Ingalls v. Commissioner

45 B.T.A. 787, 1941 BTA LEXIS 1072
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedNovember 21, 1941
DocketDocket Nos. 101717, 101718, 101719.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 45 B.T.A. 787 (Ingalls 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
Ingalls v. Commissioner, 45 B.T.A. 787, 1941 BTA LEXIS 1072 (bta 1941).

Opinion

[789]*789OPINION.

Turner:

In their petitions, petitioners Lewis and Robert Ingalls raised no question as to whether they, are transferees of the estate. At the hearing they admitted liability as transferees for the deficiency determined against the estate in event it is finally determined that the estate is liable for a deficiency. Consequently, the only questions in controversy relate to the correctness of the respondent’s determination with respect to the estate.

Relying on the provisions of sections 115 (c) and 117 (a) (2) and (b) of the Revenue Act of 1938 and the fact that the preferred stock in the Ingalls Stone Co. had been held by the estate for more than ten years, the petitioners contend that only 50 percent of the gain realized on the redemption of the stock should be taken into account in the computation of the estate’s net income.

The Revenue Act of 1938 provides as follows:

SEO. 115. DISTRIBUTION BY CORPORATIONS.
* ***** *
(c) Distributions in Liquidation. — Amounts distributed in complete liquidation of a corporation shall be treated as in full payment in exchange for the stock, and amounts distributed in partial liquidation of a corporation shall be treated as in part or full payment in exchange for the stock. The gain or loss to the distributee resulting from such exchange shall be determined under section [790]*790111, but shall be recognized only to the extent provided in section 112. Despite the provisions of section 117, the gain so recognized shall be considered as a short-term capital gain, except in the case of amounts distributed in complete liquidation. * * *
SEO. 117. CAPITAL GAINS AND LOSSES.
(a) Deetnittons. — As used in this title—
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(2) Short-term capital gain. — The term “short-term capital gain” means gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset held for not more than 18 months, if and to the extent such gain is taken into account in computing net income;
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(4) Long-term capital gain. — The term “long-term capital gain” means gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset held for more than 18 months, if and to the extent such gain is taken into account in computing net income;
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(b) Peecentage taken into account. — In the case of a taxpayer, other than a corporation, only the following percentages of the gain or loss recognized upon the sale or exchange of a capital asset shall be taken into account in computing net income:
100 per centum if the capital asset has been held for not more than 18 months;
66% per centum if the capital asset has been held for more than 18 months but not for more than 24 months;
50 per centum if the capital asset has been held for more than 24 months.

Petitioners concede that tlie amount received by the estate on the redemption of the preferred stock in the Ingalls Stone Co. constituted a distribution in partial liquidation of a corporation within the meaning of the provisions of section 115 (c) and also that under those provisions the gain realized by the estate on the stock redemption constituted short-term capital gain. However, relying on the absence of any provision in section 115 (c) specifying the percentage of gain that is to be taken into account in computing net income, petitioners contend that the mere characterization by section 115 (c) of the gain here in controversy as short-term capital gain does not determine what percentage of the amount thereof is to be taken into account in computing net income. They contend that that question is determined solely by the provisions of section 117 (b), which are the only provisions specifying the percentages of gain that are to be taken into account in computing net income, and that the percentages specified therein are predicated solely upon the period for which the taxpayer has held the asset from which the gain arises and not upon whether the asset is characterized by the act as short-term capital gain or long-term capital gain.

The distribution made to the estate by Ingalls Stone Co. in November 1938 clearly was not in complete liquidation of the corporation and therefore does not fall within the exception contained in the last sentence of the above quoted portion of section 115 (c). Under these circumstances it is our opinion that by the provisions of section 115 (c) Congress has definitely provided that, despite [791]*791anything to the contrary in section 117, gain such as is involved here is to be considered as short-term capital gain and that it is to be so considered even though the stock from which the gain arises actually was held by the estate for a longer period than the holding period stated in the definition of short-term capital gain as contained in section 117 (a) (2). Since such gain must be considered as short-term capital gain under section 115 (c) and short-term gain is defined by section 117 (a) (2) as gain resulting from the sale or exchange of a capital asset held for not more than 18 months, it follows by the terms of section 117 (b) that such gain must be treated for income tax purposes in the same manner as gain resulting from an asset held for not more than 18 months and that 100 percent thereof is to be taken into account. To grant the construction sought by the petitioners would render meaningless the provision of section 115 (c) to the effect that gain resulting from partial liquidation of a corporation shall be considered as “short-term capital gain.” The language of the statute will not permit such a construction.

The petitioners contend that under the provisions of sections 28 (g) 1 and 117 (b) the estate is entitled to take into account in computing net income 50 percent of the loss of $1,338.33 or $666.67 sustained on the sale of stock in the Citizens National Bank to the Ingalls Stone Co. The respondent’s position'is that the deduction of such amount is not allowable under the provisions of section 24 (b) (1) of the act.2

It is to be noted from the provisions of section 24 (b) (1) that “no deduction” is to be allowed “in any case” in respect of losses from sales or exchanges of property between the parties specified in [792]*792paragraphs (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), or (F). Here the sale was made by an estate to a corporation more than 50 per centum of the stock of which was owned by the estate. None of the provisions referred to specifically deny deduction by an estate of a loss so sustained and the parties have narrowed the issue to the applicability of section 24 (b) (1) (B), which is to the effect that no deduction shall-be allowed in respect of losses resulting from the sale of property between “an individual and a corporation more than 50 per centum in value of the outstanding stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by or for such individual”, the respondent contending that for the purposes of that section the estate must be regarded as an individual and the petitioners contending to the contrary. The word estate is not defined in the act.

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Related

Hanna v. Commissioner
37 T.C. 63 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)
Clark v. Commissioner
132 F.2d 862 (Sixth Circuit, 1943)
Ingalls v. Commissioner
45 B.T.A. 787 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 B.T.A. 787, 1941 BTA LEXIS 1072, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ingalls-v-commissioner-bta-1941.