McKelvy v. United States

478 F.2d 1217, 201 Ct. Cl. 557, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1275, 1973 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 205
United States Court of Claims·Decided May 11, 1973·No. No. 357-71; No. 358-71·Published·Cited by 18 cases

Opinions

Kashiwa, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:*

The above-entitled claims are consolidated suits for the refund of federal income taxes for calendar year 1969. An assessment was made by the Government on a “distribution and loan-back” transaction made on or about April 12,1969, between McKelvy Furniture, Inc. and its shareholders, Robert H. and Maxine McKelvy and R. Hugh and Tula E. McKelvy, involving the amounts of $5,136.17 and $17,851.74, respectively. The total consolidated refund claimed is $6,192.02 ($1,570.51 claimed by Robert H. and Maxine McKelvy; $4,621.51 claimed by R. Hugh and Tula E. McKelvy) together with interest.

[560] The sole question is whether the said April 12,1969, transaction was a taxable dividend to the extent of earnings and profits of McKelvy Furniture, Inc. for its fiscal year ending January 31,1970. We find for the defendant in both cases.

McKelvy Furniture, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas on February 1,1959; its place of business was Lubbock, Texas. From its inception through its fiscal year ending January 31, 1969, the corporation elected to be taxed as a small business corporation under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, 26 U.S.C. §§1871-1378 (1970) ,1 The corporation properly terminated its election to be a small business corporation under Subchapter S beginning with its fiscal year ending January 31, 1970, that is, as of February 1, 1969. Plaintiffs Robert H. and Maxine McKelvy together owned, as their community property, 50 percent of the outstanding stock of the corporation, the remaining 50 percent being owned by plaintiffs R. Hugh and Tula E. McKelvy together as their community property. Such stock ownership was and has been the same for all periods material to this litigation. Taxpayers are on a calendar-year basis for the purpose of filing their personal income tax returns and were on such a calendar-year basis for the year 1969.

The corporation reported current earnings and profits of $21,058.33 for its fiscal year ending January 31, 1969, and $14,378.30 for its fiscal year ending January 31,1970. These figures are taken from the income tax returns of McKelvy Furniture, Inc. for its fiscal years ending January 31, 1969, and January 31, 1970, which have been stipulated as accurately reflecting earnings and profits for the purposes of these cases. At the beginning of the fiscal year ending January 31,1969, the corporation reported that it had previously taxed income (hereinafter referred to as PTI) totaling $36,017.97. By the end of that taxable year, the corporation reported on its books that this amount of PTI had been reduced by $35,941.67 2 to $76.30. No reduction was reported [561] in the corporation’s capital stock account at any time during the fiscal years ending January 31,1969, or January 31,1970. On January 31,1969, McKelvy Furniture, Inc. had $3,465.86 in cash on hand.

On January 30,1969, the directors of the corporation lawfully and effectively adopted the following resolution:

RESOLVED, That there be declared, and there is hereby declared, a dividend payable to the shareholders of record at the present time in the amount of $57,000, such dividend to be paid as follows: All accounts receivable from R. Hugh McKelvy and Robert H. McKelvy shall be forgiven and cancelled on January 31,1969, and the balance of such dividend of $57,000 shall be paid in cash on or before April 15,1969.

The divided payable of $57,000, above mentioned, was paid by the corporation as shown below:

Robert H. R. Hugh
McKelvy McKelvy
By credit on the corporation’s books on January 31, 1969, to accounts receivable:
From Robert H. McKelvy_$23, 363. 83
From R. Hugh McKelvy_ $10, 648. 26
By the corporation’s check dated and
given April 12, 1969_ 5,136.17 17, 851: 74
Total_$28,500.00 $28,500.00

At the time (and immediately prior thereto) the corporation’s above-described checks, dated April 12, 1969, in the respective amounts of $5,136.17 and $17,851.74, were given to taxpayers, the corporation’s checking account showed a balance of $21,695.22. On April 11,1969, the matter of paying •the balance of the $57,000 dividend was discussed by taxpayers and the certified public accountant who represented the corporation and them. It was then agreed that to finance such a balance taxpayers would make loans back to the corporation. Upon receipt by taxpayers of the corporation’s checks, dated April 12, 1969, described above, the respective payees endorsed the checks and deposited them to the corporation’s checking account to the extent of $5,000 and $17,750, respectively, taking and retaining the balances of $136.17 and $101.74, respectively, in cash» The amounts so deposited to the corporation were treated by all parties [562] thereto as loans from the respective taxpayers to the corporation. No notes were given by the corporation to evidence those loans.

At the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 1969, the corporation’s balance sheet showed dividends payable of $22,987.91. This figure had been reduced to zero by the end of the fiscal year ending January 31, 1970, but nothing appears in any of the exhibits or stipulations to indicate exactly what happened to this figure. On their calendar year income tax returns for 1969, taxpayers each reported as income $10,529.16, their pro rata shares of the corporation’s current earnings and profits for its fiscal year ending January 31, 1969. Taxpayers reported no additional amount on their 1969 returns as a dividend or other income from McKelvy Furniture, Inc. In the audit of taxpayers’ 1969 income tax returns, the Internal Revenue Service determined that the loans from taxpayers to the corporation on the transaction heretofore described constituted dividends to taxpayers in calendar year 1969 out of earnings and profits of the corporation’s fiscal year ending January 31,1970, available in 1969. Based upon that determination, taxes and interest were assessed against taxpayers. The Government viewed the transactions as follows:

Fiscal 1969 earnings and profits (taxable to taxpayers in calendar 1969 under Subchapter S)_$21, 068. 33
Fiscal 1970 earnings and profits available in 1969 (taxable to taxpayers in calendar 1969 as a result of April 12, 1969, distribution of corporation obligations)_ 14, 378. 30
Balance of dividend obligation (tax effects not determined by Internal Revenue Service and not in issue here)---- 21, 463. 37
Total.....$57, 000. 00

Based upon this determination, taxes and interest were assessed against taxpayers. Taxpayers paid the assessments and filed timely claims for refund thereof, which claims were disallowed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue on March 30,1971.

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McKelvy v. United States, 478 F.2d 1217, 201 Ct. Cl. 557, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1275, 1973 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 205 (cc 1973).

478 F.2d 1217 (McKelvy v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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