Letts v. Commissioner

30 B.T.A. 800, 1934 BTA LEXIS 1267
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedMay 25, 1934
DocketDocket No. 62106.
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 30 B.T.A. 800 (Letts 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
Letts v. Commissioner, 30 B.T.A. 800, 1934 BTA LEXIS 1267 (bta 1934).

Opinion

OPINION.

Leech:

This proceeding seeks redetermination of a deficiency of $92,721.18 in income tax determined by respondent for the calendar year 1927.

The respondent confesses error under the following assignments of petitioner: (a) The inclusion of $353,791.74 in ordinary income of petitioner after having included this same amount in computing capital net gain, (b) including in ordinary income $1,756.43 as dividends received and including the same item in computing capital gain, and (c) including $20,491.47 in income subject to normal tax where such income was reported as dividends received. Effect will be given to these admissions of error by respondent in the recompu-tation of the pending deficiency under Rule 50.

There remain for consideration two issues — (d) the taxability of certain distributions received by petitioner in the taxable year as liquidating dividends upon stock owned by him, and (e) petitioner’s taxability upon certain amounts distributed to him as beneficiary of a trust, representing liquidating distributions made in the taxable year to the trustees by a corporation upon stock belonging to the trust.

The facts are stipulated. Briefly stated, in respect to issue (d) they are that petitioner was in the taxable year owner of 101 shares of stock of the Holmby Corporation, having a cost basis in his hands of $5,000. This corporation had been in liquidation since May 18, 1923. All distributions by it to stockholders since that date were made in process of its liquidation. Prior to the calendar year 1927, this corporation had distributed liquidating dividends in the amount [801]*801of $2,408.85 to petitioner, and, during the year 1927, distributed to petitioner $10,086.43. Of this latter sum, $1,736.43 was distributed as from corporate earnings and profits, and $8,300 in redemption of 83 shares of petitioner’s stock. Petitioner included in his return for that year only the sum of $1,736.43 as ordinary dividends.

Respondent, in determining the deficiency, included the total distribution of $10,036.43 in income, but now admits that this is in error and that the taxable gain to petitioner is the excess of the total distributions of $10,036.43 and $2,408.85 over $5,000, petitioner’s cost basis for the stock. This excess is $7,445.28.

Upon this issue we sustain the present position of the respondent. The distributions in liquidation by the Holmby Corporation, whether made as from surplus or capital, are all chargeable against the cost basis of the stock in the hands of the recipient. Holmby Corp., 28 B.T.A. 1092; Garrett v. Commissioner, 59 Fed. (2d) 315; Canal -Commercial Trust & Savings Bank v. Commissioner, 63 Fed. (2d) 619. Petitioner had recovered, prior to the taxable year, $2,408.85 of his capital cost, and the distributions made to him in the taxable year exceeded the unrecovered cost of such stock by $7,445.28. As petitioner had acquired this stock in 1923, this gain is subject to the capital gain provisions of the applicable taxing act. Sec. 208 (a) and (b), Revenue Act of 1926.

In reference to the remaining issue the facts are that petitioner’s father died May 18,1923, leaving a will in which a trust was created with respect to certain of his property, for a period of 10 years, the income of the trust estate during that time to be paid in certain proportions to the beneficiaries of the trust. Petitioner’s interest as a beneficiary was 30 percent of the income payments and corpus upon distribution. Included in the assets of this trust estate were 69,168 shares of the capital stock of Holmby Corporation, the fair market value of which, at the time of the decease of petitioner’s father, was $7,215,605.76.

During the period from May 18, 1923, to December 31, 1926, the Holmby Corporation, in the process of complete liquidation, distributed to the trustees $1,649,656.80. All of this sum was distributed as from earnings and profits of the corporation. During the year 1927, the Holmby Corporation, continuing the process of complete liquidation, made additional distributions of $6,995,885.24. Of this sum, $1,185,088.24 was distributed as from earnings and profits and the balance, $5,813,800, was paid as in redemption of 58,138 shares of the total of 69,168 shares of stock belonging to the trust.

Included in the $1,185,088.24 received by the trustees in 1927 as distributed from earnings and profits was the sum of $353,791.74, which was distributed by the trustees to petitioner during that year as his beneficial share of the distributable trust income for that year, [802]*802This latter amount was reported by petitioner on his return for such year as ordinary dividends.

In. determining the present deficiency, respondent treated the liquidating distributions received by petitioner from the Holmby Corporation and his proportionate share of the distributions to the trustees, in the following manner:

Per Return:
Distributions from earnings and profits on own stock reported as “ dividends ”_ $1, 736.43
Distributions by ITolmby Corporation from earnings and profits to Trustees and in turn distributed to petitioner, reported as “ dividends ”- 853, 791,74
Total reported on return_ 355, 528.17
Added in Deficiency Letter:
Distributions on own stock above reported as dividends_ 3, 736.43
Amount distributed from capital_ 8, 500. 00
Distribution from trust as above- 353, 791. 74
Additional gain on liquidating distributions to trustees- 78, 397.78
Total addition to income in deficiency letter on account of Holmby Corporation distributions_ 442, 425.95
Total amount of income included in “ net income ” in deficiency letter on account of above items_ 797, 954.12

The sum, $355,528.11, included in the above total, was treated by the respondent as ordinary income subject to both normal and surtax and the remainder was treated as capital gain by the respondent.

The determination of petitioner’s tax liability in reference to distributions received by the trustees, requires a determination of the gross taxable income received by the trustees included in such distributions, and the total credit against such income to which the trustees are entitled under section 219 (b) (2) of the Eevenue Act of 1926,1 as that portion distributable to petitioner upon which he is liable for the tax. The first factor, the taxable income received by the trustees, is ascertained by application of the same rule by which the preceding issue was concluded. The Holmby Corporation was in process of complete liquidation from May 18, 1923. All distributions subsequent to that date, whether made as from accumulated earnings or capital, are, for purposes of the taxing act, considered as received by the stockholder in exchange for his stock under the [803]*803provisions of section 201 (c) of the Revenue Act of 1926.2 Holmby Corp., supra; Garrett v. Commissioner, supra; Canal-Commercial Trust & Savings Bank v. Commissioner, supra.

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Bluebook (online)
30 B.T.A. 800, 1934 BTA LEXIS 1267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/letts-v-commissioner-bta-1934.