Madison Fund, Inc. v. Commissioner

43 T.C. 215, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 23, 1964
DocketDocket Nos. 93718, 4194-62
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 43 T.C. 215 (Madison Fund, 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
Madison Fund, Inc. v. Commissioner, 43 T.C. 215, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15 (tax 1964).

Opinion

AtkiNS, Judge:

The respondent determined deficiencies in income tax as follows:

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As the result of certain agreements and concessions of the parties, the only issue remaining for decision is whether in computing the gain or loss upon the sale by the petitioner of certain securities in the years 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958, and 1960 the basis of such securities should be reduced on account of the receipt by petitioner in 1947 from the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. of a net amount in settlement of certain stockholders’ derivative suits, and, if so, the portion of such net amount which is properly allocable in reduction of the basis of each security. Losses upon the sales in 1952 through 1955 are in issue because of a claimed capital loss carryover to the taxable year 1956.

All the facts upon this issue have been stipulated and the stipulations are incorporated herein by this reference.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The petitioner is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, with its principal office at Wilmington. Its name was changed in 1956 from the Pennroad Corp. to Madison Fund, Inc. At all material times it kept its books and accounts and filed its Federal income tax returns on an accrual method of accounting and on a calendar year basis. For each of the years 1947 to 1955, inclusive, it, as the common parent corporation of an affiliated group of corporations, filed consolidated income tax returns for itself and its affiliated corporations. In 1956 petitioner elected to be taxed as a regulated investment company under subchapter M, chapter 1, of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, and thereafter ceased to file consolidated returns. For each of the taxable years in question it filed its Federal income tax return with the district director of internal revenue at Wilmington, Del.

For some time prior to 1929, the officers and directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. (hereinafter referred to as Pennsylvania) believed that in order to extend their railroad’s empire it was necessary to be prepared financially and otherwise to find a means of controlling other railroads, and that it was necessary to start acquiring stock in the railroads which Pennsylvania desired to have in its system. Investigations and negotiations had begun looking to the acquisition of an interest in certain railroads whose routes had been allocated to other carriers in a tentative plan of railroad consolidation promulgated by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1921 pursuant to the requirements of the Transportation Act. Pennsylvania wished to secure control of these railroads in order to preclude the possibility of their allocation to other systems. Because of Interstate Commerce Commission regulations and the Transportation Act, it was not legally possible for Pennsylvania to acquire such stock without reporting the same to and securing the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and it was believed that such approval could not be obtained. The same obstacles would have been presented if Pennsylvania had acquired such stockholdings through a subsidiary. The officials of Pennsylvania were also aware that the Clayton Antitrust Act made it hazardous for Pennsylvania or a subsidiary to acquire control of other railroads where the effect might be to lessen competition.

The conclusion was reached that the only satisfactory way to accomplish this purpose was through the incorporation of a separate investment company to be controlled by Pennsylvania and owned by Pennsylvania’s stockholders. It was then decided to form petitioner and to extend to the stockholders of Pennsylvania the right to subscribe the capital necessary to accomplish its purpose. The plan devised by the Pennsylvania officials contemplated that Pennsylvania’s management should have and retain practical control of petitioner and its operations (although petitioner would have the appearance of an independent entity), and the power to bring other railroad properties within the sphere of the Pennsylvania system without the necessity of reporting or obtaining approval of such acquisitions.

On April 24, 1929, Pennsylvania caused petitioner to be formed as an investment company having an authorized capital of 10 million shares of no-par value stock. Petitioner’s first directors were also directors of Pennsylvania and constituted almost the full membership of the finance committee of the latter company. Petitioner’s board of directors elected as its first officers persons who had theretofore been employed by Pennsylvania. At its first meeting, petitioner’s board of directors authorized the issuance of 5.8 million shares of stock to be placed under a 10-year voting trust with three directors of Pennsylvania as voting trustees. The stockholders of Pennsylvania were simultaneously invited to subscribe to the voting trust certificates, which were also offered to the public through underwriters. The voting trust certificates were subsequently issued for an aggregate consideration of $91,125,000. Later in 1929, in connection with the purchase of stock of Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Co., petitioner issued additional voting trust certificates, paying underwriting fees of $5,251,586 and receiving a net amount of $44,660,914.

By reason of the voting trust arrangement, the interlocking directorate, the designation of official and subordinate personnel with a long history of loyalty to Pennsylvania service, and the purpose out of which the plan evolved, Pennsylvania obtained full and complete power over the policies, investments, and other acts of petitioner.

At various times prior to the commencement of the litigation referred to hereinafter, petitioner purchased stock and securities of the following corporations:

Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Co.
Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Co.
iCanton Co. of Baltimore (which, owned all of the stock of Canton Railroad Co.).
■Seaboard Air Line Railway Co.
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Co.
Boston & Maine Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad Co.
Raritan River Railroad Co.

All of the investments were made at the instance of Pennsylvania acting through its officials who were also connected with and charged with the affairs of petitioner and who recognized that petitioner had been formed to accomplish what Pennsylvania could not do in its own right and in its own name, and to make investments to the benefit and advantage of Pennsylvania.

In the spring of 1929, Pennsylvania’s management was aware that a crucial condition then existed with respect to Pennsylvania’s less-than-carload freight business. It was believed indispensable to own or control a freight-forwarding company which would operate in Pennsylvania’s territory in order to offset the competition of New York Central Railroad Co. operating through Universal Freight Co. and to forestall the prospective competition of other forwarding companies operating with other railroad lines.

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Related

Elward v. United States
420 F. Supp. 840 (N.D. Illinois, 1976)
Madison Fund, Inc. v. Commissioner
43 T.C. 215 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
43 T.C. 215, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/madison-fund-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1964.