Home Bldg. & Sav. Co. v. Commissioner

12 B.T.A. 289, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3566
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJune 1, 1928
DocketDocket No. 11898.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 12 B.T.A. 289 (Home Bldg. & Sav. Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Home Bldg. & Sav. Co. v. Commissioner, 12 B.T.A. 289, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3566 (bta 1928).

Opinion

[294]*294OPINION.

Siefkin:

The sole question to be decided is whether the petitioner, during the years in controversy, was a domestic building and loan association, exempt from taxation under the Revenue Acts of 1917, 1918, and 1921.

During the year 1918, the petitioner made loans on mortgage security in the amount of $371,028.98, of which $198,158.98, or approximately 53.41 per cent, was to members or stockholders, and $172,870, or approximately 46.59 per cent,- was to nonmembers or nonstock-holders. During the year it also made loans to members on stock or pass-book security in the amount of $22,935. At December 31, 1918, there were outstanding. loans in the amount of $1,404,253.14, but it is not shown what proportion of this represents loans made to members.

During the year 1919, the petitioner made loans on mortgage security in the total amount of $640,272.92, of which $354,590 or approximately 55.36 per cent represented loans made to members or stockholders and $285,782.92, or approximately 44.64 per cent represented loans made to nonmembers or nonstockholders. During the year it also made loans to members on stock, certificate, or pass-book security in the amount of $21,353. On December 31,1919, there were outstanding loans in the amount of $1,743,831.55, but it is not shown what proportion of this amount represents loans made to members.

During the year 1920, the petitioner made loans on mortgage security in the amount of $490,293.47, of. which amount $348,932, or [295]*295approximately 71.16 per cent, represented loans made to members or stockholders and $141,361.47, or approximately 28.84 per cent represented loans made to nonmembers or nonstockholders. Petitioner also made loans to members on stock, or pass-book security in the amount of $32,630.84. On December 31, 1920, there were outstanding loans in the amount of $1,827,141.77, of which amount $414,682.64, or approximately 22.69 per cent, represented loans made to members or stockholders and $1,412,459.13, or approximately 77.31 per cent, represented loans made to nonmembers or nonstockholders.

During the year 1921, the petitioner made loans on mortgage security in the amount of $130,765.71, of which $92,260, or approximately 70.55 per cent, represented loans to members or stockholders and $38,505.71, or approximately 29.45 per cent, represented loans made to nonmembers or nonstockholders. Petitioner also made loans to members on stock or pass-book security in the amount of $17,824. The outstanding loans as of December 31, 1921, were in the amount of $1,797,247.94, of which $404,707.93, or approximately 22.52 per cent, represented loans made to members or stockholders, and $1,392,-540.01, or approximately 77.48 per cent, represented loans made to nonmembers or nonstockholders.

The stipulation entered into betiveen the parties shows that during the year 1922, the petitioner made loans on mortgage security in the amount of $386,506.21, of which $384,067.20 represented loans to members and $3,439.01 represented loans to nonmembers. There is clearly an error in this statement, and assuming that the loans to nonmembers amounted to $2,439.01, we find that approximately 99.37 per cent of the loans was to members or stockholders,' and about .63 of 1 per cent was to nonmembers or nonstockholders. The petitioner also made loans to members on stock or pass-book security in the amount of $22,148.40. The total loans outstanding on December 31, 1922, amounted to $1,873,833.96, of which $712,646.59, or approximately 37.92 per cent represented loans made to members or stockholders and $1,161,187.37, or approximately 62.08 per cent, represented loans to nonmembers or nonstockholders. Approximately 69 per cent of the income of the petitioner during the year was derived from loans to nonmembers or nonstockholders.

During the year 1923, all the loans made by petitioner were to members or stockholders. The amount of $21,880.33 ivas loaned to members on stock or pass-book security. The total loans outstanding as of December 31, 1923, amounted to $2,196,486.32, of which $1,323,-995.53, or approximately 60.28 per cent, represented loans to members or stockholders, and $872,490.79, or approximately 39.72 per cent, represented loans to nonmembers or nonstockholders. During [296]*296the year approximately 50 per cent of the income of the petitioner was derived from loans to nomnembers or nonstockholders.

There were received, among other receipts, by the petitioner the following amounts from the sources and during the years indicated:

[[Image here]]

No evidence was submitted to show whether these receipts were from members or from nonmembers of the petitioner.

The Revenue Act of 1916, which was in effect until February 24, 1919, the date of passage of the Revenue Act of 1918, provided:

Sec. 11 (a) That there shall not be taxed under this title any income received by any—
•*#*"****
Fourth. Domestic building and loan association and cooperative banks without capital stock organized and operated for mutual purposes and without profit.

The Revenue Act of 1918 contains language almost identical with the above.

The Revenue Act of 1921 provides:

Sec. 231. That the following organizations shall be exempt from taxation under this title—
*******
(4) Domestic building and loan associations substantially all the business of which is confined to making loans to members; and cooperative banks without capital stock organized and operated for mutual purposes and without profit.

In Johnstown Building & Loan Association, 6 B. T. A. 463, we stated:

It thus appears that all the authorities agree that the distinguishing features characteristic of building and loan associations is the substantial mutuality of benefit or its reverse existing between all members of each association, and that Congress in all of the Acts of 1909 to 1921 has granted an exemption from income and profits taxation only to those associations organized for mutual benefit or mutual purposes; that all of the authorities above cited agree that some measure of departure like the borrowing of funds from nonmembers or the making of loans to nonmembers, when done merely as an incident to the general purpose of the organization, does not defeat the exemption.

[297]*297In Broadview Savings & Loan Co., 10 B. T. A., 725, we said:

But the mutuality peculiar to building and loan associations is not confined alone to the participation of the members in sharing profits and losses. Such mutuality pertains also to the members of an ordinary commercial partnership or association, and to the stockholders of an ordinary corporation engaged in a business enterprise for profit, the income of which is subject to tax. The mutuality essential to a building and loan association must include not only a mutuality of rights with respect to the control of the association, and a mutuality with respect to the assets of the association, but its primary design must be that of an instrumentality of mutual helpfulness among its members in saving and borrowing for home owning. Lilly Building & Loan Company v. Miller, 280 Fed. 143.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Home Bldg. & Sav. Co. v. Commissioner
12 B.T.A. 289 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
12 B.T.A. 289, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3566, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/home-bldg-sav-co-v-commissioner-bta-1928.