Lang v. Commissioner

61 F.2d 280, 11 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 931, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4240, 1932 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) 9492, 11 A.F.T.R. (RIA) 931
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedOctober 3, 1932
DocketNo. 3302
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 61 F.2d 280 (Lang v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lang v. Commissioner, 61 F.2d 280, 11 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 931, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4240, 1932 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) 9492, 11 A.F.T.R. (RIA) 931 (4th Cir. 1932).

Opinion

NORTHCOTT, Circuit Judge.

This is a petition to review a decision of the United States Board of Tax Appeals (23 B. T. A. 854), affirming a determination of a deficiency in income tax, by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, against the petitioner, for the year 1925, in the amount of $1,355.81.

In 1915, Walter B, Lang and his wife, the petitioner, purchased a piece of residential property in Catonsville, Md., at a cost of $13,000, of which amount the husband contributed $11,440, and the petitioner $1,-560. Title was taken by the purchasers as tenants by the entireties. Thereafter certain permanent improvements were made on the property at a cost of $1,500, all of which was paid by the husband.

Petitioner’s husband died in 1924. The real estate then had a market value of $40,-000. The petitioner was executrix and the sole beneficiary of his estate.

Said real estate was included in the estate tax return filed by the petitioner, as executrix, at $35,200, this being 88 per cent, of the value at the time of death, which percentage represents the portion of cost paid by the decedent. A federal estate tax was paid based on the net estate as returned by the executrix.

The real estate was sold by petitioner on or about July 1, 1925, for $40,000. The selling expenses amounted to $2,055.80, which amount has been allowed by the respondent in determining the profit realized on the sale.

In 1925 petitioner paid and deducted in her return for that year interest charges amounting to $6,298.49, of which the sum of $2,846.52 had accrued prior to her husband’s death, and was included in the liabilities of his estate. In that year she also paid, and claimed as a deduction in her return, the sum of $1,431.93 for local property taxes. Of this amount, $761.96 had accrued prior to her husband’s death, and was included among the liabilities of his estate.

In his determination of the deficiency, respondent (a) used cost in 1915 as a basis for computing the amount of profit realized on the sale of the real estate and in his computation allowed $2,500 for improvements to the real estate; (b) disallowed $3,583.71 of the interest deduction on the ground that [281]*281such amount had accrued prior to the death of petitioner’s husband; and (e) allowed the sum of $1,431.93 as a deduction for local property taxes.

Petitioner’s contention is that in determining the deficiency the Commissioner went back to the time of the acquisition of the property and treated it, for income tax purposes, as though the husband had never had any rights therein at all, when the correct basis for determining the value of the property in question, for purposes of taxation, should have been the amount she contributed towards the purchase of the property in 1915 plus the value of her husband’s interest in it at the time of his death.

The statutes and regulations involved are the following:

“Revenue Act of 1926, c. 27, 44 Stat. 9, 14, 23, 70, §§ 204 (a) (4,5), 213 (a), 302 (e), 26 USCA §§ 935 (a) (4,5), 954 (a), 1094 (e):

“See. 204. (a) The basis for determining the gain or loss from the sale or other disposition of property acquired after February 28, 1913, shall he the cost of such property; except that— * * *

“(4) If the property was acquired by gift or transfer in trust on or before December 31, 1920, the basis shall be the fair market value of such property at the time of such acquisition;

“(5) If the property was acquired by bequest, devise, or inheritance, the basis shall be the fair market value of such property at the time of such acquisition. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply to the acquisition of such property interests as are specified in subdivision (e) or (e) of section 402 of the Revenue Act of 1921, or in subdivision (c) or (f) of section 302 of the Revenue Act of 1924, or in subdivision (c) or (f) of section 302 of this Act; * * *

“See. 213.

“(a) The term ‘gross income’ includes gains, profits, and income derived from salaries, wages, or compensation for personal service * * * of whatever kind and in whatever form paid, or from professions, vocations, trades, businesses, commerce, or sales, or dealings in property, whether real or personal, growing out of the ownership or use of or interest in such property; also from interest, rent, dividends, securities, or the transaction of any business carried on for gain or profit, or gains or profits and income derived from any source whatever. * * »

“See. 302. The value of the gross estate of the deeedent shall be determined by including the value at the time of his death of all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, wherever sitjuated— * * *

“(e) To the extent of the interest therein held as joint tenants by the decedent and any other person, or as tenants by the entirety by the decedent and spouse * * *: Provided further, That where any property has been acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance, as a tenancy by the entirety by the decedent and spouse, then to the extent of one-half of the value thereof, or, where so acquired by the deeedent and any other person as joint tenants and their interests are not otherwise specified or fixed by law, then to the extent of the value of a fractional part to he determined by dividing the value of the property by the number of joint tenants. * *' * ”

“Treasury Department Regulations 69:

“Art. 1591. Basis for determining gain or loss from sale. — The basis for determining the gain or loss from the sale or other disposition of property acquired after February 28, 1913, is, in general, the cost of such property. This general rule is, however, subject to the exceptions set forth in section 204 and articles 1592-1602. ' The basis for determining the gain or loss from the sale or other disposition of property acquired before March 1, 1913, is—

“(1) The cost of such property (or, in the ease of such property as is described in paragraphs (1), (4), and (5) of section 204 (a), 26 USCA § 935 (a) (1,4,5), and articles 1592 and 1594, the basis therein provided), or

“(2) The fair market value of such property as of March 1,1913, whichever is greater.

“What the fair market value of properly was on March 1, 1913, is a question of fact to he established by competent evidence. In determining the fair market value of stock in a corporation, due regard shall be given to the fair market value of the corporate assets on the basic date. In the case of property traded in on public exchanges, actual sales at or about the basic date afford evidence of value, but in each case the nature and extent of the sales and the circumstances under which they were made must be considered. Thus, prices received at forced sales or prices received for small lots of property may he no real indication of the value of the property.

[282]*282“Art. 1594. Property acquired by gift or transfer in trust on or before December 31, 1920, or by bequest, devise, or inheritance. — In computing the gain or loss from the sale or other disposition of property acquired by gift or by a transfer in trust on or before December 31, 1920, or by bequest, devise, or inheritance, the basis shall be the fair market price or value of such property at the time of acquisition. The term ‘property acquired by bequest, devise, or inheritance’ as used herein includes (except in case of a bona fide sale for an adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth)—

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61 F.2d 280, 11 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 931, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4240, 1932 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) 9492, 11 A.F.T.R. (RIA) 931, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lang-v-commissioner-ca4-1932.