H Enters. Int'l v. Commissioner

105 T.C. No. 6, 105 T.C. 71, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 41
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 31, 1995
DocketDocket No. 11478-93
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 105 T.C. No. 6 (H Enters. Int'l 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
H Enters. Int'l v. Commissioner, 105 T.C. No. 6, 105 T.C. 71, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 41 (tax 1995).

Opinion

OPINION

Scott, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes and additions to tax as follows:

Additions to tax

Year Deficiency Sec. 6653(a) Sec. 6662

6/30/89 ■ $3,474,671 $173,734

6/30/90 2,575,105 $231,580

6/30/91 2,181,276 118,195

All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, unless otherwise indicated.

When this case was called from the calendar in St. Paul, Minnesota, the parties filed a stipulation disposing of all of the issues in this case, with the exception of the applicability of sections 246A and 265(a)(2) to the consolidated tax liabilities of petitioners.

On June 29, 1994, petitioners filed a motion for summary judgment with respect to the two remaining issues, in which petitioners moved, pursuant to Rule 121, for judgment in their favor with respect to adjustments made by respondent to petitioners’ income tax liability under sections 246A and 265(a)(2). In this motion, petitioners state that there are no issues of material fact with respect to the issues on which they request summary judgment, and that petitioners request that the Court determine: (1) That section 246A may not be applied by respondent to disallow the dividend received deduction of H Enterprises International, Inc. (HEl), a parent corporation, because of indebtedness incurred by Waldorf Corp. (Waldorf II), a subsidiary of HEl; and (2) that section 265(a)(2) may not be applied by respondent to disallow the interest expense of Waldorf II because of purchases and carrying of tax-exempt bonds by its parent HEL

Petitioners state that the Code is applicable to separate taxpayers and may not be applied to two or more taxpayers as if such taxpayers were one taxpayer, unless the section involved specifically provides for such treatment directly or through related party rules. Petitioners state that even though Waldorf II was completely controlled by HEl, the two are separate entities and, therefore,-'must be treated separately under sections 246A and 265(a)(2), which petitioners state means that the stock on which a dividend received deduction is claimed (portfolio stock) must be held by the same one of the affiliated corporations that borrows the funds which are used to purchase the stock, and that the purchase of tax-exempt securities, likewise, must be by the same one of the affiliated entities that borrowed the funds with which the securities were purchased or carried. In other words, petitioners’ position is that only if the money borrowed by Waldorf II is used by Waldorf II to purchase portfolio stock or tax-exempt securities can sections 246A and 265(a)(2) apply.

Respondent takes the position that there is nothing in the provisions of section 246A to prohibit application of that section to a parent corporation that uses funds borrowed by its subsidiary to purchase portfolio stock, if the purchase of such stock by the parent is directly attributable to the subsidiary’s borrowings, and there is nothing in the provisions of section 265(a)(2) to prohibit the disallowance of an interest deduction to a subsidiary with respect to borrowings which the subsidiary incurred to enable its parent to purchase or carry tax-exempt securities. It is respondent’s position that whether the. investment of hei in portfolio stock is directly attributable to the borrowings of its subsidiary, Waldorf II, and whether Waldorf II incurred the indebtedness from which funds were distributed to hei to enable hei to purchase or carry tax-exempt securities are questions of fact to be determined at a trial of this case. Therefore, respondent contends that petitioners’ motion for summary judgment should be denied.

The parties have stipulated all facts which either party considers necessary for a disposition of petitioners’ motion for summary judgment. All the stipulated facts, including the exhibits attached thereto, are found accordingly, and we will recite only those facts necessary to an understanding of our holding with respect to petitioners’ motion for summary judgment.

The predecessor to Waldorf Corp. (Waldorf I) was incorporated on September 26, 1984. On October 1, 1984, Waldorf I changed its name to hei (H Enterprises International, Inc.). At all times from the incorporation of Waldorf I through June 30, 1991, the corporation, which ultimately carried the name of HEI, was organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. On July 15, 1985, Waldorf I (now HEI), in connection with acquiring the assets and liabilities of the Waldorf business, entered into a loan and security agreement with General Electric Credit Corp. (gecc), whereby GECC agreed to finance the acquisition of the Waldorf business. In connection with the loan and security agreement between Waldorf I (now HEl) and GECC, Waldorf I (now HEl) granted GECC a warrant to purchase common stock of Waldorf I (now HEl). On October 1, 1987, HEl, which as heretofore stated was the corporation whose name had previously been Waldorf I, formed a wholly owned subsidiary named Waldorf Corp. (Waldorf II) and transferred substantially all of the assets and liabilities relating to the Waldorf business to Waldorf II. From October 1, 1987, through February 28, 1988, HEl owned all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Waldorf II. From February 29, 1988, through June 30, 1991, the outstanding capital stock of Waldorf II was held as follows: HEl held 10,000 shares of class A voting common stock of Waldorf II, and Waldorf II employees held from 872 to 991 shares of class B nonvoting common stock of Waldorf II. From October 1, 1987, to March 9, 1994, the outstanding common stock of HEl was owned by Eugene U. Frey individually and by trusts for the benefit of his family members. During the taxable years ending June 30, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991, HEl owned stock of Waldorf II satisfying the requirements of section 1504(a)(2), and for each of these taxable years HEl and Waldorf II properly joined in the filing of a consolidated income tax return under section 1504.

In a writing in lieu of a meeting of the Waldorf II board of directors dated December 18, 1987, the board adopted a resolution to borrow up to $175 million from GECC and pledge or grant a security interest in substantially all of its corporate assets to secure the loan. The board of directors further resolved that coincident with funding the HEl and Waldorf II recapitalization plan through the borrowings from GECC, Waldorf II would distribute to HEl $20 million to be used to discharge the warrant to purchase HEl stock owned by GECC and approximately $9 million to discharge an indebtedness of HEl to Champion International Corp., and further coincident with such funding, Waldorf II would pay a dividend to HEl in the amount of $92 million. On December 23, 1987, Waldorf II borrowed $113,539,873.30 from GECC pursuant to a loan and security agreement between Waldorf II and GECC dated November 24, 1987.

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Bluebook (online)
105 T.C. No. 6, 105 T.C. 71, 1995 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/h-enters-intl-v-commissioner-tax-1995.