Jones v. Commissioner

39 B.T.A. 531, 1939 BTA LEXIS 1016
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedMarch 7, 1939
DocketDocket No. 90323.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 39 B.T.A. 531 (Jones v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Commissioner, 39 B.T.A. 531, 1939 BTA LEXIS 1016 (bta 1939).

Opinion

OPINION.

Hill:

Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioner’s income tax liability for the year 1934 in the amount of $680.42. In his return for the taxable year, petitioner deducted from gross income a capital loss resulting from foreclosure sales in the alleged amount of $16,375.20. Respondent disallowed the deduction so claimed to the extent of $14,375.20, including that amount in taxable income, and on such basis computed the deficiency in controversy. The correctness of respondent’s action on this point is the only issue presented for decision.

[532]*532Petitioner is an individual, residing at North. East, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

In April 1926 petitioner purchased certain residential property, located at Long Beach, Long Island, New York, known as the “Long Beach property”, title to which was taken in his wife’s name. The purchase price of this property was $45,000. Petitioner paid $10,000 cash down; he also paid $10,000 in two annual installments of $5,000 each, and a purchase money mortgage of $25,000, signed by petitioner’s wife, was given to the vendor.

In May 1926 petitioner purchased 10 lots, located in the town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, known as the “Nassau Shores property”, title to which was also taken in the name of petitioner’s wife. The purchase price of the property was $13,150, and petitioner’s wife executed a bond and mortgage to the vendor for the sum of $5,858 of the purchase price.

Although the titles were taken in the name of petitioner’s wife, petitioner furnished all money paid on the purchase price of both properties above mentioned.

Petitioner’s wife died testate on May 1, 1929. Petitioner was the sole beneficiary under her will, and the executor thereof.

In 1931 petitioner executed extension agreements, and thereby assumed personal liability on the purchase money mortgages on both the Long Beach and Nassau Shores properties.

Both of the mortgages mentioned were foreclosed in 1934, and as a result of the foreclosure proceedings the properties were sold to the respective mortgagees.

In consideration of the agreement of the mortgagee not to take a deficiency judgment against him, petitioner turned over to the holder of the mortgage on the Long Beach property certain furniture that remained in the house at the time of the foreclosure proceedings.

The Long Beach property was originally purchased for the sole purpose of providing a home for petitioner’s wife and their six children. Some time after the death of his wife in 1929, petitioner rented the property. It was rented during 1931, and it was for that year that petitioner first claimed deductions for depreciation and reported rentals. Petitioner reported no rental for the year 1932, and the property was not rented during 1933. Petitioner, with some of his family, spent part of the summer of 1933 there in residence. Thereafter, the property was vacant until the mortgage was foreclosed in 1934.

In computing the deficiency, respondent determined that petitioner sustained a loss of $5,000 in 1934 from the sale of the Long Beach property pursuant to the foreclosure proceeding. Such loss was computed as follows: Respondent held that this property had a value in 1931, when converted to income-producing purposes, of [533]*533$35,000, from which he deducted the unpaid mortgage of $25,000, plus depreciation allowable and allowed in 1931-1933 in the total amount of $5,000.

Respondent likewise determined that petitioner sutained a loss of $5,942 during the taxable year from the sale of the Nassau Shores property under the foreclosure proceedings. The amount of loss claimed by petitioner on this property is the same as computed by respondent, except that petitioner did not deduct from the purchase price of $13,150, in addition to the unpaid mortgage of $5,858, the amount of $1,350 representing depreciation allowed (which was in excess of the amount allowable) for 1932. The method used by respondent in computing the amount of this loss must be approved, since the depreciation allowed was properly deducted under the provisions of section 113 (b) (1) (B) of the Revenue Act of 1934.1

Thus, respondent determined that petitioner sustained an aggregate loss on the two properties referred to in the amount of $10,942, but since petitioner had held the properties “for more than 2 years but not for more than 5 years”, only 60 percent or $6,565.20 of such loss could be taken into account in computing net income, pursuant to the provisions of section 117 (a).2 However, since petitioner reported no capital gains for the taxable year, respondent held that the amount of the allowable deduction for capital losses was further limited to $2,000 by the provisions of subsection (d) of section 117.3 Respondent now contends that petitioner is not entitled to any deduction for loss on account of the Long Beach property for the reason that (1) such property was not being used for income-producing purposes at the time of the foreclosure sale, and (in the alternative) (2) that by the time this property had been appropriated to income-producing purposes its value had so decreased that petitioner’s equity therein was worthless, and accordingly no loss was sustained from the foreclosure sale. Respondent further contends that, in any event, [534]*534a loss from foreclosure is a capital loss, and that petitioner’s total capital losses allowable are limited to $2,000 under section 117 (d), supra.

Petitioner argues that he sustained total deductible losses of about $23,792.

In our opinion petitioner is not entitled to a deduction of the loss sustained from the foreclosure sale of the Long Beach property, if in fact a loss resulted therefrom, and hence we need not determine the value of the property or other factor which would enter into the computation of such loss. It is not essential to the allowance of a loss deduction that the property be purchased or constructed by the taxpayer in the first instance for the purpose of subsequent sale for a pecuniary profit. Even though the property were originally purchased for use as a personal residence, if it is thereafter abandoned for such purpose and devoted to business uses in the production of taxable income wntil sold, a loss from the sale is properly allowable. Heiner v. Tindle, 276 U. S. 582. But if a taxpayer (1) purchases or constructs a property for use as a personal or family residence and so uses it, (2) then abandons it for such use and rents it, (3) then reoccupies it as a residence for a time, and thereafter it remains vacant until sold at a loss, such loss is not a business loss and is not deductible is computing taxable income. W. H. Moses, 21 B. T. A. 226, 228. The use of property to produce revenue constitutes a transaction entered into for profit, but unless there is some appropriation of the property to rental purposes, which continues wntil it is sold, it retains its character as a residence rather than as a business property from the date it is last used as a residence. Cf. Joseph F. Cullman, Jr., 16 B. T. A. 991. See also Frances G. Smith, 23 B. T. A. 1134; D. A. Belden, 30 B. T. A. 601; R. C. Bayliss, 35 B. T. A. 1128; Howard Oots, 37 B. T. A. 571.

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Related

Peake v. Commissioner
10 T.C.M. 577 (U.S. Tax Court, 1951)
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Helvering v. Nebraska Bridge Supply & Lumber Co.
115 F.2d 288 (Eighth Circuit, 1940)
Jones v. Commissioner
39 B.T.A. 531 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
39 B.T.A. 531, 1939 BTA LEXIS 1016, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-commissioner-bta-1939.