Hudgins v. Commissioner

55 T.C. 534, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 4
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedDecember 21, 1970
DocketDocket No. 178-70SC
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 55 T.C. 534 (Hudgins 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
Hudgins v. Commissioner, 55 T.C. 534, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 4 (tax 1970).

Opinion

Irwin, Judge:

The Commissioner determined a deficiency of $433.36 in petitioner’s income tax for the calendar year 1967. Due to concessions stipulated by the parties, the sole issue for our determination is whether certain amounts paid by petitioners to Alabama Market Centers, Inc., represent a nondeductible capital expenditure.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated by the parties. The stipulation, together with the exhibits attached thereto, are incorporated herein by this reference.

Darrell D. Hudgins (hereinafter petitioner) and his wife, Doris L. Hudgins, filed a joint Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1967 with the Internal Revenue Service Center, Chamblee, Ga.

At the time oí the filing oí the petition herein, they resided in Gardendale, Ala.

On or about August 7, 1967, petitioner paid $320 to the Alabama Market Centers, Ine. (hereinafter AMC), in order to become a distributor in the marketing plan of that organization. AMC’s function was to operate a chain of department stores which apparently was patronized only by persons who had membership cards.

Desirous of improving his position within the framework of the organization to that of supervisor, petitioner paid an additional $2,100 to AMC on or about August 28, 1967.

The total cost of becoming a supervisor within AMC’s promotional network is $2,420, which corresponds to the sum paid by petitioner to AMC in August 1967.

The agreement entered into by petitioner in order to become supervisor provided, in pertinent part, as follows :

[Tlie present) Supervisor and Founder [Rere petitioner] agree that if the Founder desires to he installed as a Supervisor, the Founder shall pay to the Supervisor $1,800.00 in liquidated damages. Supervisor, however, agrees to allow, credit and forfeit $200.00 of this liquidated damage for each Founder one time retail sale made by said Founder prior to up grading to Supervisor. This payment to he made through the Area Coordinator along with the one time retail purchase application so that Alabama Market Centers, Inc. may properly process the application and verify the release of the Supervisor’s contract, and pay future funds to the proper party.

Petitioner paid the “$1,800 in liquidated damages” directly to AMC which then drew two checks, one in the amount of $1,200 for E. G. Galbreath (hereinafter Galbreath), the supervisor at that time, and one in the amount of $600 for H. C. Hudgins, the distributor at that time.

These checks were given by petitioner to the two named payees on or about August 28, 1967, at a meeting of various AMC members

AMC advised its members of the various method's of earning income as a distributor or as a supervisor by attaching to its contract forms for membership supplemental sheets containing, in pertinent part, the following information:

VI. SEVEN ways to earn money as a Distributor.
1. You distribute one hundred (100) Purchase Authority Cards and earn level B commission (12% to 20%) each time one of your Purchase Authority Cards is used in an Alabama Market Center.
2. You earn a $60.00 commission each time you sell a one-time retail product thereby establishing a Founder as a Distributor in your Supervisor’s organization.
3. You establish a Founder as a distributor in your Supervisor’s organization and earn a $4.00 Monthly Recurral for as long as you and the Distributor remain active.
4. You establish a Founder as a Supervisor and earn a $000.00 Liquidated Damages fee.
5. You develop a Distributor to Supervisor and earn a $600.00 Liquidated Damages fee.
6. In addition to (2) and (3) above, you earn $200.00 credit for each Distributor you establish in your Supervisor’s organization, provided you were sold by a Distributor, to be applied against the $1,800.00 Liquidated Damages fee you must present to your Supervisor when you up-grade to Supervisor (Maximum 6 credits).
7. In addition to (2) above, you earn $200.00 credit for each Distributor you establish in your Supervisor’s organization, provided you were sold by your Supervisor, to be applied against the $1,800.00 Liquidated Damages fee you must present your Supervisor when you up-grade to Supervisor (maximum 9 credits).
*******
VIII. EIGHT ways to earn money as a Supervisor.
1. You distribute one hundred (100) Purchase Authority Cards and earn level A commission (15% to 25%) each time one of your Purchase Authority Cards is used in an Alabama Market Center.
2. You earn an override level D commission (3% to 5%) each time a Purchase Authority Card of one of your Distributors is used in an Alabama Market Center.
3. You earn a $70.00 commission each time you sell a one-time retail product thereby establishing a Founder as a Distributor in your organization.
4. You establish a Founder as a Distributor in your organization and earn a $6.00 Monthly Recurral for as long as you and the Distributor remain active.
5. You earn a $10.00 override commission each time one of your Distributors establishes a Founder Distributor or Supervisor.
6. You earn a $2.00 Monthly Recurral for each Founder established in your organization as a Distributor by one of your Distributors for as long as you and the Distributor remain active.
7. You establish a Founder as a Supervisor or develop a Distributor you established to Supervisor and earn a $1800.00 Liquidated Damages fee, but forfeit a $200.00 credit to that Distributor for each Founder he established as a Distributor in your organization prior to his up-grading, not to exceed nine (9) credits.
8. You earn $1200.00 Liquidated Damages fee for each Founder established as a Supervisor by a Distributor in your organization, but forfeit a $200.00 credit to the establishing Distributor for each Distributor he established prior to his (the establishing Distributor) up-grading, not to exceed six (6) credits.

Petitioner, in computing bis profit or loss from his sales and promotion business for the taxable year 1967, deducted $2,4531 as paid for membership in AMC, which respondent disallowed in its entirety as a nondeductible capital expenditure.

Of this total amount, the parties agree that $653 represented a nondeductible capital expenditure.

OPINION

The issue presented to us for decision is whether $1,800 paid by petitioner to AMC is a nondeductible capital expenditure.

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Hudgins v. Commissioner
55 T.C. 534 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
55 T.C. 534, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudgins-v-commissioner-tax-1970.