Exchange State Bank v. Commissioner

8 T.C. 721, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 243
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1947
DocketDocket No. 7742
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 8 T.C. 721 (Exchange State Bank 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
Exchange State Bank v. Commissioner, 8 T.C. 721, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 243 (tax 1947).

Opinion

OPINION.

LeMire, Judge:

This proceeding involves income tax deficiencies for the years 1941, 1942, and 1943 in the respective amounts of $375.91, $974.21, and $135.21. The only question in issue is whether the petitioner, a state bank, is entitled to deduct losses resulting from the operation of a depositors’ trust fund. The respondent disallowed the deductions on the ground that the cost basis of the segregated assets had been exhausted by loss deductions claimed and allowed in the petitioner’s returns for prior years. The petitioner contends that the cost basis of such assets should be reduced only by so much of the losses of prior years as resulted in tax benefits in those years.

The proceeding has. been submitted on a written stipulation of facts, which reads in material part as follows:

1. The petitioner is a state bank, organized under the laws of Iowa, and was incorporated September 23,1918. It was in full regular operation until January 28,1933, when it was placed under state supervision and operated In a limited way under State Law SF 111 during the bank holiday, and until January 28,1934 when it was permitted to reopen for full regular business operations.
2. On or about January 27,1934 assets of the petitioner having a cost basis of $140,795.94 were segregated and placed in a Depositors Trust Fund in consideration of which the depositors waived claims against petitioner to the extent of $90,669.09. This transaction left an unrecovered cost basis of the assets In the amount of $50,126.85.
3. Pursuant to an agreement entered into with respondent (hereinafter referred to in paragraphs 17 and 18), petitioner was entitled to deduct net losses to the extent of the unrecovered cost basis of the segregated assets referred to in paragraph 2 above.
4. The Depositors’ Trust Fund was closed on or about April 24, 1943 at which time the final dividend was paid to the depositors by the receiver. Hence petitioner is concluded from claiming further deductions beyond the loss claimed for 1943.
5. Petitioner filed its income tax returns for the calendar years 1935 to 1943, inclusive, with the Collector of Internal Revenue for the District of Iowa. The returns were filed on the cash basis.
6. Petitioner claimed no deduction on its income tax return for 1934 for any losses suffered inithe administration of the Depositors’ Trust Fund.
7. Petitioner’s income tax return for the calendar year 1935, without any deduction for the loss suffered in the administration of the Depositors’ Trust Fund, showed net taxable income of $724.48 with a resulting tax liability of $99.62 which was duly paid. On or about June 12, 1937, taxpayer filed a claim for refund of the $99.62 taxes paid, based on the grounds that the actual net loss In the Depositors’ Trust Fund for 1935 was $11,704.22. The refund was allowed.
8. For the calendar year 1936, petitioner’s income tax return showed a net Income of $1,902.47, before deducting the loss of $7,015.25 suffered in the administration of the Depositors’ Trust Fund, which resulted in the income tax return for that year showing a net loss of $5,112.78.
9. For the calendar year 1937, petitioner’s income tax return, without deduction for the loss suffered in the administration of the Depositors’ Trust Fund, showed a net income of $755.37. After deducting the Trust Fund loss of $11,097.18 the return disclosed a net loss of $10,341.81. The $11,097.18 loss figure shown on the return is in error. The correct figure should be $10,997.18 Inasmuch as a $100.00 error in addition was made on the schedule attached to the return.
10. For the calendar year 1938, the original income tax return filed by petitioner showed taxable income of $2,741.69 with tax liability of $452.38 which was duly paid. On or about August 2,1941, a claim for refund of the $452.38 taxes paid was filed (together with an amended return), based upon the fact that the loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund amounted to $4,888.35. The refund was allowed.
11. For the calendar year 1939, petitioner claimed a deduction in its income tax return for a loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund in the amount of $4,428.95, which resulted in a net loss of $168.19 on the income tax return.
12. For the calendar year 1940, petitioner claimed a deduction in its income tax return for a loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund in the amount of $11,309.22, which resulted in the income tax return showing a net loss of $7,280.16. Respondent allowed an adjusted net operating loss of $4,655.91 to be carried forward to 1941.
13. For the calendar year 1941, petitioner claimed a deduction in its income tax return for a loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund in the amount of $5,463.24, together with a portion ($891.68) of the net loss shown on the 1940 income tax return sufficient to show no taxable income for the year 1941. Bespondent disallowed the deduction of the $5,463.24 loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund but allowed the entire net loss carry-over' from the year 1940 in the amount of $4,655.91.
14. For the calendar year 1942, taxpayer claimed a deduction in its income tax return for a loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund in the amount of $7,329.03, which resulted in the income tax return for that year showing a net loss, on line 31 thereof, of $3,067.53 with no tax liability. Bespondent disallowed the deduction of $7,329.03 and increased the net income on line 31 to $4,261.50.
15. Petitioner in its income tax return for the calendar year 1943 claimed no deduction for loss in that year in the administration of the Depositors’ Trust Fund as no definite information had at that time been furnished by the Beceiver. A net loss carry-over from the calendar year 1942 in the amount of $500.75 was claimed. This deduction was disallowed by respondent. Upon closing of the Trust Fund in 1943, the Beceiver determined the final loss during the receivership, which for the year 1943 amounted to a net loss in the Depositors’ Trust Fund of $2,391.16 for which petitioner claims allowance in this proceeding. Bespondent denies that the loss is deductible.
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22. The statute of limitations has run on the assessment of any additional tax or the claiming of any refund for each of the calendar years 1935 to 1940, inclusive.

Through a series of letters exchanged between the Commissioner and the petitioner during 1944 and 1945, an agreement was reached embodying in substance the following points :>

1. All years then barred by the statute of limitations were to remain “closed” for income tax purposes.

2. For all “open” and future years the depositors’ trust fund and the bank were to be treated as a single tax entity.

3. The amount of the claims waived by the depositors, $90,669.09, was to be applied to reduce the cost basis of the segregated assets, leaving an unrecovered cost of $50,126.85.

4.

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Exchange State Bank v. Commissioner
8 T.C. 721 (U.S. Tax Court, 1947)

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Bluebook (online)
8 T.C. 721, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 243, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/exchange-state-bank-v-commissioner-tax-1947.