Edwards v. Commissioner

67 T.C. 224, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 26
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1976
DocketDocket Nos. 4371-73, 4372-73
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 67 T.C. 224 (Edwards 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
Edwards v. Commissioner, 67 T.C. 224, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 26 (tax 1976).

Opinion

Irwin, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies and overassessment in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Taxable year ended Deficiency Overassessment
Edward K. and Helen Edwards. 12/31/68 $928.18
12/31/69 $10,660.02
12/31/70 15,788.88
Tex Edwards Co., Inc., 5/31/69 11,572.42
5/31/70 25,416.72

The issues remaining for our determination are: (1) Whether respondent properly "allocated” income, pursuant to section 482,1 in respect of sales of equipment by a partnership to a corporation, both of which were controlled by the individual petitioners; and (2) the correct amount of depreciation deductions allowable to the corporation with respect to certain equipment used by it in its construction business.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.

Edward K. and Helen Edwards, husband and wife, filed joint Federal income tax returns for the years 1968, 1969, and 1970 at the Southeast Service Center, Chamblee, Ga. At the time the petitions were filed, the Edwardses were residents of Pensacola, Fla.

Tex Edwards Co., Inc. (hereafter the corporation or Tex Edwards), timely filed U.S. Corporation Income Tax Returns for its taxable years ending May 31, 1969, and May 31, 1970. During the years in issue, the Edwardses owned approximately 99 percent of the corporation’s stock. The corporation’s principal business activities included rigging and erection in connection with heavy construction and also the rental of heavy rigging and construction equipment to other construction contractors.

The Edwards Equipment Sales Co. (hereafter the partnership) was a partnership in which the Edwardses were equal partners. The partnership was an authorized dealer for Harnischfeger Corp. (hereafter Harnischfeger), a manufacturer of cranes and heavy construction equipment. In conjunction with such dealership, the partnership also sold used equipment.

The partnership was formed by the Edwardses in 1963 in order to obtain a dealership contract with Harnischfeger and to thereafter offer equipment manufactured by Harnischfeger to contractors in the northwest Florida area. After formation of the partnership, the corporation purchased most of its cranes and associated heavy equipment from the partnership. The partnership had minimal overhead expense since it: (1) Shared an office with the corporation; (2) did not maintain a sales force; and (3) did not provide service or warranty work on the equipment it sold.

The following chart sets forth relevant data regarding sales made by the partnership during the years in issue:

Year Item of sale Cost to Sales price partnership to corporation Sales price to unrelated Manufacturer’s entity list price
Trackmaster crawler tractor and trailer. 1968 $6,058.75 $5,078.75 $6,675.00
Used equipment (4 separate items). 1968 152,750.00 $158,750.00
Parts and supplies.... 1968 2,484.47 4,920.87
P. & H. Rrl25 crane1. 1969 32,373.60 32,873.60 41,125.00
P. & H. H-418T crane1. 1969 59,888.52 59,888.52 70,637.05
Piper Aztec airplane. 1969 65,880.00 66,380.00
Parts and supplies. 1969 1,510.56 2,447.95
P. & H. R-125 crane1. 1970 34,523.42 39,380.88 44,751.00
Trailer. 1970 8,525.94 8,700.00
P. & H. 325-TCWA crane1 1970 55,151.81 56,651.81 67,588.00
P. & H. 325-TCWA crane1 1970 52,534.90 54,034.90 64,381.00
P. & H. 320 crane1.■.... 1970 33,509.38 34,509.38 43,632.00
P. & H. 440 crane1. 1970 70,500.00 72,000.00 70,500.00
Used equipment (4 separate items). 1970 93,550.00 95,500.00
Parts and supplies. 1970 4,015.80 3,777.51

Only one item of new equipment was sold by the partnership to an unrelated party during the years in issue. This was a P. & H. R-125 crane, manufactured by Harnischfeger, which was sold to Cárroll Construction Co. for $39,380.88 in 1970. This crane cost the partnership $34,523.42 and had a manufacturer’s list price of $44,751. The gross profit percentage (gross profit as a percentage of cost) realized by the partnership in respect of this sale was 14 percent.

Noonan Construction Co. (hereafter Noonan), headquartered in Pensacola, Fla., was engaged primarily in highway construction. In the course of its business, Noonan owned and operated heavy construction equipment similar to that owned by Tex Edwards. The cranes owned by Noonan had a lighter "lift capacity” and a "shorter reach” than those owned by Tex Edwards. As a consequence, Noonan sometimes used the services of Tex Edwards when Noonan’s own equipment was inadequate for a particular purpose. Noonan has never purchased equipment from the partnership nor has it ever owned equipment manufactured by Harnischfeger. In purchasing construction equipment, Noonan rarely paid the manufacturer’s list price and, in fact, usually received a discount ranging from 5 to 20 percent of such list price.

M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. (hereafter Moody), was a heavy construction equipment dealer with locations in Jacksonville, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Although Moody made an effort to receive the manufacturer’s list price for the equipment it sold, it usually received less than that amount.

Pilot Equipment Co. (hereafter Pilot) was a heavy construction equipment dealer, serving the north Florida and south Georgia areas, during the years in issue. Pilot represented several manufacturers of heavy construction equipment, including Harnischfeger. Pilot maintained a complete sales organization and offered service and warranty work on the equipment it sold. Pilot attempted to maintain a profit margin equal to that which would result if it sold each item at the manufacturer’s list price. However, Pilot was able to maintain that profit margin only where: (1) The sale was' in the form of a rental with an option to purchase; (2) the manufacturer granted an additional discount; or (3) Pilot made a profit on the resale of equipment traded in. As a general matter Pilot offered its customers a minimum discount equal to 5 percent of the list price for the equipment sold. Pilot experienced some difficulty in servicing the Harnischfeger equipment. Had it not been for the expense of maintaining a service department as well as a sales organization, Pilot would have sold equipment at an even greater discount.

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Edwards v. Commissioner
67 T.C. 224 (U.S. Tax Court, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
67 T.C. 224, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 26, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edwards-v-commissioner-tax-1976.