Bullock v. Commissioner

23 B.T.A. 710, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1836
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJune 15, 1931
DocketDocket No. 31209.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 23 B.T.A. 710 (Bullock 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
Bullock v. Commissioner, 23 B.T.A. 710, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1836 (bta 1931).

Opinions

[713]*713OPINION.

Love :

The two issues remaining in this proceeding are (1) whether the loss of $59,930 referred to in the findings was a “ capital net loss ” within the meaning of that term as used in section 208 of the Eevenue Act of 1924, and (2) whether either petitioner or his wife sustained a loss on the sale in 1924, of the real estate located at 111 East 57th Street, New York City, and if so, the amount thereof.

In connection with the first issue, petitioner contends that he did not hold the stock in the new company which he sold in 1924 for more than two years and that, therefore, the loss sustained was not a “ capital net loss ” for the reason that the asset sold was not a “ capital asset ” as that term is defined in section 208 (a) (8) of the Eevenue Act of 1924, which section provides:

The term “ capital assets ” means property held by the taxpayer for more than two years (whether or not connected with his trade or business) * * *.

The respondent relies upon article 1651 of Eegulations 65, made and promulgated in pursuance of the Eevenue Act of 1924. This article reads in part as follows :

The term “ capital assets ” is defined to mean property held by the taxpayer for more than two years, whether or not connected with his trade or business, * * * The specific property sold or exchanged must in general have been held for more than two years. However, if the taxpayer has held for more than two years stock upon which a stock dividend has been declared, both the original and the dividend shares are considered to be capital assets. Likewise, if property is exchanged for other property and no gain or loss is recognized under the provisions of section 208, and if the total period during which the original property and the property received in exchange have heen held hy the taxpayer is more than two years, the property received in exchange is considered to 6e capital assets. [Italics supplied.]

Petitioner concedes that the loss in question would be a “ capital net loss ” under the above regulations, but he contends that the regulations do not correctly interpret the law in that they seek to enlarge [714]*714the term “ capital assets ” as defined in the statute. We agree with the petitioner. There is nothing in the statute to warrant the respondent’s position.

The stock which the petitioner sold in 1924 was stock in the new company which he received in 1923 in exchange of old stock for new. The two corporations, were organized under the laws of different States. The new corporation was essentially different from the old. Marr v. United States, 268 U. S. 536. Stock in the new company constituted entirely different property from stock in the old, and not being held “ for more than two years ” fails to come within the term “ capital assets ” as defined in section 208 (a) (8), supra.

As stated in our findings, the respondent determined that the exchange in 1923 came within the provisions of section 202 (c) (2) of the Revenue Act of 1921, and was, therefore, such a transaction on which under the terms of the statute “ no gain or loss shall be recognized.” Section 202 (d) (1) of the same act provides:

Where property is exchanged for other property and no gain or loss is recognized under the provisions of subdivision (c), the property received shall, for the purposes of this section, be treated as taking the place of the property exchanged therefor, * * *

In his brief, the respondent quotes and italicizes the phrase “ be treated as taking the place of the property exchanged therefor ” and states that the statute is clear and requires no argument in support of his contention that the stock received in exchange should take the place of the stock exchanged, and that the two periods should, therefore, be added together for the purpose of determining whether the property sold had been held for more than two years. But Congress specifically limited the phrase in question to section 202 of the act, as appears from the words “ for the purposes of this section,” which would indicate it did not intend such treatment of exchanges for purposes of other sections of the statute.

We think that our conclusion becomes more apparent if we examine the history of .the capital gain and loss provisions of the various acts with respect to the two-year period. Section 206 (a) (6) of the Revenue Act of 1921 provides: “ The term ‘ capital assets ’ * * * means property acquired and held * ■ * * for more than two years * * Section 208 (a) (8) of the Revenue Act of 1924 says: “The term ‘capital assets’ means property held by the taxpayer for more than two years.” Section 208 (a) (8) of the Revenue Act of 1926 provides (Note: Matter in regular type same as in 1924 Act; matter in italics new in bill as introduced in Mouse; MATTER IN ALL OARITALS added BT the SENATE) :

[715]*715The term “ capital assets ” means property held by the taxpayer for more than two years (whether or not connected with his trade or business), * * ⅜ In determining the period for which the taxpayer has held property received on an exchange there shall he included the period for which he held the property exchanged, if under the provisions of section 204 the property received has, for the purpose of detei'mimng gam or loss from a sale or exchange, the same basis in vihole or in part in his hands as the property exchanged. In determining the period for which the taxpayer has held property however acquired there shall he included the period for which such property was held by any other person, if under the provisions of section 204 such property has, for the purpose of determining gain or loss from a sale or exchange, the same basis in whole or in part in his hands as it would have in the hands of such other person. 1st DETERMINING THE PERIOD FOR. WHICH THE TAXPAYER HAS HELD STOCK OR SECURITIES RECEIVED UPON A DISTRIBUTION WHERE NO' GAIN IS RECOGNIZED TO THE DIS-TRIBUTEE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION (C) OF SECTION 20S OF THIS ACT OR OF THE REVENUE ACT OF 1924, THERE SHALL BE INCLUDED THE PERIOD FOR WHICH HE HELD THE STOCK OR SECURITIES IN THE DISTRIBUTING CORPORATION PRIOR TO TIIE RECEIPT OF THE STOCK OB SECURITIES UPON SUCH DISTRIBUTION.

The matter in italics and all capitals above is new in the 1926 Act, and was not contained in the previous acts. We have to interpret the 1924 Act and not the 1926 Act. See Smietanka v. First Trust & Savings Bank, 257 U. S. 602.

The Committee on Ways and Means, in its report accompanying H. 11. No. 1, Kept. No. 1, Union Calendar No. 1, 69th Cong., 1st sess., states, with respect to capital gains and losses, on page 6:

Tbe 12½ per cent capital gain and loss provisions apply only to tbe sale or exchange of capital assets which have been held by the taxpayer for two years. Under the reorganization provisions many transactions are exempt from tax until the stockholder disposes of his stock received as a result of the reorganization. As a result of this fact the question frequently arises as to whether the period that the taxpayer held the stock which he exchanged for new stock should be added to tbe period for which he held his new stock, in order to determine whether or not he has held it for two years.

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Hix v. Commissioner
1979 T.C. Memo. 105 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Biesik v. Commissioner
1963 T.C. Memo. 97 (U.S. Tax Court, 1963)
Belden v. Commissioner
30 B.T.A. 601 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1934)
Wood v. Commissioner
29 B.T.A. 1050 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1934)
Bullock v. Commissioner
23 B.T.A. 710 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1931)

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Bluebook (online)
23 B.T.A. 710, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1836, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bullock-v-commissioner-bta-1931.