contiguous tracts of 80 and 120 acres, respectively. Petitioners acquired with the property a water right to approximately 185-acre-inches of water represented by 185 shares of the Farmers Co-operative Irrigation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Farmers Co-op.). Shares of the Farmers Co-op. may be obtained from it at the price of $15 per share. However, on various occasions such shares have been bought and sold between individuals at prices ranging from $10 to $12.50 per share. Owners of such shares are entitled to receive from the canal of Farmers Co-op. 1 inch of water per share during each irrigation season. In order that shareholders may continue to receive water from Farmers Co-op. they must pay assessments periodically levied by it for purposes of cleaning and maintaining its canal.

Petitioners did not inspect the irrigation system before purchasing the property. The property is in an arid section of Idaho where an adequate water supply by some means or system of irrigation is essential to successful row-crop farming such as that engaged in by petitioners. Without adequate water, land in this area has a very nominal value. One-acre-inch of water per year or irrigation season is adequate for petitioners’ farming operations. The normal irrigation season for petitioners begins about April 15 and ends about October 20 of each year. Of the 200 acres purchased by petitioners, approximately 185 acres were under cultivation in 1952.

The main canal of the Farmers Co-op. is about 2 miles from the petitioners’ property. At this point on the canal there is a headgate through which water from the canal may be channeled into an irrigation ditch known as the Whitney Bottom Lateral (hereinafter referred to as the Lateral) which runs from the canal to petitioners’ property. This length of the Lateral runs through property other than that owned by petitioners. The Lateral also receives “waste water” from land on higher ground which is served by another irrigation system. The Lateral was constructed sometime prior to 1900. At present it is maintained by those who wish to obtain water from it. Farmers Co-op. has no responsibility for the maintaining of the Lateral. Its 2-mile length from the Farmers Co-op. canal to the petitioners’ property is mainly along a steep slope which has a tendency to slide and break the Lateral. It also is subject to frequent washouts and at the time petitioners acquired the property the Lateral was in a poor state of repair.

Ersel Beus managed the property for Beus Bros, and soon after the petitioners took possession of the property Ersel prepared the tillable portion for planting and planted the crop. During this time Arvel Child, who owned other property lying immediately north of petitioners’, drilled an irrigation well near petitioners’ northern boundary. After noticing this drilling, Ersel investigated the Lateral and discovered its poor condition. William and Ersel then decided to drill an irrigation well before repairing the Lateral. This well was completed about May 23,1952, and furnished approximately 60-acre-inches of water. William and Ersel then decided to drill another well which was completed sometime in June 1952. This well furnished approximately 60-acre-inches of water. At this time the brothers decided to principally irrigate their property by means of wells rather than from the Lateral, and to this end a third well was completed in July. The amount of water which could be obtained from the 3 wells was approximately 180-acre-inches. In 1952,1953, and 1954, the petitioners did obtain some irrigation water from the Lateral which was used as supplemental water on the 80-acre tract.

It is necessary to clean and weed all irrigation ditches in the spring in order that they will properly furnish water. In 1952 and 1953 Ersel cleaned out part of the Lateral. At the time of the hearing of this case the Lateral was still carrying some water.

Irrigation assessments levied by Farmers Co-op. with respect to the 185 shares of the capital stock of that company which were owned by petitioners were paid by the partnership of Beus Bros, on the following dates and in the following amounts:

[[Image here]]

On January 29, 1953, Ersel and William filed with the Department of Eeclamation of the State of Idaho an application for permit to appropriate the subterranean waters of that State by means of wells, pumps, and ditches for irrigation and domestic purposes. On the application so filed the following written statement appears: “This filing is supplemental to existing water rights, however applicants intend to abandon existing water rights as soon as wells prove adequate.”

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

Related

Healey v. Commissioner
1996 T.C. Memo. 260 (U.S. Tax Court, 1996)
Orozco v. Commissioner
1994 T.C. Memo. 407 (U.S. Tax Court, 1994)
Allen v. Commissioner
1994 T.C. Memo. 165 (U.S. Tax Court, 1994)
Citron v. Commissioner
97 T.C. No. 12 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Terrell v. Commissioner
1979 T.C. Memo. 222 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Daniel v. Commissioner
1978 T.C. Memo. 277 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)
Finley v. Commissioner
1974 T.C. Memo. 229 (U.S. Tax Court, 1974)
Home News Publishing Co. v. Commissioner
1969 T.C. Memo. 167 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
McKissack v. Commissioner
1969 T.C. Memo. 105 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
New England Tank Industries, Inc. v. Commissioner
50 T.C. 771 (U.S. Tax Court, 1968)
Van Valkenburgh v. Commissioner
1967 T.C. Memo. 162 (U.S. Tax Court, 1967)
Jones Beach Theatre Corp. v. Commissioner
1966 T.C. Memo. 100 (U.S. Tax Court, 1966)
Martin v. Commissioner
44 T.C. 731 (U.S. Tax Court, 1965)
United California Bank v. Commissioner
41 T.C. 437 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)
I. Lewis Corp. v. Commissioner
1963 T.C. Memo. 13 (U.S. Tax Court, 1963)
Johnson v. Commissioner
1962 T.C. Memo. 209 (U.S. Tax Court, 1962)
San Diego Transit-mixed Concrete Co. v. Commissioner
1962 T.C. Memo. 141 (U.S. Tax Court, 1962)
Lensing v. Commissioner
1961 T.C. Memo. 268 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)
West Virginia N. R. Co. v. Commissioner
1959 T.C. Memo. 204 (U.S. Tax Court, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 T.C. 1133, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 96, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beus-v-commissioner-tax-1957.