Carroll Furniture Co. v. Commissioner

15 T.C. 943, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedDecember 27, 1950
DocketDocket No. 13600
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 15 T.C. 943 (Carroll Furniture 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
Carroll Furniture Co. v. Commissioner, 15 T.C. 943, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11 (tax 1950).

Opinion

OPINION.

Leech. Judge:

This proceeding involves excess profits tax deficiencies for the years 1940,1941, and 1943, in the respective amounts of $8,165.26, $26,666.05 and $5,260.68, not all of which amounts are in controversy.

The issues are:

1. Whether the amount of $14,091.34, received by petitioner in 1940 as proceeds from a use and occupancy insurance contract which insured against actual loss sustained of profits in the business, is includible in excess profits net income for that year.

2. Whether, on the accrual system of accounting, the gain realized in 1941 and 1943 from collections on purchased accounts receivable constitutes income accruable in the year the accounts were purchased or the years when collected.

3. Petitioner having elected under section 736 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code to compute its income from installment sales for excess profits tax purposes on the accrual basis, in computing the unused excess profits credit to be carried to the year 1941 from the year 1942, is the deduction for charitable contributions in the year 1942 limited to 5 per cent of its net income computed on the accrual basis ?

The case was submitted on a stipulation of facts and certain admissions contained in the pleadings. The facts as stipulated are so found.

Petitioner is a Georgia corporation having its principal place of business at 122 Whitehall Street, S. W., Atlanta, Georgia. Its returns for the periods involved were filed with the collector of internal revenue for the district of Georgia.

During the taxable years petitioner was engaged in the retail furniture business and regularly made sales of personal property under the installment plan. It became qualified to elect, and did elect, to compute its income for excess profits tax purposes, pursuant to section 736 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

In 1940 petitioner received the sum of $14,091.34 as proceeds from an insurance company under the provisions of a use and occupancy insurance contract which insured against actual loss sustained of profits in the business. In computing its excess profits net income for the year 1940 petitioner excluded as abnormal income the sum of $14,091.34. Respondent did not include such sum in his deficiency notice for 1940, but alleged in his amended answer that such amount was includible in excess profits net income for that year.

On June 28, 1941, petitioner purchased for cash two sets (or “groups”) of accounts receivable of Matthews Furniture Co. of Atlanta, Georgia, a separate and unrelated concern which had discontinued business. The face value of the purchased accounts receivable was $229,373.66, of which amount the sum of $221,351.34 is includible in “Group A” and $8,022.32 in “Group B.” The total amount paid for these accounts was $178,765.76, of which $177,081.07 was paid for those in “Group A” and $1,684.69 for those in “Group B.” Thus the accounts in “Group A” were purchased for 80 per cent of face-value and those in “Group B” were purchased for 21 per cent of face value.

No part of collections in cash and value of repossessed goods on the purchased accounts was included in excess profits net income by petitioner.

In his notice of deficiency the respondent added to petitioner’s excess profits net income for the year 1941 the total amount of $22,296.83 as income realized through collection of purchased accounts, not included in income reported. This amount represents the excess of the collections in cash and the value of goods repossessed in 1941 on the purchased accounts over and above the purchase price of the accounts “collected” in that year.

In his notice of deficiency the respondent added to petitioner’s excess profits net income for the year 1943 the total amount of $2,565.52 as income realized through collection of purchased accounts, not included in income reported. This amount represents the excess of the collections in cash and the value of goods repossessed in 1943 on the purchased accounts over and above the purchase price of the accounts collected in that year.

In computing the unused excess profits credit to be carried back from 1942 to 1941, the respondent disallowed, for excess profits tax purposes, a portion of the amount claimed as a deduction for contributions, on the ground that the deduction was limited to 5 per cent of petitioner’s income computed on the accrual basis.

The first issue is whether the sum of $14,091.34 received by petitioner in 1940, as proceeds from a use and occupancy insurance contract which insured against actual loss sustained of profits in the business, is includible in excess profits net income for that year.

In filing its excess profits tax return for 1940 petitioner elected, under section 736 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, to compute income on the accrual basis for excess profits tax purposes, but did not include the amount of $14,091.34. The respondent did not include the amount of $14,091.34 in excess profits net income in 1940 in determining the deficiency stated in the deficiency notice, but in his amended answer alleges that such amount is includible in excess profits net income for that year. Petitioner concedes that the amount of $14,-091.34 is includible in its gross income for normal tax purposes. International Boiler Works Co., 3 B. T. A. 283; Miller v. Hocking Glass Co., 80 Fed. (2d) 436, certiorari denied, 298 U. S. 659. Petitioner argues that the amount of $14,091.34 is not includible in its excess profits net income for 1940 because it is abnormal income within the purview of section 721 (a) (1) of the Code. Since the issue of abnormality is raised for the first time on brief and presents another issue not raised by the pleadings, it can not be considered. John Gerber, 44 B. T. A. 26; Warner G. Baird, 42 B. T. A. 970; Drawoh, Inc., 28 B. T. A. 666; Commissioner v. Sussman, 102 Fed. (2d) 919. Furthermore, this record reflects no fact or circumstance indicating that such income is abnormal within the provisions of section 721 (a) (1), supra. The respondent’s contention that the sum of $14,-091.34 is includible in computing petitioner’s excess profits net income for 1940 is, therefore, sustained.

The second issue is whether, on the accrual system of accounting, the gain realized in 1941 and 1943 from collections on purchased accounts receivable constitutes income accruable in the year the accounts were purchased or the years when collected. In filing its excess profits tax returns for 1941 and 1943 on the accrual basis, pursuant to section 736 (a), Internal Revenue Code, petitioner did not include such gain in its excess profits net income. Petitioner contends that the undisputed amounts are properly excludible as abnormal income under section 721 (a) (1) of the Code. Petitioner appears to have raised this issue for the first time on brief. Since the issue of abnormality raises another issue not framed by the pleadings, it can not be considered. See discussion and authorities cited in connection with the issue of abnormality with respect to the first issue decided herein.

Petitioner contends, in the alternative, that as the assets represented by the accounts receivable purchased were rights to receive income, the gain is accruable only in the year of purchase and not in the years the collections are made.

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Related

Weinberger v. Commissioner
1955 T.C. Memo. 80 (U.S. Tax Court, 1955)
Keefe v. Commissioner
12 T.C.M. 1133 (U.S. Tax Court, 1953)
Carroll Furniture Co. v. Commissioner
15 T.C. 943 (U.S. Tax Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 T.C. 943, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carroll-furniture-co-v-commissioner-tax-1950.