Kronenberg v. Commissioner

64 T.C. 428, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 17, 1975
DocketDocket No. 8656-72
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 64 T.C. 428 (Kronenberg 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
Kronenberg v. Commissioner, 64 T.C. 428, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127 (tax 1975).

Opinion

Simpson, Judge:

The Commissioner determined a deficiency of $98,344.76 in the petitioner’s Federal income tax for the year 1967. Some concessions have been made; the issues remaining for decision are: (1) Whether liquidating distributions received by the petitioner after he became a nonresident alien are taxable under section 877 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954,1 relating to expatriation to avoid tax; (2) the fair market value of a note distributed in the liquidation; and (3) whether expenses incurred in moving to Switzerland are deductible under section 877(b)(2).

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

The petitioner, Max Kronenberg, had his legal residence in Lucerne, Switzerland, at the time of filing his petition herein. Mr. Kronenberg and his wife, Elfriede Kronenberg, filed a joint Federal income tax return for the period January 1, 1967, through February 21, 1967, with the Internal Revenue Service Center, North Atlantic Region, Andover, Mass. Mr. Kronenberg filed a nonresident alien Federal income tax return for the period February 22, 1967, through December 31, 1967, with the Office of International Operations, IRS. However, since the petitioner was required to file an individual return for the entire calendar year, the Commissioner treated the joint return filed by Mr. and Mrs. Kronenberg as her separate return and the return filed by Mr. Kronenberg as his individual return for the entire calendar year, including therein items previously reported on the joint return.

Mr. Kronenberg was born in Switzerland in 1922. He immigrated to the United States in 1949 to seek employment in the mica importing business, which he subsequently obtained. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1955, but retained his Swiss citizenship. Mr. Kronenberg married twice; both wives were native-born Swiss citizens. His second marriage, in 1962, was to Elfriede Kronenberg, who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1959, and whom he had met at a Swiss Society social event. Mr. Kronenberg had two sons, Anthony, born in 1958, and Peter, born in 1962.

In 1955, Mr. Kronenberg organized a mica importing business. He incorporated it as Poly mica & Insulation Co., Inc. (PIC), on January 5, 1960, under the laws of the State of Connecticut. In 1966, PIC’s outstanding capital stock was held as follows:

Number of shares Percentage of ownership
Max Kronenberg_1-4,765 95.30
Elfriede Kronenberg- 1 .02
Anthony Kronenberg- 200 4.00
Peter Kronenberg_ 34 .68
Total_ 5,000 100.00

Mr. Kronenberg was the president of PIC, and he and Mrs. Kronenberg were its sole directors throughout 1966 and 1967, until it was liquidated. Mr. Kronenberg was the sole officer of PIC, and he alone managed all of its affairs. He incorporated PIC and prepared all its tax returns, without assistance from attorneys or accountants.

In 1966, Mr. Kronenberg decided to sell the mica importing business to James W. Marshall, and on January 26, 1966, they entered into an executory contract for the sale of substantially all of PIC’s assets to Mr. Marshall. Pursuant to the executory contract, PIC sold Mr. Marshall its business and intangible assets, its office furniture and equipment, and its inventory of mica as of the date the agreement was closed, but retained its accounts receivable. Mr. Marshall agreed to form a corporation to take over PIC’s business and carry out the executory contract.

The executory contract also provided that Mr. Marshall was to employ Mr. Kronenberg in the new business. The performance of such employment by Mr. Kronenberg. was a condition of Mr. Marshall’s obligations under the executory contract. On January 26, 1966, Mr. Kronenberg entered into an employment agreement with P & I Co., Inc. (P & I), the corporation Mr. Marshall formed to take over PIC’s business. Mr. Kronenberg was employed as P & I’s sales and purchasing manager for a term of 5 years, commencing March 1, 1966. He agreed to reside within the United States from March 1,1966, to April 30,1967. During such period, he taught Mr. Marshall about the mica importing business, particularly its financial management, and introduced PIC’s customers to Mr. Marshall. After April 30, 1967, Mr. Kronenberg was required to work in Western Europe and live where he could most conveniently perform his duties.

On February 26, 1966, PIC’s shareholders voted to adopt a plan of complete liquidation, under which its liquidation was to be completed by February 25, 1967. A timely election to liquidate PIC in accordance with section 337 was filed with the Commissioner. Pursuant to the plan, PIC was named and acted as its own liquidating agent. As of the date the plan was adopted, PIC ceased any business activity, except for paying debts and collecting accounts receivable. As of January 1, 1966, PIC’s accounts receivable amounted to approximately $115,000. By February 25,1967, all but $6,578.52 of them had been collected. As they were collected, Mr. Kronenberg invested the proceeds in an account he maintained in the name of PIC with a stock brokerage firm. The assets in the account consisted of cash and marketable securities and constituted substantially all of PIC’s liquid assets. All of the securities had been purchased at Mr. Kronenberg’s direction. The value of the assets was about $100,000 to $200,000 as of January 1, 1966; on February 24, 1967, their value was $545,137.

As of January 1966, Mr. Kronenberg intended to return to Switzerland to establish his residence there after April 30,1967, in accordance with the employment agreement. However, he became doubtful as to whether he could carry out such plan; he was unsure whether Mr. Marshall could carry out his obligations under the contract. Mr. Marshall was in poor health and appeared not to have sufficient financial resources to operate the business on the same scope as Mr. Kronenberg. Throughout 1966, Mr. Kronenberg assisted Mr. Marshall in honoring his commitments, and eventually, some of Mr. Kronenberg’s doubts were resolved.

In December 1966, Mr. Kronenberg was informed by his accountants that if he lost his U.S. citizenship prior to receiving the PIC distributions, they would not be subject to taxation by the United States. In the following month, Mr. Kronenberg definitely decided to move to Switzerland, and in January and February 1967, he made final preparations for departure. He sold the family’s house, purchased airline tickets, and made arrangements for transporting the family’s possessions. He also engaged attorneys to prepare the formal legal papers needed to wind up PIC’s corporate affairs.

PIC’s shareholders adopted a certificate of dissolution on February 20,1967, which was filed that day with the secretary of state of Connecticut. Mr. Kronenberg instructed his attorneys to arrange for the transfer of the assets in PIC’s account at the stock brokerage firm to his personal account, but not to do so until the latest possible time. The transfer took place on February 24, 1967.

The distributions in liquidation also included the remaining accounts receivable and a note PIC received from P & I on February 28,1966.

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Kronenberg v. Commissioner
64 T.C. 428 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 T.C. 428, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kronenberg-v-commissioner-tax-1975.