International Paper Co. v. Taxation Division Director

11 N.J. Tax 147
CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedApril 26, 1990
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 11 N.J. Tax 147 (International Paper Co. v. Taxation Division Director) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
International Paper Co. v. Taxation Division Director, 11 N.J. Tax 147 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1990).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

LASSER, P.J.T.C.

Plaintiff, International Paper Company (“IP”), contests the Director’s denial of refund claims for corporation business tax paid for tax years 1981 and 1982. IP contends that two items of income are not properly includable in its “adjusted entire net income” because this income was not earned as part of IP’s unitary business. The items of income at issue are:

[151]*151(1) the capital gain and interest income realized by IP on the sale of all of its stock ownership in Canadian International Paper Company (“CIP”); and
(2) the capital gain income realized by IP on the sale of its stock in C.R. Bard, Inc. (“Bard”).

Plaintiff alleges that inclusion of this income is violative of the Due Process and Commerce Clauses of the United States Constitution.

The facts of the case have been stipulated, and the case has been submitted to the court on oral argument pursuant to R. 8:8-1(b). This is a full court opinion pursuant to R. 8:8-6.

I

The Companies.

A.

International Paper Company.

IP is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York, with its principal office and corporate headquarters in Purchase, New York. IP transacts business in more than 35 states, including New Jersey. During the years 1980-1982, IP owned, maintained and operated a computer center in Denville, New Jersey, and a sales office for its container division in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey. IP is engaged principally in the manufacture and sale of products in three industry segments (shown with percentages of total sales for the years 1977-1981): (i) pulp and paper (31-34%),1 (ii) packaging and packaging materials (45-50%)2 and (iii) wood products and resources (18-21%).3 Through the use of approximately 100 subsidiary corporations, IP is also engaged in other diverse businesses, inelud[152]*152ing the development of mineral properties, the operation of a contract oil and gas drilling business and the management of agricultural operations.

B.

Canadian International Paper Company.

CIP, prior to its sale in 1981, was a wholly-owned subsidiary of IP, incorporated in the Province of Quebec, maintaining its corporate headquarters in Montreal, Canada. In 1981, CIP was the largest newsprint producer in the world. CIP and its subsidiaries are engaged in production and sale in the following industry segments (shown with percentages of total sales for the years 1977-1981): (i) pulp and paper (62-66%),4 (ii) packaging products (21-23%),5 and (iii) other products (14-18%).6 It was stipulated that CIP does not transact any business in New Jersey.

CIP and IP had frequent business transactions with each other. CIP sold packaging paperboard and linerboard or rollstock to IP for use in IP’s container plants. IP sold linerboard, fine paper, newsprint and liquid packaging to CIP. All sales between the two companies were at competitive wholesale prices. In addition to transactions between them, each company also sold products to, and purchased products from, independent third parties. CIP subsidiaries also purchased wood supplies from IP. Another subsidiary of IP, International Pulp Sales (“IP Pulp Sales”), acted as a distributor for CIP and its subsidiaries on a resale basis, and IP Pulp Sales also acted as a distributor for IP on a resale basis. A subsidiary of CIP, [153]*153International Paper Sales Company (“CIP Paper Sales”) acted as a United States distributor of substantially all of the newsprint produced by IP. The same subsidiary also distributed newsprint in Canada and abroad for CIP on a resale basis. Both IP Pulp Sales and CIP Paper Sales also transacted business with independent third parties. Another IP subsidiary, International Navigation Limited (“IP Navigation”), provided marine transportation services to CIP Paper Sales for transport of newsprint from Canada to the United Kingdom.

Other agreements between CIP and IP made CIP a selling agent for IP kraft board and fine paper and the exclusive selling agent in Canada for a line of IP packaging machinery. Under these agreements CIP received a sales commission.

The chairman and vice chairman of the board of directors of IP also served as the chairman and vice chairman of CIP’s board. The remaining ten members of the CIP board of directors were not affiliated with IP. IP required CIP to submit the following capital expenditure requests to IP for approval: (1) the proposed operating budget and (2) commitments exceeding $5 million. Commitments between $1 million and $5 million required approval by IP’s chairman and vice chairman. From 1971 to 1981, two former IP executives served consecutively as president of CIP.

The two companies generally developed separate employment policies and plans. Although IP’s profit improvement plan and incentive compensation plan extended to all of the IP subsidiaries, CIP established its own plans which awarded IP stock to CIP employees. IP agreed to sell such stock to CIP for use in these plans. IP also maintained joint liability insurance for the directors and officers of IP and CIP and benefit plans for certain key CIP employees.

As an IP subsidiary, CIP was subject to the IP “Corporate Policy Guide,” which provided general guidelines on a variety of subjects including law, accounting, environmental policy, employment policy and ethics. However, this guide was not intended to supersede the existing policies and procedures of [154]*154CIP, and CIP’s own administrative manual covered many of the same topics.

Each company maintained separate computer facilities and legal and accounting staffs; however, IP did provide certain patent and tax advice to CIP free of charge. After 1970, each company maintained its own research department or research subsidiary and contracted for the licensing and exchange of technology with each other. Although the two companies did not generally share facilities or equipment, a subsidiary of CIP did lease office space from IP. CIP and IP each owned a conference facility which was available to the other for a fee. A “tie-line” telecommunication system provided a direct dedicated telephone link between IP and CIP.

CIP accountants provided IP with the information necessary to prepare IP’s consolidated financial statements, which included CIP’s financial data. No overhead attributable to IP or CIP was allocated or apportioned to the other for any purpose. CIP did not issue its own annual reports.

In 1981, CIP’s long term outstanding indebtedness to IP amounted to $200,000 (approximately 1% of CIP’s long term debt). This debt was issued at the then existing market rate. Prior to 1981, IP and CIP obtained separate and independent debt financing from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

On October 1, 1981, IP sold all of its shares of CIP to Canadian Pacific Enterprises for $896 million, which was to be paid in two installments. As a condition to the closing of the sale, IP was required to cause IP Navigation to assign to a CIP subsidiary all of the IP Navigation leases of vessels used by IP Navigation to provide transportation services to CIP Paper Sales.

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

Related

Central National-Gottesman, Inc. v. Director
14 N.J. Tax 545 (New Jersey Tax Court, 1995)
Brunswick Corp. v. Director, Div. of Taxation
638 A.2d 805 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1994)
International Paper Co. v. Director, Division of Taxation
12 N.J. Tax 253 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1991)
Mobil Oil Corp. v. Director, Division of Taxation
11 N.J. Tax 344 (New Jersey Tax Court, 1990)
American Home Products Corp. v. Director, Division of Taxation
11 N.J. Tax 287 (New Jersey Tax Court, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 N.J. Tax 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/international-paper-co-v-taxation-division-director-njtaxct-1990.