Eckerd Corp. v. United States

37 Fed. Cl. 713, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2456, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 86, 1997 WL 229982
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedMay 6, 1997
DocketNo. 95-733T
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 37 Fed. Cl. 713 (Eckerd Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Eckerd Corp. v. United States, 37 Fed. Cl. 713, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2456, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 86, 1997 WL 229982 (uscfc 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

MILLER, Judge.

This matter is before the court after argument on the parties’ cross-motions for partial summary judgment. Eekerd Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries (“plaintiff’) seeks a refund of income tax paid for tax year 1986. The issue is whether the parent of an affiliated group of corporations, upon the deemed sale of the assets of the parent and its subsidiaries to an unrelated corporation, must restore to income gain from an intercompany transaction between subsidiaries of the parent that previously was recognized, but deferred.

FACTS

This case involves the sale of inventory between certain subsidiaries of the Jack Eck-erd Corporation and the subsequent sale of the stock of the Jack Eekerd Corporation affiliated group to Eekerd Holdings, Inc. The Jack Eekerd Corporation was the common parent of an affiliated group of corporations that filed consolidated federal income tax returns. The affiliated group consisted of the Jack Eekerd Corporation and 34 first-tier, wholly-owned subsidiary corporations.

Sometime prior to April 30, 1986, certain subsidiaries of the Jack Eekerd Corporation affiliated group sold warehouse inventory items to other members of the group for resale in their stores. On April 30, 1986, Eekerd- Holdings, Inc., an unrelated corporation, purchased 100% of the stock of the Jack Eekerd Corporation affiliated group for $1,184,642,151.00. As a result of the stock purchase, the Jack Eekerd Corporation (“Old JEC”) affiliated group merged into Eekerd Holdings, and Eekerd Holdings changed its name to the Jack Eekerd Corporation (“New JEC”).1 The Old JEC affiliated group filed its final consolidated income tax return on January 14, 1987. This consolidated return, covering the period from August 4, 1985, through April 30, 1986, reported deferred gains of $15,426,075.00 arising from the earlier sales of inventory between members of the Old JEC affiliated group. On January 14, New JEC also filed an election, pursuant to section 338(g) of the 1954 Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. (I.R.C.) § 338(g) (1982),2 to treat the sale of the Old JEC affiliated group’s stock as a deemed sale of the Old JEC affiliated group’s assets.

On August 1, 1991, plaintiff filed an informal refund claim with the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), contending that it erroneously reported as taxable income the gain resulting from the intercompany sale of inventory between certain members of the Old JEC affiliated group. When the examining agent disallowed the informal claim, plaintiff appealed. The IRS Appeals Division sustained the agent’s denial of the informal refund claim. Plaintiff then filed a claim for refund with the IRS on December 28, 1994, [715]*715which subsequently was disallowed. Plaintiff filed this suit in the Court of Federal Claims on November 6,1995.

DISCUSSION

1. The deferred intercompany transaction

I.R.C. § 1501 permits an affiliated group of corporations to file a consolidated tax return in lieu of separate returns. To qualify for the privilege of filing a consolidated return, all members of the affiliated group must consent to the consolidated return regulations. The advantages of filing a consolidated return have been described, as follows:

1) deferral of gain on intercompany transactions; 2) offsetting gains and losses; 3) tax-free intercompany dividends; 4) greater utilization of NOL and capital loss carryovers; 5) greater utilization of unused investment credits; 6) greater utilization of excess charitable contribution deductions;
7) reduction in gain on sale of a subsidiary;
8) minimizing the minimum tax.

Wolter Constr. Co., Inc. v. Commissioner, 634 F.2d 1029, 1031 n. 1 (6th Cir.1980) (citation omitted).

The Internal Revenue Code does not provide specific rules for calculating the tax liability of affiliated groups filing consolidated returns. Instead, Congress directed the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations for this purpose: ■

The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as he may deem necessary in order that the tax liability of any affiliated group of corporations making a consolidated return and of each corporation in the group, both during and after the period of affiliation, may be returned, determined, computed, assessed, collected, and adjusted, in such manner as clearly to reflect the income-tax liability and the various factors necessary for the determination of such liability, and in order to prevent avoidance of such tax liability.

I.R.C. § 1502. I.R.C. § 1503(a) states that “[i]n any case in which a consolidated return is made or is required to be made, the tax shall be determined, computed, assessed, collected, and adjusted in accordance with the regulations under section 1502 prescribed before the last day prescribed by law for the filing of such return.” 3

As a general rule, the taxable income of a member of an affiliated group that files a consolidated return is computed separately from that of the other members of the affiliated group. Treas. Reg. § 1.1502-12 (1966). The regulations create an exception to this rule for certain types of transactions, known as “deferred intercompany transactions,” between members of an affiliated group. Treas. Reg. § 1.1502 — 13(c)(l)(i). An inter-company transaction is “a transaction during a consolidated return year between corporations which are members of the same group immediately after such transaction.” Treas. Reg. § 1.1502-13(a)(l)(i). A deferred inter-company transaction is

(i) The sale or exchange of property,

(ii) The performance of services in a case where the amount of the expenditure for such services is capitalized (for example, a builder’s fee, architect’s fee, or other similar cost which is included in the basis of the property), or

(iii) Any other expenditure in a case where the amount of the expenditure is capitalized (for example, prepaid rent, or interest which is included in the basis of the property); in an intercompany transaction.

Treas. Reg. § 1.1502-13(a)(2).

When a transaction between members of an affiliated group meets the definition of a deferred intercompany transaction, the selling member defers payment of gain or loss recognized as a result of the transaction: “(i) To the extent gain or loss on a deferred intercompany transaction is recognized under the Code for a consolidated return year, such [716]*716gain or loss shall be deferred by the selling member (hereinafter referred to as ‘deferred gain or loss’).”4 Treas. Reg. § 1.1502-13(c)(1).

The deferral provision of the consolidated return regulations does not constitute an exception to the general recognition rule of I.R.C. § 1001(c). I.R.C. § 1001(c) provides that “[e]xcept as otherwise provided in this subtitle, the entire amount of the gain or loss, determined under this section, on the sale or exchange of property shall be recognized.” When a member of a consolidated group sells property in a deferred intercom-pany transaction, the member recognizes gain or loss at the time of the sale but defers the reporting of the recognized gain or loss.

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37 Fed. Cl. 713, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2456, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 86, 1997 WL 229982, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eckerd-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-1997.