Chrysler Corporation v. Commissioner

116 T.C. No. 30, 116 T.C. 465
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 29, 2001
DocketDocket 22148-97
StatusUnknown

This text of 116 T.C. No. 30 (Chrysler Corporation 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
Chrysler Corporation v. Commissioner, 116 T.C. No. 30, 116 T.C. 465 (tax 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

Laro, Judge:

Respondent moves the Court for partial summary judgment. See Rule 121. Respondent determined deficiencies of $593,967, $13,064,705, and $36,102,409 in petitioner’s Federal income taxes for 1983, 1984, and 1985, respectively. The deficiencies are attributable partially to respondent’s determination that petitioner could not in 1995 amend its 1985 tax return to claim for that year a carryover of foreign tax credits which accrued in 1980, 1981, and 1982.

We decide for the first time whether petitioner timely elected under section 901(a) to credit (rather than deduct) its 1980, 1981, and 1982 foreign taxes. 1 We hold it did not. Unless otherwise indicated, section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue. Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Background

All facts were stipulated. The parties’ stipulation of facts and the exhibits submitted therewith are incorporated herein by this reference. The stipulated facts are found accordingly. Petitioner’s principal place of business was in Auburn Hills, Michigan, when the petition was filed. Petitioner is an accrual basis taxpayer that reports its income and expenses on the basis of the calendar year.

Petitioner timely filed its 1980 through 1985 Federal income tax returns on or about September 15 of the appropriate years. Petitioner deducted on its 1980 through 1983 returns its foreign taxes that accrued during those years. Petitioner claimed as a credit on its 1984 and 1985 returns its foreign taxes that accrued during those years. Petitioner reported the information shown in appendix A on its 1980 through 1985 returns, as originally filed.

On July 24, 1995, petitioner amended its 1980 through 1985 returns. On that date, the period of limitation for assessment, credit, or refund was closed for 1980, 1981, and 1982 and open for 1983, 1984, and 1985. On each of the 1980 through 1983 amended returns, petitioner claimed a credit for its accrued foreign taxes, rather than the deduction it had reported originally. Petitioner’s 1980 through 1985 amended returns disclose the information summarized in appendix B.

On its original 1980 return, petitioner included $17,945,227 of section 78 gross-up income and claimed a deduction in the same amount. Petitioner also deducted $16,610,858 as direct foreign taxes paid, for a total deduction of $34,556,085. The 1980 amended return eliminated the foreign tax deduction, claiming in its place creditable foreign taxes (in the amount of the original deduction) resulting from direct and deemed paid taxes. The 1980 amended return also claimed an additional $8,686,479 of deemed paid taxes, for total creditable foreign taxes of $43,242,564. The 1980 amended return reported total section 78 gross-up income of $26,631,706, an increase of $8,686,479 over the $17,945,227 reported on the original 1980 return.

On its 1980 through 1982 amended returns, petitioner reported that the election of the foreign tax credit generated increased taxable income from the disallowance of the deduction for foreign taxes and increased section 78 gross-up income. Those amended returns reported net operating losses (NOL’s) and no U.S. tax liability against which to credit foreign taxes; accordingly, petitioner applied no foreign tax credits on those amended returns. Petitioner had no taxable income or U.S. tax liability for 1978 and 1979 against which a foreign tax credit from 1980 or 1981 could have been applied by way of a carryback.

Pursuant to petitioner’s 1985 amended return, the creditable foreign taxes reported on the 1980 through 1982 amended returns were carried forward and claimed as a credit on the 1985 amended return, generating a claimed refund of $6,771,601 for that year. The carryover also “freed up” investment tax credits of $38,372,409 claimed on the original 1985 return, which petitioner treated as eligible to be carried forward to later years.

In the notice of deficiency, respondent denied petitioner’s refund claim made by way of the 1985 amended return. Respondent determined that petitioner’s taxable income for 1980 through 1985, and its NOL carryover deductions for 1982 through 1985, were as follows:

Year Taxable income per notice of deficiency NOL carryover deduction
1980 ($1,073,590,197) -0-
1981 (458,366,008) -0-
1982 -0-$1,631,010
1983 -0-527,861,679
1984 323,669,637 1,356,138,685
1985 1,311,979,860 -0-

Taking into account agreed adjustments, the table in appendix C shows the result if petitioner is allowed to change its reporting for foreign taxes accrued in 1980, 1981, and 1982 from a deduction to a credit.

Discussion

The issue at hand involves three sections of the Code; namely, sections 901, 904, and 6511. These sections provide in relevant part as follows:

SEC. 901. TAXES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND OF POSSESSIONS OF UNITED STATES.
(a) Allowance of Credit. — If the taxpayer chooses to have the benefits of this subpart, the tax imposed by this chapter shall, subject to the limitation of section 904, be credited with the amounts provided in the applicable paragraph of subsection (b) plus, in the case of a corporation, the taxes deemed to have been paid under sections 902 and 960. Such choice for any taxable year may be made or changed at any time before the expiration of the period prescribed for making a claim for credit or refund of the tax imposed by this chapter for such taxable year. * * * [Emphasis added.]
SEC. 904. LIMITATION ON CREDIT.
(a) Limitation. — The total amount of the credit taken under section 901(a) shall not exceed the same proportion of the tax against which such credit is taken which the taxpayer’s taxable income from sources without the United States (but not in excess of the taxpayer’s entire taxable income) bears to his entire taxable income for the same taxable year. * * *
(c) Carryback and Carryover of Excess Tax Paid. — Any amount by which all taxes paid or accrued to foreign countries or possessions of the United States for any taxable year for which the taxpayer chooses to have the benefits of this subpart exceed the limitation under subsection (a) shall be deemed taxes paid or accrued to foreign countries or possessions of the United States in the second preceding taxable year, in the first preceding taxable year, and in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth succeeding taxable years, in that order and to the extent not deemed taxes paid or accrued in a prior taxable year * * *
SEC. 6511. LIMITATIONS ON CREDIT OR REFUND.
(a) Period of Limitation on Filing Claim.

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Bluebook (online)
116 T.C. No. 30, 116 T.C. 465, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chrysler-corporation-v-commissioner-tax-2001.