Food MacHinery and Chemical Corporation, a Corporation v. United States

286 F.2d 177
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMarch 1, 1961
Docket147-54
StatusPublished

This text of 286 F.2d 177 (Food MacHinery and Chemical Corporation, a Corporation v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Food MacHinery and Chemical Corporation, a Corporation v. United States, 286 F.2d 177 (cc 1961).

Opinions

LITTLETON, Judge

(Retired).

Plaintiff, an accrual basis taxpayer, sues to recover income and excess profits taxes paid for its fiscal year ended September 30, 1945 (hereinafter called fiscal 1945). The taxes in question, in the amount of $744,548.35, were paid upon a profit allowance of $906,621.81 received by plaintiff on a contract termination claim which was actually paid in 1946 and 1947. The issue in the case is whether plaintiff was properly required by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to accrue this sum as income for fiscal [178]*1781945, when its contract was terminated. Plaintiff claims the sum was not properly accruable until 1946.

It is clear that if, in fiscal 1945, plaintiff had a fixed right to receive a reasonably ascertainable amount as a profit allowance, that amount was properly accruable in that year. Continental Tie & Lumber Co. v. United States, 286 U.S. 290, 52 S.Ct. 529, 76 L.Ed. 1111. When books of account are kept, and tax returns prepared, on the accrual, rather than cash, basis, the time when a right to receive or a liability to pay an ascertainable amount becomes fixed, and not the time of actual receipt or payment, is decisive of the proper time for accrual. Spring City Foundry Co. v. Commissioner, 292 U.S. 182, 184-185, 54 S.Ct. 644, 78 L.Ed. 1200; Security Flour Mills Co. v. Commissioner, 321 U.S. 281, 64 S.Ct. 596, 88 L.Ed. 725.

The question here, therefore, is whether in fiscal 1945 plaintiff’s right to receive payment on its termination claim was a fixed right to receive a reasonably ascertainable amount.

Plaintiff, a Delaware corporation with its principal office at San Jose, California, was engaged in the manufacture of amphibian tanks and spare parts under fixed-price contracts with the Department of the Navy during World War II.

The eleven contracts involved in this case were entered into between plaintiff and the United States Navy’s Bureau of Ships from November 1943 to July 1945. They were all war contracts within the coverage of the Contract Settlement Act of 1944, 58 Stat. 649, 41 U.S.C.A. § 101 et seq., and of the Joint Termination Regulation, as amended.1

Eight of the contracts contained termination clauses providing for fair compensation, including a profit allowance, to be paid to plaintiff in the event the contracts were terminated for the convenience of the Government. The parties were to attempt to negotiate the amount of the profit allowance, but if no agreement could be reached, plaintiff was to receive a profit equal to 2% of the cost of material purchased by plaintiff but not yet processed, plus 8% of the cost of work in progress, but not more than 6% of the total of the above costs. Plaintiff’s records indicated what material was purchased for each contract, but items common to several contracts were physically commingled. As work in process, plaintiff’s books showed labor, burden and raw materials fabricated by plaintiff, but not material furnished by plaintiff to its subcontractors, or purchased components and material, which plaintiff placed in the finished goods account when items were completed. At any given time, only a physical count, and not plaintiff’s records, could have disclosed the actual work in process. No effort was made by plaintiff to determine the actual amount of work in process on the contracts here involved.

Plaintiff’s eleven contracts were terminated under the provisions of the Contract Settlement Act of 1944 and the Joint Termination Regulation, by termination notices issued between July 20 and August 30, 1945.

Plaintiff had become aware, early in 1945, that its contracts might be terminated. On June 20 and 21 and during the week of July 2, pretermination conferences were held between plaintiff’s representatives and representatives of the Bureau of Ships, headed by Captain Rosenstein, the contracting officer in charge of plaintiff’s contracts. The parties discussed means of calculating costs due to cancellation, the manner of counting and classification, preservation and disposal of inventories, the rate of profit plaintiff was to receive, and the approximate amounts involved. Plaintiff proposed a 6.4% rate of profit; the Navy offered the terms generally used by it of 3% on materials and purchased parts and 10% on work in process. Plaintiff’s estimate of work in process as at least 25% of its inventories would have yielded an overall rate of 4.75% at the Navy’s terms. Discussion led to an oral agree[179]*179ment on a profit rate of 4.875%, upon which basis plaintiff would submit its termination claims.

On July 19, 1945, the Bureau of Ships submitted to plaintiff a draft pretermination agreement referring to five of plaintiff’s contracts. The draft provided a 4.875% rate of profit which was to include packing expenses, and contained extensive provisions relating to inventories, classification of items and pricing of materials.

Plaintiff did not reply formally to the July 19 proposal and no pretermination agreement was executed, for the war had ended and the contracts were terminated. Plaintiff’s post-termination activities proceeded under the Joint Termination Regulation.

When plaintiff received the termination notices, work was stopped, suppliers and subcontractors notified to stop work, and preparations for inventory counts made. Work in process then on feed lines of subcontractors and subassembly lines of plaintiff’s largest plants was reviewed with Navy representatives and disposition of some of this material was determined. Subassemblies not used as' such in spare parts were disassembled and their parts returned to stock bins. Semifabricated pieces were scrapped, and materials in process returned to stock bins. The return of parts and materials to the bins was with the approval of the Navy.

Under the circumstances, when plaintiff’s inventory was taken, it was not possible to distinguish between purchased parts and raw materials on the one hand and work in process on the other.

On August 29, 1945, plaintiff asked to be permitted to file two joint inventory and settlement proposals, each covering four of- the terminated contracts. Captain Rosenstein, by letter of September 21, 1945, approved plaintiff’s request.

At a meeting on September 18, 1945, plaintiff’s president and Captain Rosenstein reached an understanding that the 4.875% profit rate remained mutually agreeable and would be claimed by plaintiff and allowed by Captain Rosenstein. Captain Rosenstein’s letter of September 21 confirmed this understanding. It was also understood that the rate of profit was subject to review by the Government’s Settlement Review Board in Washington, D. C.

This, then, is the stage to which matters had progressed when plaintiff’s fiscal year came to an end on September 30, 1945.

On November 12, 1945, plaintiff requested permission to consolidate some of its termination claims, setting August 17, 1945, as consolidated termination date. Three days later, it asked to be permitted to submit one settlement proposal covering all its terminated contracts, apportioning charges pro rata,.

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Related

Continental Tie & Lumber Co. v. United States
286 U.S. 290 (Supreme Court, 1932)
Spring City Foundry Co. v. Commissioner
292 U.S. 182 (Supreme Court, 1934)
Security Flour Mills Co. v. Commissioner
321 U.S. 281 (Supreme Court, 1944)
Breeze Corporations, Inc. v. United States
117 F. Supp. 404 (Court of Claims, 1954)
Apex Electrical Mfg. Co. v. Commissioner
16 T.C. 1171 (U.S. Tax Court, 1951)
Globe Corp. v. Commissioner
20 T.C. 299 (U.S. Tax Court, 1953)
Dumari Textile Co. v. Commissioner
47 B.T.A. 639 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1942)
Commissioner v. Dumari Textile Co.
142 F.2d 897 (Second Circuit, 1944)

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