J. I. Morgan, Inc. v. Commissioner

30 T.C. 881, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 128
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 9, 1958
DocketDocket Nos. 61345, 61346
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 30 T.C. 881 (J. I. Morgan, Inc. 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
J. I. Morgan, Inc. v. Commissioner, 30 T.C. 881, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 128 (tax 1958).

Opinions

Withev, Judge:

The respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ income tax for the years and in the amounts as follows:

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The issues presented for our determination are the correctness of the respondent’s action (1) in determining that the acquisition of assets by the petitioner J. I. Morgan, Inc., in exchange for an installment contract constituted a nontaxable exchange of property for stock within the meaning of section 112 (b) (5) of the Internal Bevenue Code of 1939; (2) in determining that the assets acquired by J. I. Morgan, Inc., retain the same basis as they had in the hands of the transferors prior to the transfer; (3) in disallowing the deductions claimed by J. I. Morgan, Inc., for interest paid to J. I. Morgan pursuant to an installment contract; (4) in determining that petitioner J. I. Morgan received dividend distributions under the guise of payments of principal and interest from J. I. Morgan, Inc.; and (5) in determining that the increment in value of an - “Accumulative Investment Certificate” is in the nature of interest and constitutes ordinary income to J. I. Morgan.

GENERAL FINDINGS OF FACT.

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners J. I. Morgan and Frances Morgan are husband and wife residing at New Meadows, Idaho. They filed their joint income tax returns for 1950,1951,1952,1953, and 1954 with the director of internal revenue for the district of Idaho. They kept their books of account and prepared their income tax returns on an accrual basis.

Petitioner J. I. Morgan, Inc. (sometimes hereinafter referred to as the corporation), is a corporation orgainzed under the laws of the State of Idaho with its principal office located at New Meadows, Idaho. The corporation filed its income tax returns for 1952, 1953, and 1954 with the director of internal revenue for the district of Idaho. J. I. Morgan, Inc., kept its books of account and prepared its income tax returns on an accrual basis.

Issues 1, %, 3, and 4. — Sale or Exchange Under Section 11% (&) (5), L B. 0.1939, and Related Issues.

FINDINGS OF FACT.

For several years prior to 1946, J. I. Morgan was employed by the Boise Payette Lumber Company (sometimes hereinafter referred to as Boise Payette or the company) as its logging superintendent and master mechanic. Pie became dissatisfied with his employment in this capacity but Boise Payette desired to have him continue the logging of its timber. As a result, a written agreement, dated April 1, 1946, was executed by Boise Payette and Morgan, by the terms of which the latter agreed to log timber for the company as an independent contractor.

At the time of the execution of the agreement, Boise Payette and Morgan entered into a separate contract whereby Boise Payette agreed to sell Morgan its logging equipment, together with certain buildings and other property, for a total purchase price of $234,685.05. The logging equipment constituted substantially all of the equipment which the company theretofore had used in its logging operations. The purchase price (equivalent to Boise Payette’s book value plus 20 per cent) was to be paid by charges against the operating account of J. I. Morgan at the rate of $1.75 per 1,000 feet of logs produced by Morgan’s logging operations. No interest was payable on the deferred balance. The contract was fully performed and title to the land and equipment was transferred to Morgan on or about March 21, 1950. Upon execution of the contract, Morgan’s operating account with the company was charged with additional' items amounting to $109,647.84, making a total cost to J. I. Morgan of $344,332.89. After April 1, 1946, the logging operations for Boise Payette Lumber Company were conducted by Morgan as sole proprietor, with Edward N. Morgan employed as equipment foreman and Edward S. Millspaugh employed as logging superintendent. Edward N. Morgan and Edward S. Mill-spaugh were compensated at an agreed rate based on the number of feet of logs produced. In the spring of 1950, however, an arrangement was made whereby J. I. Morgan was to receive 60 per cent of the net income of the logging operations and Edward N. Morgan and Mill-spaugh were each to receive 20 per cent of net income.

J. I. Morgan, Edward N. Morgan, and Millspaugh had worked together for a number of years and J. I. Morgan had developed great confidence in their ability and desired to retain their services. However, Edward N. Morgan and Millspaugh were not satisfied to continue as employees of J. I. Morgan and demanded a proprietary interest in the business.

J. I. Morgan, Inc., was incorporated under the laws of the State of Idaho on November 29, 1948, with an authorized issue of common capital stock of 2,500 shares at a par value of $100 each. Until June 1, 1950, only 3 shares of stock in J. I. Morgan, Inc,, were subscribed — one each by J. I. Morgan, Frances Morgan, and Edward N. Morgan. The corporation was inactive until after October 1, 1950.

On June 5, 1950, a special meeting of the board of directors of J. I. Morgan, Inc., was held for the purpose of discussing the advisability of subscribing for additional capital stock of the corporation in the amount of $10,000. The directors were J. I. Morgan, Frances C. Morgan, and Edward N. Morgan. J. I. Morgan indicated a willingness to subscribe for $6,000 worth of stock of „the corporation and Edward N. Morgan and Millspaugh each agreed to subscribe for $2,000 worth of the- corporation stock. Consequently, resolutions were adopted by the directors authorizing J. I. Morgan, Inc., to issue and deliver 59 shares of the capital stock of the corporation to J. I. Morgan, 1 share to Frances Morgan, and 20 shares each to Edward N. Morgan and Edward S. Millspaugh in consideration of $100 per share. The capital stock of the corporation was paid for on or about October 1, 1950, at which time it was issued and delivered in accordance with the corporate resolution. The remaining 2,400 shares of the capital stock remain unsubscribed. Edward N. Morgan and Millspaugh were agreeable to continuing as 20 per cent stockholders in J. I. Morgan, Inc., but they were unwilling to accept a smaller proportionate interest therein.

The stockholders discussed the possibility of expanding the operations of the corporation by engaging in road construction, land clearing, and the milling of jack pine, but they eventually rejected those suggestions. J. I. Morgan also contemplated leasing to the corporation his logging equipment but the idea finally was abandoned. The initial capital investment in the amount of $10,000 would have been sufficient to enable the corporation to continue its operations in the event the directors had decided to rent the logging equipment of J. I. Morgan.

After deciding to, sell the logging equipment to the corporation, J. I. Morgan and Frances Morgan submitted a written offer to the corporation to sell to it certain real and personal property, including logging equipment, for $500,000, together with the assumption by the corporation of certain of the liabilities of J. I. Morgan in the amount of $129,682.55. The offer was accepted by the directors of J. I. Morgan, Inc., on September 25, 1950.

On or about October 1, 1950, J. I. Morgan and Frances C. Morgan executed a written contract of sale with J. I.

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J. I. Morgan, Inc. v. Commissioner
30 T.C. 881 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
30 T.C. 881, 1958 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 128, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-i-morgan-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1958.