Jefferson Block & Supply Co. v. Commissioner

59 T.C. No. 61, 59 T.C. 625, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 175
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 5, 1973
DocketDocket No. 2331-71
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 59 T.C. No. 61 (Jefferson Block & Supply 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 Block & Supply Co. v. Commissioner, 59 T.C. No. 61, 59 T.C. 625, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 175 (tax 1973).

Opinion

IRWIN, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies in income tax of petitioner and additions to tax:

Year Deficiency Additions to tax sec. 6651 (a)

3/31/67___r_ $6,799.99 $340.00

3/31/68 .... 4,794.54 239.73

3/31/69___ 8,543.71 854.37

Petitioner has conceded by stipulation that the additions to tax for failure to file timely returns were correctly imposed by respondent. Accordingly, the single issue before us is whether purported rental payments in excess of $3,000 per year made to petitioner’s stockholders may be deducted under section 1621 either as rent or as compensation for the services of petitioner’s president.

FINDINGS OP FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and they are so found. The exhibits attached to the stipulation are incorporated herein by this reference.

Petitioner is Jefferson Block & Supply Co., a Tennessee corporation having its principal place of business at all relevant times in Jefferson City, Tenn. For its fiscal year ended March 31, 1967, petitioner filed its corporate income tax return with the district director of internal revenue, Nashville, Tenn.; for the fiscal years ended March 31, 1968, and March 31, 1969, petitioner filed its returns with director of the Internal Revenue Service Center, Chamblee, Ga.

Since its incorporation on January 6, 1955, petitioner has been in the business of manufacturing and selling concrete blocks, ready-mixed concrete, and other concrete building materials in Jefferson County, Tenn., and several neighboring counties.

On June 30, 1963, 320 of petitioner’s 400 outstanding shares of stock were owned by W. H. Lackey (Lackey) and his wife. The remaining 80 shares of petitioner’s stock were owned in the following manner: 70 by Sue Bird, the Lackeys’ daughter; and 10 by Nelson H. Lackey (Nelson), the brother of W. H. Lackey.

During 1961, 1962, and up to July 1, 1963, Lackey was petitioner’s president. His duties as president consisted of the general management of the corporation — contracting, overseeing jobs, and handling collections. Lackey’s wife was secretary and treasurer. Her duties consisted of bookwork, answering the telephone, and handling office sales. Nelson was vice president, and among his duties were the supervision of blockmaking, blockloading, and deliveries, and the supervision of jobs in progress. Phillip Jones, Lackey’s son-in-law, was petitioner’s yard foreman. Jones’ duties were to see that orders for petitioner’s products were loaded on the trucks.

In 1962 Lackey suffered an accident which resulted in the amputation of a leg. Following his accident Lackey’s wife and brother assumed his duties for a 2- or 3-month period. Upon Lackey’s return to work for petitioner following the accident, he discovered that he was unable to manage satisfactorily the affairs of petitioner. Furthermore, as a result of the accident, his wife developed a nervous condition. For these reasons Lackey began to think of disposing of his interest in petitioner. In April or May 1963 Lackey’s son-in-law, Phillip Jones, made initial contacts with Dale K. Bettis (Bettis) with regard to purchasing Lackey’s interest. Upon learning that Bettis might be interested, Lackey discussed the purchase with Bettis.

After being approached by Lackey, Bettis contacted J. B. High, a certified public accountant and a neighbor of Bettis. High examined petitioner’s books and records to determine whether the company was making money and whether it had an adequate cash flow. High determined that petitioner was earning money and was not in serious financial trouble. High did not know of any of the details of the transaction contemplated by Lackey at that time. After High’s examination, Bettis agreed to purchase the Lackeys’ interests.

On July 1, 1963, Lackey and his wife, Sue Bird, and Nelson conveyed all of their common stock to Bettis and his wife pursuant to an oral agreement. The Bettises gave the following consideration for the conveyance of the stock: (1) A promissory note in the sum of $116,750 payable to W. PI. Lackey and 'Willie D. Lackey in monthly installments of $1,079.83, including interest at 5 percent per annum; (2) a promissory note in the sum of $26,250 payable to Sue Bird in monthly installments of $242.79, including interest at 5 percent per annum; and (3) $3,750 in cash paid to Nelson H. Lackey. The two promissory notes matured 12 years from July 1,1963.

At the time of the purchase of the stock, Bettis borrowed $25,000 for a downpayment which Lackey requested. Bettis did not try to borrow the total amount ($143,000) of the two promissoy notes given for the purchase of the stock, nor would he have in fact been able to borrow that amount. Of the $25,000 that he did borrow, $18,000 was paid to petitioner for its land and buildings; $3,750 to Nelson for his stock; and $3,250 to W. H. Lackey for his stock. The respective amounts were paid during the end of July 1963.

In an agreement dated July 1, 1963, and notarized July 24, 1963, the Bettises assigned all their common stock in petitioner to Lackey, as trustee, as collateral security for their two promissory notes given in payment of the purchase price of petitioner’s stock. In its pertinent parts, the agreement specifically provided:

1. Tlie Parties of the First Part [Dale K. Bettis and Dolores H. Bettis] do hereby assign, set over and convey to the Party of the Third Part [W. H. Lackey, trustee], as collateral security for said notes all of the capital stock in the Party of the Second Part [petitioner] which they have acquired from the Party of the Third Part and wife and Sue Bird. Said assignment is conditioned, however, upon the failure of the Parties of the First Part to pay said notes when and a,s they become due and to perform the covenants of this agreement as more fully hereinafter set out.
2. The Parties of the First Part agree that they will pay said notes when and as they become due.
3. The Parties of the First Part and the Party of the Second Part agree that until such time as said notes have been paid in full they will not do any of the following things without the written consent of the Party of the Third Part, to-wit:
(a) They will not declare any dividends by the corporation;
(b) They will not issue any additional capital stock of the corporation;
(c) They will not increase the salaries of any officer, director, or employee of the corporation;
(d) They will not employ any person to work in the office of the corporation or to have supervisory control over another employee;
(e) They will purchase no new machinery or equipment in excess of a value of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) ;
(f) They will not sell or dispose of any of the equipment, motor vehicles or assets of the corporation;
(g) They will not do anything to deplete the assets, or impair the value of the capital stock of the corporation.

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Jefferson Block & Supply Co. v. Commissioner
59 T.C. No. 61 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 T.C. No. 61, 59 T.C. 625, 1973 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jefferson-block-supply-co-v-commissioner-tax-1973.