Kent Homes, Inc. v. Commissioner

55 T.C. 820, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 177
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 25, 1971
DocketDocket Nos. 4456-68, 4457-68, 4458-68, 4459-68, 4536-68
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 55 T.C. 820 (Kent Homes, 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
Kent Homes, Inc. v. Commissioner, 55 T.C. 820, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 177 (tax 1971).

Opinions

Tannenwald, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ income taxes:2

Taxpayer Year Deficiency
Kent Homes, Inc_ Feb. 1, 1958 $69, 980. 31
through
Jan. 31, 1959
Alton K. Blosser and Ester Blosser_ 1963 19, 062. 77
Alton K. Blosser, Jr., and Ruth Blosser_ 1963 12, 951. 42
Marshall E. Blosser and Mary C. Blosser__ 1963 13, 396. 55
Max L. DeErance and Bonnie J. DeFrance. 1963 13, 899. 41

Overpayments in income taxes are claimed by individual petitioners as follows:

Taxpayer Year Amount
Alton K. Blosser and’Ester Blosser_ 1963 $2, 164
Alton K. Blosser, Jr., and Ruth Blosser_ 1963 1, 476
Marshall E. Blosser and Mary C. Blosser_ 1963 1, 405
Max L. DeFrance and Bonnie J. DeFrance_ 1963 1, 505

The initial issue for determination is whether Kent Plomes, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the corporation), realized gain in the amount of $314,118.14 in its taxable year ended January 31, 1963 (includable in the income of the individual petitioners by virtue of a subchapter S election), as a result of the condemnation of a Wherry military housing project. Alternative issues are:

(1) Whether the corporation realized gain in the amount of $279,921.23 from the condemnation in its taxable year ended January 31,1959.

(2) If gain was realized in fiscal 1959, whether, notwithstanding the fact that the statute of limitations provided by section 65013 has expired, an adjustment in that year is authorized under sections 1311-1315, inclusive.

(3) Whether the gain and interest income arising from a deposit made by the United States on December 18, 1961, was properly reportable for income tax purposes in the corporation’s taxable year ended January 31,1963, and therefore includable in the income of the individual petitioners by virtue of a subchapter S election.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of facts, together with the exhibits attached thereto, is incorporated herein by this reference.

Petitioner Kent Homes, Inc., is a Kansas corporation whose principal place of business was located at Topeka, Kans., at the time it filed its petition in this case. It timely filed Federal income tax returns on the accrual basis for the taxable years ended January 31, 1958, and January 31, 1959, with the district director of internal revenue at Wichita, Kans. The return for fiscal 1959 was filed on April 13,1959. The corporation validly elected to be taxed as a small business corporation under subchapter S of the Internal Kevenue Code of 1954 for the taxable year beginning after January 31,1962, to wit, February 1, 1962, to January 31,1963, and filed a Federal Small Business Corporation Keturn of Income for that period with the district director of internal revenue at Wichita, Kans.

Petitioners Alton K. Blosser and Esther Blosser, husband and wife, had their legal residence in Baytown, Mo., at the time they filed their petition in this case. They timely filed a joint Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1963, as did the other individual petitioners.

Petitioners Marshall E. Blosser and Mary C. Blosser, husband and wife, and petitioners Alton K. Blosser, Jr., and Buth Blosser, also husband and wife, had their legal residences in Topeka, Kans., at the time they filed their respective petitions in this case.

Petitioners Max L. DeFrance and Bonnie J. DeFrance, husband and wife, had their legal residence in Leavenworth, Kans., at the time they filed their petition in this case.

At all relevant times after October 16,1961, the stock of Kent Homes, Inc., was owned as follows:

StooJcJwldera Niimlicr oí shares
Alton K. Blosser_392
Alton K. Blosser, Jr._336
Marshall E. Blosser_336
Bonnie J. DeEranee _336

In 1951, under the Wherry Military Housing Act, the corporation and others constructed and operated single-dwelling rental houses located at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., for military personnel assigned to the installation there. The houses were built upon land leased by the corporation from the Secretary of the Army for a 75-year term. To finance its portion of the construction, the corporation gave a note secured by a mortgage on the houses to the Prudential Investment Co. Such note and mortgage were subsequently assigned to the New York Life Insurance Co. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as N.Y.L.I.C. or the mortgagee). The note was insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

On December 18, 1957, the U.S. Department of the Army commenced condemnation proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas against the equity of the corporation in the Wherry project under the terms of the Capehart Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1594a(b). On the same day, the Department of the Army deposited a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $137,000 with the District Court. Of this amount, $83,000 represented the Department’s estimate of the fair market value of the corporation’s equity in the Wherry project.

Effective January 1, 1958, the District Court ordered possession of the Wherry project transferred to the Department of the Army, After that date, the United States made the payments on the mortgage note. On February 14,1958, the corporation made application to the District Court for withdrawal of the $83,000. On March 19, 1958, the $83,000 was paid to the corporation.

An agreement (hereinafter called the three-party agreement) was negotiated among the Department of the Army, the Federal Housing Administration, and the New York Life Insurance Co. The agreement provided that the Department of the Army assumed the obligation of the corporation’s note and mortgage. A provision releasing Kent Homes, Inc., from all further liability and obligation under said mortgage and the note secured thereby was deleted by drawing lines through the provision. In the same agreement, the mortgagee waived its claim to the condemnation proceeds. The agreement became effective in March 1958, when it was signed and acknowledged by the parties to it. As for the $83,000 deposit, the parties have stipulated that it should be taken into account for tax purposes on the date it was received, March 19,1958.

The corporation, disagreed with the Department of the Army’s determination of the fair market value of the corporation’s equity in the Wherry project and also contended that the Department could not condemn an equity. Commissioners were appointed to hear the case and make a report to the District Court.

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Kent Homes, Inc. v. Commissioner
55 T.C. 820 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 T.C. 820, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kent-homes-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1971.