De Woskin v. Commissioner

35 T.C. 356, 1960 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 28, 1960
DocketDocket No. 67348
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 35 T.C. 356 (De Woskin 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
De Woskin v. Commissioner, 35 T.C. 356, 1960 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15 (tax 1960).

Opinions

OPINION.

Tietjens, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency in income tax of $52,158.75 for the taxable year 1953. The issues presented are: (1) Whether the petitioner is entitled to the interest deduction claimed in 1958; (2) whether if the interest deduction is disallowed the petitioner is entitled to a deduction for net “out-of-pocket” expense incurred in the transaction; (3) whether if the interest deduction is allowed, the petitioner realized taxable income due to the acceptance by Camp Hale Alumni Association of the United States Treasury notes subject to a liability in excess of basis; (4) whether if such taxable income is realized, the petitioner is entitled to eliminate from taxable income reported interest income accrued on the securities; and (5) whether the petitioner is entitled to an increase in the amount of his charitable contribution to Camp Hale Alumni Association.

All of the facts are stipulated, are so found, and are incorporated herein by reference.

It is stipulated that inasmuch as the issue before the Court involves the bona lides, for tax purposes, of the transactions hereinafter related, that the use of the words “buy,” “bought,” “buyer,” “sell,” “sold,” “seller,” “purchase (d),” “purchaser,” “borrow (ed),” “borrower,” “loan(ed),” “lender,” “interest,” “note,” “debt,” and words of this class should not be taken or considered as evidence of the fact that there was, for tax purposes, a bona fide purchase, sale, borrowing, loan, interest payment, or debt, but rather that these aforesaid words are used merely to relate the form of the transactions which gave rise to this proceeding.

Petitioner is an individual with his principal office in Chicago, Illinois. He filed his income tax return for the year 1953 with the director of internal revenue, Chicago, Illinois.

In his 1953 income tax return petitioner reported adjusted gross income of $95,470.54 and net income of $20,907.26. He included interest income of $17,544.21 attributed to “IT.S. Treasury Notes” and deducted $37,817.92 of interest expense attributed to “Seaboard Investors Securities.” He reported a charitable donation of $753.45 to Camp Hale Alumni Association.

The $17,544.21 of interest income reported by petitioner on his 1953 income tax return was computed as follows:

Semiannual interest credited to his account_$13,750. 00
Less:
Interest accrued at date of purchase_ 4,334.24
- $9,415.76
Interest accrued as of Dee. 30,1953_ 8,128.45
Total_ 17, 544.21

The $37,817.92 of interest expense deducted by petitioner in his 1953 income tax return was computed as follows:

Interest paid by allocation of interest income due him_$9,415. 76
Interest paid on Dec. 29,1953_ 28,402.16
Total_37, 817.92

The interest expense deduction, interest income, and charitable contribution reported by the petitioner arose from the following transaction. The form of this transaction was:

On May 11, 1953, petitioner placed an order with Livingstone and Company, hereinafter referred to as Livingstone, to buy $2 million face amount of United States Treasury 1%% notes maturing March 15, 1954. Livingstone executed it by placing an order on that same date with C. F. Childs and Company, hereinafter referred to as Childs, Government bond dealers, for delivery to his account at the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, hereinafter referred to as Guaranty.

Also on May 11,1953, Livingstone sent confirmation of this purchase as petitioner’s agent to petitioner and to Childs and the latter confirmed its sale as of May 11, 1953, to Livingstone for the account of petitioner.

The purchase price of the Treasury notes was 99%2, which amounted to a principal sum of $1,982,500, plus accrued interest of $4,334.24, making a total purchase price of $1,986,834.24. Petitioner paid $3,000 in cash by check dated May 14, 1953, to Livingstone’s order, and on May 12, 1953, executed a promissory note to the order of Seaboard Investment Associates, Inc., hereinafter referred to as Seaboard, which reads in part as follows:

On March 15, 1954 I promise to pay * * * Seaboard * * * (hereinafter referred to as the obligee) the sum of—
ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED EIGHTY THREE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR AND 24/100 DOLLARS
together with interest on unpaid balances at the rate of 2%e% per annum, subject to the following rights and conditions, having deposited with the said obligee the following securities as collateral:
$2,000,000 U.S. Treasury 1⅜% Notes of March 15, 1954
The undersigned gives to the obligee a lien against the securities pledged for the amount of the obligations set forth herein, and gives to the obligee the right to hypothecate and use the securities pledged for any purpose while so pledged. Said right is not to be inconsistent in any manner with the ownership by the undersigned of the said collateral, and with the right to the undersigned to obtain the return of the collateral at any time upon tender of payment of the principal and interest due hereunder.
The undersigned shall not be called upon nor be liable to furnish additional collateral to the obligee at any time.
The undersigned may anticipate payment, in whole or in part, at any time, of the amount due hereunder, and shall receive back a pro rated portion of the collateral so held; provided nevertheless that interest at the rate of ¾ of l'% per annum pro rated to the maturity date shall be charged on the amount or amounts so paid by anticipation.
All payments received by the obligee directly from or indirectly for the account of the undersigned shall be applied first to payment of interest and any balance thereof applied to payment of principal due hereunder as the obligor shall elect.
The undersigned shall not in any event be personally liable to pay any of the principal indebtedness hereof or interest arising hereunder (including the penalty interest of ⅛ of 1% per annum for prepayment) except from the proceeds from the sale of the said collateral deposited. Application of the proceeds from the sale of the said collateral by the obligee shall be a full accord and satisfaction of any and all claims hereunder and act as a full and complete discharge of any and all liability of the undersigned.
This note has been entered into in the City of Chicago, and shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois.

On May 12, 1953, petitioner addressed a letter to Livingstone directing that the Treasury notes be delivered to Seaboard against payment by that company of $1,983,834.24.

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Bluebook (online)
35 T.C. 356, 1960 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/de-woskin-v-commissioner-tax-1960.