Four Twelve West Sixth Co. v. Commissioner

7 T.C. 26, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 6, 1946
DocketDocket Nos. 1692, 3946
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 7 T.C. 26 (Four Twelve West Sixth Co. 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
Four Twelve West Sixth Co. v. Commissioner, 7 T.C. 26, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164 (tax 1946).

Opinion

OPINION.

Arnold, Judge:

These proceedings involve income and excess profits taxes as follows:

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The principal issue is the basis to be used for depreciation purposes, i. e., whether cost or fair market value. The other issue is whether petitioner realized additional income for the taxable years by virtue of collections on certain accounts and notes receivable which had no cost basis on petitioner’s books. A third error, relating to the taxable year 1939, was apparently abandoned, as the allegations were not pressed.

The stipulated facts are adopted as our findings of fact. The pertinent portions thereof are herein summarized.

Petitioner is a California corporation, incorporated February 4, 1935. Its principal office is at San Francisco. Its business consists of the Ownership under lease and the operation of an office building and equipment therein, located at 412 West Sixth Street, Los Angeles, California. It kept its books and filed its tax returns on the accrual basis. Its tax returns were filed in the first collection district of California.

In May 1933 the Detwiler Corporation, a California corporation, hereinafter referred to as Detwiler, was in default on $294,000 face amount of its bonds. The bonds were a portion of an authorized issue of $500,000 first closed mortgage 6y2 per cent sinking fund gold bonds under a trust indenture executed in September 1923. They were secured by the unexpired term of a 99-year lease executed in 1912, a 14-story class A office building erected by the first lessee in 1914, the equipment, furniture, and fixtures therein, and certain notes and accounts receivable covering uncollected rent. Detwiler valued the building, machinery, and furniture on its books as follows: building, $1,433,575.47; machinery and equipment, $206,848.21; and furniture and fixtures, $3,734.34.

The bondholders of Detwiler formed a bondholders’ protective committee, hereinafter referred to as the committee, under an agreement dated May 25, 1933, for the purpose of attempting to save the lease, or, if not, to salvage as much as possible for the bondholders. Pursuant to the terms of the bondholders’ protective agreement, the holders of $260,500 face value of the $294,000 of bonds outstanding deposited their bonds with the committee.

After various negotiations the committee and S. Waldo Coleman, representing certain San Francisco interests experienced in building management and operation, developed a plan. Under date of September 5, 1934, the committee advised the bondholders of the plan and urged its adoption. Briefly, the plan provided for the formation of a new California corporation, all of the preferred stock and 51 percent of the common stock of which would be acquired by the Coleman interests, and 49 per cent of the common would be acquired by the bondholders of Detwiler. The committee was to cause foreclosure under the trust indenture, bid in the Detwiler properties at the foreclosure sale, and transfer them to the new company for 49 per cent of its common stock. The Coleman interests were to purchase from the new company all of its preferred and 51 per cent of its authorized shares of common stock for a sum not in excess of $100,000. Such sum was to be used by the new company to meet the following estimated expenses and liabilities: unpaid and delinquent taxes, $23,108.47; trustee’s fees, advances by trustee, costs, and expenses of foreclosure, pro rata distribution to dissenting bondholders, etc. $21,922.95; the committee’s expenses, $5,000; the title company’s fee, $822; costs of incorporation, alterations and improvements, $25,000 to $35,000; and cash working fund, $10,000. If less than $100,000 was needed the number of shares of common stock was to remain undiminished and a smaller number of preferred shares issued. The preferred stock was entitled to 7 per cent dividends, cumulative after the first five years, was callable at not in excess of 5 per cent, was convertible into common at two for one, had equal voting rights with common, and was entitled to the benefit of a sinking fund until all preferred shares were purchased or redeemed.

On October 3, 1934, the committee notified the Metropolitan Trust Co., Los Angeles, successor trustee under the trust indenture of September 1, 1923, that it had adopted the plan aforementioned and proposed to carry it out and make it effective. Notice of default by Det-wiler was duly given and request and demand was made on the trustee to sell under the trust indenture and carry out the escrow instructions given therewith.

On February 11, 1935, the trustee offered the leasehold properties mentioned above for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash. Representatives of the committee bid for the entire properties the sum of $44,000 in cash, which was the only bid made at the sale and was, therefore, accepted by the trustee. Payment of the bid price was made with $17,754.94 in cash and the application of $260,500 principal amount of deposited bonds, together with the appurtenant interest coupons in payment of the balance of $26,245.06. The trustee applied the cash in payment of preferred claims as follows:

Cash advanced by Bank oí America, trustee-$9, 504. 51
Interest thereon to Feb. 11, 1935- 1, 867.26
Trustee’s fee to Feb. 11, 1935_ 191.67
Trustee’s foreclosure fee_ 2,250.00
Expenses of sale_ 522.40
Revenue stamps- 44.00
Payments to nonassenting bondholders_ 3, 375.10
Total- 17,754.94

The $17,754.94 in cash was advanced by the Coleman interests, as the new company (the petitioner herein) was not, on the date of sale, authorized to issue its capital stock.

The nonassenting bondholders held bonds in the principal amount of $33,500, so that the $3,375.10 paid them was equal to 10.0749 of the face amount of their bonds, which is precisely the ratio of value assigned to the $260,500 face amount of bonds applied to the purchase price of $44,000 for the leasehold assets.

Pursuant to the plan, petitioner issued 521 shares of its no par common stock to the committee for assets, and 542 shares of no par common and 600 shares of preferred to the Coleman interests for cash. Later in 1935 petitioner issued 260 more shares of preferred to the Coleman interests for $26,000. During the taxable year petitioner redeemed and retired 530 shares of preferred stock at 105.

The opening entries on petitioner’s books show that the Coleman interests, represented by North American Investment Co., and California Properties, Inc., assignees of S. Waldo Coleman and in no way related to or connected with Detwiler, invested $60,000 in petitioner’s capital stock. North American invested $15,000, which was represented by 150 shares of preferred and 135% shares of common; California Properties invested $45,000, which was represented by 450 shares of preferred and 406% shares of common. The entire $60,000 was allocated to preferred on the books and no part thereof was allocated to the 542 shares of common acquired with the 600 shares of preferred.

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Four Twelve West Sixth Co. v. Commissioner
7 T.C. 26 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)

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Bluebook (online)
7 T.C. 26, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/four-twelve-west-sixth-co-v-commissioner-tax-1946.