Jefferson Amusement Co. v. Commissioner

18 T.C. 44, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 9, 1952
DocketDocket No. 27267
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 18 T.C. 44 (Jefferson Amusement Co. 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
Jefferson Amusement Co. v. Commissioner, 18 T.C. 44, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224 (tax 1952).

Opinion

OPINION.

Black, Judge:

Petitioner seeks relief as provided by section 722 of the Internal Revenue Code in regard to its excess profits tax liability for the years 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945. Petitioner also seeks additional relief under the provisions of section 722 of the Code by reason of a constructive unused excess profits credit carry-over from 1940 and 1941 to 1942.

Petitioner contends it qualifies for relief under section 722 (b) (4) by reason of the following facts: (1) that it acquired during the base period years additional theatres; (2) that it remodeled and increased the seating capacity of a theatre during 1938; (3) that it entered into additional contracts during the base period years increasing the number of theatres to which petitioner rendered management or film booking services; (4) that it was committed in 1939 to build two theatres which were completed and placed in operation during 1940; (5) that it changed the operation of its business in 1937 by assuming control of its confection and popcorn business, or that by commencing on January 1,1936, the sale of candy and popcorn in its theatres there was a difference in products furnished; (6) that it changed its management in 1939; and (7) that during the base period years it changed the ratio of nonborrowed capital to total capital.

We shall consider in turn each of the factors relied upon by petitioner and determine whether it is entitled to relief by reason thereof, and, if so, the amount of relief to be granted petitioner.

Since we determine that petitioner is entitled to relief under the provisions of section 722 of the Code, an additional issue arises as to whether the relief granted to petitioner under section 722 interferes with the relief which is automatically granted to petitioner because it incurred during the base period certain abnormal deductions which satisfy the provisions of section 711 (b) (1) (J) of the Code.

Issue 1 — Additional Theatres.

A “change in the character of the business,” section 722 (b) (4) of the Code,1 includes, among other things, a difference in the capacity of operation. The stipulated facts in this proceeding show that by reason of the acquisition of theatres during 1936 and 1937, petitioner had a difference in capacity of operation, and respondent does not contend otherwise.

The petitioner, seeking relief under the provisions of section 722 of the Code, must establish not only that its average base period net income was an inadequate standard of normal earnings because there was a change in the character of the business, section 722 (b) (4), but also must establish “what would be a fair and just amount representing normal earnings to be used as a constructive average base period net income for the purposes of an excess profits tax based upon a comparison of normal earnings and earnings during an excess profits tax period.” See section 722 (a) of the Code. It is the latter requirement that is the point in dispute in the first issue. In its brief petitioner has reconstructed additional earnings for certain of the theatres added to its business in the following manner:

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At the beginning of its base period years on January 1, 1986, petitioner owned, leased, or operated 14 theatres. Six of these theatres were located in Beaumont, five were located in Port Arthur, two were located in Orange, and one was located in Anahuac. During 1936, petitioner built a theatre in Beaumont, one in Nederland, and one in Mont Belview, and the Lyric in Port Neches was purchased during the same year. In 1937, petitioner purchased a theatre located in Silsbee and leased a theatre in Orange. At the end of 1939, petitioner had 20 theatres, of which 19 were operating.

Petitioner in its excess profits tax returns computed its average base period net income in accordance with the provisions of section 713 (e) of the Code, making use of a general average and without adjustment under the provisions of section 711 (b) (1) (J) of the Code. Petitioner’s average base period net income as computed on its 1943 and subsequent excess profits tax returns without consideration of section 711 (b) (1) (J) was as follows:

'Excess 'profits Year net income
1936_$206, 125. 58
1937_ 294, 302. 79
1938_ 271, 532. 14
1939___ 216,895.53
Total $988, 856. 04
Average. $247, 214. 01

Petitioner’s average base period net income for the years 1940 and 1941 as used on its tax return for 1942 for computing the unused excess profit credit was $247,250.43.

Respondent’s principal contention as basis for denying relief to petitioner under section 722 of the Code on account of these five theatres added during the base period is that petitioner’s actual earnings during the base period (as indicated by the excess profits net income for the base period years as set forth above) did not increase after petitioner increased its capacity. Respondent contends that the constructive average base period net income as computed from petitioner’s normal earnings during the base period would be smaller than petitioner’s actual average base period net income. Respondent would ignore the fact that but for the additional theatres added by petitioner during 1986 and 1937, petitioner’s earnings in the subsequent base period years would have been considerably smaller than they in fact were. By reason of the addition of theatres to its business during the base period petitioner thereafter had greater receipts and larger earnings than it would have had if the increase in capacity had not been made, and we think that petitioner’s earnings in 1939 from the added theatres did increase petitioner’s excess profits net income for 1939 over what it otherwise would have been and that this entitled petitioner to reconstruct earnings for the other three base period years, 1936,1937, and 1938.

Petitioner makes no contention for the application of the 2-year push-back rule but asks for reconstruction on the basis that these five added theatres had reached their normal level of earnings by the end of the base period, December 31,1939.

Petitioner was operating a chain of motion picture theatres and during the base period petitioner added to that chain a number of theatres which were located in towns where theatres had not theretofore been operated by petitioner. We think that petitioner’s average base period net income is to be considered an inadequate standard of normal earnings because of this change in the character of petitioner’s business.

After a careful consideration of all the evidence we conclude that in a reconstruction of petitioner’s average base period net income for the purpose of arriving at petitioner’s constructive average base period net income there should be added $4,880.86 for the five theatres added to its business during the base period.

Issue % — Remodeling Resulting in Increase in Capacity.

Petitioner remodeled its Pearce Theatre in Port Arthur, Texas, and increased its capacity to 627 by adding 61 seats.

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Jefferson Amusement Co. v. Commissioner
18 T.C. 44 (U.S. Tax Court, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 T.C. 44, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jefferson-amusement-co-v-commissioner-tax-1952.