Feature Publications, Inc. v. Commissioner

29 T.C. 313, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 38
United States Tax Court·Decided November 20, 1957·No. Docket No. 41911·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

OPINION.

HakRon, Judge:

The question is whether petitioner made timely claims for unused excess profits credits, originating in 1941,1942, and 1946, arising from the use of a constructive average base period net income for carryover and carryback purposes so that a constructive average base period net income for each of the years 1941, 1942, and 1946 may be employed for the purpose of computing the unused excess profits credit carryovers from 1941 and 1942, and the unused excess profits carryback from 1946 to 1944. The Commissioner has determined that such claim was barred by the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations at the time applications were filed by petitioner.

Petitioner contends, in general, that its applications for carryovers and carryback of increased unused excess profits credits originating in 1941, 1942, and 1946, based on a constructive average base period net income for each of those years, were amendments to applications for excess profits tax relief for its taxable years 1943 and 1944, under section 722 (b) (4), which were filed timely, and that, therefore, the claimed carryovers and carryback are not barred by the statute of limitations.

Petitioner’s excess profits tax liability only for its fiscal year 1944 is at issue in this case. Petitioner seeks additional adjustments so as to obtain refund, or overassessment, of the entire amount of the excess profits tax for 1944 which it has paid, $18,111.17. With respect to the amount which has been paid, the Commissioner has allowed an increased excess profits credit for 1944 based on a constructive average base period net income of $8,300, in the amount of $7,885, thereby reducing the excess profits tax liability to $10,043.32 from $18,111.17, a reduction of $8,067.85, for which he has allowed a tentative over-assessment of $4,528.78, leaving the overassessment determined in the statutory notice in the amount of $3,539.07. The Commissioner determined that no part of the unused excess profits carryback from 1945 was available for application to 1944 under section 710 (c) (3) (A) and (B), all of such carryback having been applied to 1943. At the trial, however, he conceded that an unused excess profits credit arising in 1946 in the amount of $2,709.57, computed on the basis of invested capital and without regard to section 722, should have been carried back to 1944. Tins is to be done under a Rule 50 computation, which will reduce the liability for excess profits tax for 1944 to $7,333.75, and will increase the amount of the overassessment. Petitioner now seeks to recover all or part of $7,333.75 excess-profits tax for 1944 under its present contentions relating to carryovers from 1941 and 1942 and carryback from 1946.

The year 1943 is involved in this case under petitioner’s present claims to the following extent: If petitioner is entitled to a cabpni for 1941 and 1942 and carryovers based thereon, there would be carryovers of unused excess profits credit arising in 1942 to 1943 and 1944, and, also, since a carryover from 1942 to 1943 would eliminate all of the excess profits tax net income for 1943, it would follow that the carryback from Í945 and 1946 would apply to 1944 and eliminate the excess profits tax liability for 1944.

Petitioner did not file in time any applications for relief under section 722, such as application for determination of a constructive average base period net income, for its taxable years 1941, 1942, and 1946, because, no doubt, that was not necessary; for each of those years it did not have any adjusted excess profits net income. The timely, original applications which it filed for determination of a cabpni for 1943 and 1944 did not include any claim for the benefits of, or any reference to, any unused excess profits credits from 1941, 1942,1946, or any other years, either to be carried over or carried back to 1943 and 1944, computed with or without the benefit of a cabpni. Admittedly on January 15,1950, the running of the applicable statute of limitations under sections 275 and 322 (b) (6) had expired on the assessment, collection, or refund of taxes, including any refunds arising out of or by reason of any unused excess profits credits, whether or not such credits were based on a cabpni under section 722, with respect to 1941,1942,1943,1944, and 1946. It is obvious that the new Forms 991, filed on March 14, 1950, if considered alone, as applications which were equivalent to that which is prescribed by the Commissioner’s regulations, Regs. 112, sec. 35.722-5 (a), were not filed within the time required under section 322 (b) (6).

In several cases this Court has considered the same issue under similar facts to those presented here, as follows: Lockhart Creamery, 17 T. C. 1123, 1140; Nielsen Lithographing Co., 19 T. C. 605, 613; Barry-Wehmiller Machinery Co., 20 T. C. 705; St. Louis Amusement Co., 22 T. C. 522; May Seed & Nursery Co., 24 T. C. 1131, affd. 242 F. 2d 151, certiorari denied 355 U. S. 839; Utility Appliance Corporation, 26 T. C. 366. The same arguments were made in those cases as petitioner makes here. They were rejected and the issue here is foreclosed by the decisions of this Court in the above cases unless either (1) the Commissioner waived the formal requirements of his regulations, sec. 35.722-5 (a), Regs. 112, as amended, or (2) the facts show that a new ground for recovery of excess profits tax for 1944 properly could be introduced after the statute had run by amending the pending applications for section 722 relief which had been filed timely for 1943 and 1944. Cf. Packer Publishing Co., 17 T. C. 882, 898, reversed on other issues 211 F. 2d 612; Martin Weiner Corp., 26 T. C. 128; Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Co., 27 T. C. 278; Wilmington Gasoline Corporation, 27 T. C. 500; United States v. Memphis Cotton Oil Co., 288 U. S. 62; Angelus Milling Co. v. Commissioner, 325 U. S. 293, 297; United States v. Andrews, 302 U. S. 517; United States v. Garbutt Oil Co., 302 U. S. 528; Pink v. United States, 105 F. 2d 183; H. Fendrich, Inc. v. Commissioner, 242 F. 2d 803, reversing 25 T. C. 262.

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Feature Publications, Inc. v. Commissioner, 29 T.C. 313, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 38 (tax 1957).

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