Brown Group v. Commissioner

104 T.C. No. 5, 104 T.C. 105, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 5
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 25, 1995
DocketDocket No. 104-92
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 104 T.C. No. 5 (Brown Group 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
Brown Group v. Commissioner, 104 T.C. No. 5, 104 T.C. 105, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 5 (tax 1995).

Opinions

Halpern, Judge:

Petitioner is the common parent corporation of an affiliated group of corporations making a consolidated return of income (the affiliated group). Respondent determined a deficiency of $388,992.85 in the income tax liability of the affiliated group for its taxable year ended November 1, 1986.1

The only issue in dispute is whether Brown Cayman, Ltd.’s (Brown Cayman’s) share of partnership income from Brinco, a Cayman Islands partnership, is subpart F income, includable in the gross income of a member of the affiliated group under section 951(a). We hold that it is.

Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the year in issue. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

FINDINGS OF FACT

A trial was held on March 9, 1993. Petitioner called no witnesses. Respondent called one: Theodore Prestí. The parties had stipulated certain facts, however, and the facts stipulated are so found. The stipulation of facts and attached exhibits is incorporated herein by this reference. The following summarizes the facts relied on by us in reaching our decision.

Petitioner Brown Group, Inc. (sometimes Brown Group), is a New York corporation. At the time the petition herein was filed, petitioner’s principal place of business was in St. Louis, Missouri. The following diagram facilitates an understanding of the relationships of the parties involved:

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Throughout 1985 and 1986, Brown Group had divisions that sold footwear at the retail and wholesale levels, manufactured footwear, and imported footwear. Brown Group manufactured footwear in the United States and imported footwear from, among other countries, Brazil.

Brown Group International (International), a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 1985, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown Group. Throughout 1985 and 1986, International was a U.S. shareholder of Brown Cayman within the meaning of section 951(b).

Brown Cayman, a Cayman Islands corporation, was incorporated in 1985. Brown Cayman was a controlled foreign corporation within the meaning of section 957(a) at all times relevant to this case.

T.P. Cayman, Ltd. (T.P. Cayman), a Cayman Islands corporation, was incorporated in March 1985.

Pidge, Inc., is a Missouri corporation; the date of its incorporation is not contained in the record.

Brinco, a partnership within the meaning of section 7701, and the regulations thereunder, was formed in the Cayman Islands in March 1985. The partners of Brinco, and their percentage interests in the net profits and losses of Brinco, were Brown Cayman, 88 percent, T.P. Cayman, 10 percent, and an individual, Delcio Birck (Birck), 2 percent.

Prior to the formation of Brinco, Brown Group utilized independent agents to purchase footwear manufactured in Brazil. At that time, Birck, a Brazilian citizen, and Prestí, a U.S. citizen, were employed by a company, Michelle Manard, which purchased footwear manufactured in Brazil on behalf of Brown Group and others. Michelle Manard “officially” charged Brown Group a 7-percent commission, although occasionally that rate was greater. Brinco was formed, among other reasons, to attract Prestí and Birck to source Brazilian footwear exclusively for the Brown Group companies and to consolidate Brown Group’s Brazilian buying power. Brinco was structured as a partnership, among other reasons, because: (1) Presti’s salary requirements could not be satisfied within Brown Group’s existing payroll structure, (2) it allowed Prestí and Birck to have some entrepreneurial interest in Brinco’s operations, and (3) it permitted the partners to avoid Brazilian currency controls and currency fluctuations.

During 1985 and 1986, Brinco acted as purchasing agent for International with respect to footwear manufactured in Brazil. The footwear so imported was sold primarily in the United States. Prestí was the managing partner of Brinco. As such, he was responsible for the design, manufacture, and quality control of the footwear. He also supervised Brinco’s operations within Brazil.

The Brown Group companies paid Brinco a 10-percent commission for acting as their purchasing agent for footwear manufactured in Brazil. The commission was based on the purchase price of the footwear. Brinco’s 1985 commission income for acting as purchasing agent for the Brown Group companies was $1,119,970. The Brown Group companies included the commissions paid to Brinco in their costs of goods sold.

Pursuant to negotiations among the Brinco partners, because of the uncertainty of first-year profits, for the 7-month period ending November 2, 1985, T.P. Cayman received guaranteed payments totaling $151,662 ($21,666 a month for 7 months), instead of its share of partnership profits called for in the Brinco partnership agreement. After making guaranteed payments to T.P. Cayman, Brinco’s partnership net earnings for 1985 totaled $917,465, which were distributed as follows:

$897,281 Brown Cayman OO

20,184 Birck CvJ

In 1986, T.P. Cayman received its share of partnership profits as called for in the Brinco partnership agreement (and no guaranteed payments).

Brinco was dissolved on October 31, 1987. At that time, Presti became executive vice president of International, and Birck, as an independent agent, continued to source footwear for the Brown Group companies on a commission basis.

Respondent determined that Brown Cayman’s distributive share of Brinco’s earnings is foreign base company sales income, includable as subpart F income in the gross income of International.

OPINION

I. Introduction

For all relevant periods, the parties have stipulated that (1) Brown Cayman was a “controlled foreign corporation” (CFC) within the meaning of section 957(a) and (2) International was a “United States shareholder” of Brown Cayman within the meaning of section 951(b). Accordingly, International must include in its gross income its pro rata share (100 percent) of any “subpart F income” of Brown Cayman. See sec. 951(a). Subpart F income is defined in section 952 to include an item called “foreign base company income”. Sec. 951(a)(2). Foreign base company income, in turn, is defined in section 954(a) to include “foreign base company sales income”. Sec. 954(a)(2). Foreign base company sales income includes, among other things: “income (whether in the form of profits, commissions, fees, or otherwise) derived in connection with * * * the purchase of personal property from any person on behalf of a related person” where the goods are both produced and sold for use outside the country in which the CFC is incorporated. Sec. 954(d)(1). The term “related person” is defined in section 954(d)(3). It is clear that International was a related person with regard to Brown Cayman. See sec. 954(d)(3) (“such person is a corporation which controls * * * the controlled foreign corporation”). It also is clear that Brinco earned commission income by arranging for the purchase of footwear by International.2 Brinco was a partnership of which Brown Cayman was a partner.

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Bluebook (online)
104 T.C. No. 5, 104 T.C. 105, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-group-v-commissioner-tax-1995.