John Bremond Co. v. Scofield

99 F. Supp. 81, 40 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1279, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4042
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedJune 1, 1951
DocketCiv. A. No. 491
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 99 F. Supp. 81 (John Bremond Co. v. Scofield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
John Bremond Co. v. Scofield, 99 F. Supp. 81, 40 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1279, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4042 (W.D. Tex. 1951).

Opinion

RICE, Chief Judge.

This is an action to recover excess profits taxes for 1944 and income taxes for 1946 allegedly overpaid by plaintiff to defendant. There were originally four issues of the action:

(1) Whether or not money borrowed by plaintiff during 1944 for the purchase of World War II bonds was borrowed for business reasons and not merely to increase the excess profits credit as required by the provisions of Internal Revenue Code, Sec. 719(a) (1), 26 U.S.C.A. § 719(a) (1), and Treasury Regulation 112, Sec. 35.719-1 in determining borrowed capital for computing excess profits tax credit;

(2) Whether or not a certain instrument in the face amount of $2,445.98 executed by plaintiff in favor of one Edward Bock, Jr., secretary of plaintiff, was properly includible in plaintiff’s borrowed capital;

(3) Whether or not $20,000 paid by plaintiff to its President, H. M. Houston, in 1946 was a reasonable compensation for the services actually rendered plaintiff by H. M. Houston during 1946 and was therefore an allowable deduction from plaintiff’s gross income under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Sec. 23 (a) (1) (A), 26 U.S.C.A. § 23(a) (1) (A) and Treasury Regulation 111 Sec. 29.23(a)-6;

(4) Whether or not $100 paid by plaintiff to the Sponsors of the Governor’s Inaugural Ball in Austin, Texas was a necessary and ordinary business expense and therefore entitled to be deducted from plaintiff’s gross income under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Sec. 23 (a) (1) (A) and Treasury Regulation 111 Sec. 29.23(a)-1.

At the outset of the trial plaintiff abandoned issue No. (2) above and defendant conceded that the $100 paid to the Sponsors of the Governor’s Ball under issue No. (4) was an allowable deduction. Trial was had solely on issues No. (1) and (3) above.

The court having considered the oral testimony, the stipulated facts, the exhibits and briefs of counsel, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, makes and enters the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law:

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiff is a Texas corporation with principal office and place of business and residence at 301 San Jacinto1 Street, Austin, Texas.

2. Plaintiff is. a Texas corporation engaged in the wholesale grocery business in and around the City of Austin, Texas. Defendant is now, and has been continuously since November 21, 1933, Collector of Internal Revenue for the First District of Texas. He resides in Travis County, Texas.

3. On March 15, 1945, plaintiff filed with the defendant its corporate tax returns for the calendar year 1944 reporting therein;

Gross Income $205,674.03

Net Income 40,809.07

Tax Liability

Income tax and declared value excess profits tax 12,004.78

Excess Profits tax 6,142.59

Said taxes were duly paid to defendant.

4. On the February, 1948, assessment list the Commissioner of Internal Revenue assessed against plaintiff additional excess profits taxes of $5,291.51 and interest thereon of $919.56, totaling $6,211.07. This liability was satisfied by a payment of $2,882.-31 to defendant on March 24, 1948, and by application of a credit in the amount of $3,328.76, on March 26, 1948, representing over-assessment of income taxes for 1944.

5. The assessment of additional excess profits taxes for the year 1944, referred to in finding 4 above, was based in part upon determination by the Commissioner that plaintiff, in computing its excess profits credit for the year 1944 by the invested capital method, was not entitled to include as part of its borrowed invested capital:

[83]*83(a) The sum of approximately $200,000 in notes representing money borrowed to purchase United States War Bonds;

(b) The sum of $2,445.98 allegedly borrowed from an officer of the plaintiff corporation.

6. The portion of said additional assessed excess profits taxes allocable to the exclusion from plaintiff’s borrowed capital of said $2,445.98 mentioned in Finding of Fact 5(b) is $112.67, concerning which amount, and the interest thereon, plaintiff abandoned suit as aforementioned.

7. On May 26, 1948, plaintiff filed with the defendant a claim for refund of 1944 excess profits taxes in the amount of $2,-882.31. This claim was formally rejected by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue on February 28,1949.

8. On March 17, 1947, plaintiff filed with the defendant its corporate tax return for the calendar year 1946, reporting therein:

Gross Income $336,111.58

Net Income 113,639.76

Tax Liability — Income Tax 40,629.67

Said taxes were duly paid to the defendant.

9. On the May, 1949 assessment list the Commissioner of Internal Revenue assessed against plaintiff additional income tax of $1,499.31 and interest thereon of $196.14, totaling $1,695.45 for 1946, and said amount was paid to defendant on June 1, 1948.

10. The additional assessment for 1946 was based in part upon the following adjustments made by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue in plaintiff’s returns for 1946:

(a) $100' deduction for contribution to Governor’s Inaugural Ball at Austin, Texas —Disallowed

(b) $20,000 salary for president of plaintiff corporation during 1946 — Reduced to $17,000

11. On June 8, 1949, plaintiff filed with defendant its claim for refund of 1946 tax, in the amount of $1,332.07. This claim had not been formally rejected by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue when this suit was .instituted and more than six months elapsed ■ between the filing of said claim and the filing of this suit.

War Bor.d Issue

12. Plaintiff engaged in the following United States Government War Bond negotiations during World War II, numbers

(6) through (11) of which are directly involved in this lawsuit:

(1) On September 18, 1942, plaintiff purchased $2,000 in Series G bonds bearing interest at 2%% out of the company’s operating fund.

(2) On April 28, 1943, plaintiff purchased $3,000 in bonds maturing 1950-52, bearing 2% interest out of the same fund.

(3) On September 8, 1943, plaintiff purchased $5,000 in Series G bonds out of the same fund.

(4) On February 21, 1944, plaintiff purchased $10,000 in Series C bonds out of the same fund.

(5) On September 3, 1946, the bonds aforementioned in subsections 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, which- bonds are not directly involved in this suit, were sold.

(6) On February 29, 1944, plaintiff borrowed $98,000 at 1 y%% interest from the Capital National Bank of Austin, Texas, and used such amount to purchase United States Government Bonds from said bank maturing 1951-53 and bearing 2% interest.

(7) On April 27, 1944, plaintiff borrowed $98,000 at 1 y%% interest from the Mercantile National Bank of Dallas and used such amount to purchase Government Bonds maturing 1951-53 and bearing 2% interest.

(8) On June 26, 1944, the bonds bought on February 29, 1944, were sold and additional bonds bought with the funds, which bonds matured 1942-54 and bore 2% interest.

(9) On June 28, 1944, the bonds bought on April 27, 1944, were sold and the funds used to purchase additional bonds, which matured 1952-54 and bore 2% interest.

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99 F. Supp. 81, 40 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1279, 1951 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4042, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/john-bremond-co-v-scofield-txwd-1951.