Martin Weiner Corp. v. Commissioner

21 T.C. 470, 1954 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 314
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1954
DocketDocket No. 32774
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 21 T.C. 470 (Martin Weiner Corp. 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
Martin Weiner Corp. v. Commissioner, 21 T.C. 470, 1954 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 314 (tax 1954).

Opinions

OPINION.

Black, Judge:

On January 26, 1953, respondent moved that this proceeding be dismissed insofar as it relates to income taxes for the taxable years 1941 to 1944, inclusive. In support of his motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction respondent urges the following grounds:

1. THAT the parties have stipulated that thd amounts set forth as deficiencies in income tax in a combined notice of deficiency and disallowance were actually paid prior to the mailing of said notice and were assessed on April 29,1951.
2. THAT the Court, therefore, has no jurisdiction of the proceeding in so far as it relates to income taxes for the taxable years 1941 to 1944, inclusive.

We have no proceeding before us with reference to the deficiencies in petitioner’s income tax for the years 1941 to 1944, inclusive. It is true, as shown in our Findings of Fact, that the Commissioner determined deficiencies in petitioner’s income tax for each of the years 1941, 1942,1943, and 1944. But the petition contains no assignments of error contesting the deficiencies in income tax. In fact, it has been stipulated that:

On February 23, 1951, petitioner filed the petition in the instant proceeding seeking relief only in respect of its excess profits ta'x [under section 722 of the Code].

We have held in several cases that a deficiency in income tax is one thing and a deficiency in excess profits tax is another. One can be appealed from by the taxpayer while, at the same time, he may accept the determination of the Commissioner as to the other. Cf. Will County Title Co., 38 B. T. A. 1396, and Superheater Co. v. Commissioner., 125 F. 2d 514.

In the instant case it is plain that the petitioner did not appeal from the deficiencies in income tax which the Commissioner had determined against it for the years 1941,1942,1943, and 1944. No appeal having been taken from them, there is, therefore, nothing to dismiss. The Commissioner’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction is therefore without merit and is denied.

Do We Have Jurisdiction to Enter Judgment of Overpayment of $J^6Jf.6Jp5 in Excess Profits Tax Attributable to Standard Issue Adjustments?

The only issue left before us, aside from the question of jurisdiction as to income tax which we have just disposed of, is whether a refund of $4,646.45 of the $11,088.77 overpayment in excess profits tax determined for 1942 is within the jurisdiction of the Tax Court and, if within the jurisdiction of the Court, is barred by the statute of limitations. With respect to the $4,646.45 aforesaid respondent, in his amended answer, pleads:

13. That under the provisions of section 322 (d) of the Internal Revenue Code the Tax Court may not determine as an overpayment due to the petitioner for the taxable year 1942 the said amount of $4,646.45.

The respondent does not dispute that the balance, or $6,442.32, of the overpayment, being solely attributable to section 722 relief for which a timely valid claim for refund was filed, is refundable to the petitioner. Kespondent argues that this Court cannot direct refund of the $4,646.45 in question for the following reasons: (1) The Tax Court does not have jurisdiction because it is an overpayment due to standard issues and is not related to section 722 relief and the Commissioner has not determined any deficiency in petitioner’s excess profits tax for 1942, but, on the contrary, has determined an over-assessment, and (2) this $4,646’45 is attributable to standard issue adjustments and petitioner’s right to a refund of the portion of the overassessment in excess profits tax for the taxable year 1942 solely attributable to standard issue adjustments is defeated by petitioner’s failure to bring itself within either the 2- or the 3-year limitation period of section 322 (d) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The petitioner contends that the refund of $4,646.45 should be granted by the Tax Court for the following reasons: (1) The 3-year statute of limitations under section 275 (a) for the year 1942 was extended by agreements between the petitioner and the Commissioner until June 30, 1947, and then on to June 30, 1951, and (2) a valid claim for relief pursuant to section 722 was filed, together with supplementary claims for refund of the full amount of the excess profits taxes paid in respect of the year 1942 on Form 843 and includes the entire $11,088.77, and this Court has it within its jurisdiction to determine any overpayment of excess profits taxes for the year 1942, regardless of the fact that an overassessment of excess profits tax for 1942 has been determined due to standard issue adjustments, petitioner having appealed from the disallowance notice of December 15, 1950.

The Tax Court’s jurisdiction to grant refunds because of overpay-ments is defined in section 322 (d), as follows:

SEC. 322. REFUNDS AND CREDITS:
(d) Overpayment Found by Board. — If the Board finds that there is no deficiency and further finds that the taxpayer has made an overpayment of tax in respect of the taxable year in respect of which the Commissioner determined the deficiency, or finds that there is a deficiency but that the taxpayer has made an overpayment of tax in respect of such taxable year, the Board shall have jurisdiction to determine the amount of such overpayment, and such amount shall, when the decision of the Board has become final, be credited or refunded to the taxpayer. No such credit or refund shall be made of any portion of the tax unless * * *

Section 322 (d) is made applicable to excess profits taxes by the general provision of section 729 (a).

For each particular year there must be a deficiency determined initially for this Court to have jurisdiction to grant a refund under section 322 (d). Commissioner v. Gooch M. & E. Co., 320 U. S. 418; Gress Manufacturing Co., 3 B. T. A. 977. Since there is no deficiency in petitioner’s excess profits tax for 1942 as defined in section 271 (a), we have no jurisdiction under section 322 (d) to grant a refund.

An exception to the general rule above is the Tax Court’s special jurisdiction under section 732 (a) to grant refunds for excess profits taxes pursuant to section 722. Petitioner contends that the $4,646.45 in question is refundable in a section 722 proceeding, as here. The $4,646.45 in question resulted from three adjustments made by respondent as follows:

(a) It decreased officers’ salaries reported by petitioner by $3,500.00. This is an adjustment in favor of the respondent.
(b) It increased petitioner’s average base period net income from $28,530.68 reported on said Form 1121 to $35,965.13 ,by use of the so-called “growth formula” under section 713 (f) of the Internal Revenue Code. This is an adjustment in favor of the petitioner.

And a third adjustment

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Martin Weiner Corp. v. Commissioner
21 T.C. 470 (U.S. Tax Court, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 T.C. 470, 1954 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-weiner-corp-v-commissioner-tax-1954.