Merrick v. Tully

68 A.D.2d 289, 417 N.Y.S.2d 312, 1979 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10552
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 7, 1979
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 68 A.D.2d 289 (Merrick v. Tully) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merrick v. Tully, 68 A.D.2d 289, 417 N.Y.S.2d 312, 1979 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10552 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Staley, Jr., J.

David Merrick, petitioner herein, during the years 1963 through 1967, was engaged in the following activities relevant to this proceeding: General partner in various limited partnerships that staged Broadway and out-of-town shows; sole shareholder in lighting rental corporations which were liquidated during said years; employee of David Merrick, Inc., for which he received a salary; seller of a partnership interest in Dolly Company in which gain was realized; and recipient of royalty payments for use of his name on a phonograph record jacket cover and from a royalty contract purchased from a lyricist.

During the years involved herein, petitioner was either the general partner or one of the general partners in a total of 18 stage plays presented on Broadway or elsewhere in the United States. Each of the partnerships was organized by petitioner to produce a single play, and each partnership was an entity separate from and independent of all the other partnerships. None of the plays was presented by petitioner individually.

The partnership income that petitioner received as the result of the successful production of a play by the partnership of which he was a general partner, was received solely because of his partnership interest in the partnership that produced the play.

Although the majority of petitioner’s income was attributable to plays produced by partnerships in which he was the general partner, on occasions he invested in plays as a limited [292]*292partner. The income received from the limited partnership interests was determined by respondents to be income not subject to the unincorporated business tax.

Certain of the partnerships rented theatres and offices outside of New York State for the presentation of plays during the period involved herein. The partnerships did not pay unincorporated business income tax on the income earned from the presentation of plays in out-of-State theatres.

In 1966 and 1967, petitioner received salaries of $100,000 and $200,000, respectively, from David Merrick, Inc., a corporation, which was primarily in the business of furnishing office facilities to limited partnerships. Petitioner was the president of David Merrick, Inc., and its chief executive officer. The salaries were paid for petitioner’s services thereto and Federal, New York State and New York City income taxes, as well as Social Security taxes,' were withheld from said salaries.

In 1963 and 1964 petitioner received $4,887.92 and $467.84, respectively, from a record company that used his name on the jacket of a record it produced. The record had no connection with petitioner’s activities in the theatre.

Petitioner also received royalty income from the purchase of a contract. Robert Merrill, who was the lyricist and composer of the play "Carnival”, had an agreement with the entity that produced "Carnival” under which he was entitled to receive certain royalties from the production of that play. Robert Merrill sold his rights under this agreement to petitioner, who received the royalties as a result of said purchase.

During the years 1963, 1964 and 1967, petitioner realized capital gains as a result of the liquidation of the following New York State corporations of which he was the sole stockholder: In 1963, Merda Lighting Co., Inc., and Darner Lighting Co., Inc.; in 1964, Thespian Lighting Co., Inc.; and in 1967 State Lighting Co., Inc., and Vidmer Lighting Co., Inc.

Each of the above corporations, which were engaged in the business of renting lighting equipment for stage productions, filed New York State franchise tax returns for each year they were in existence and paid a New York State franchise tax on the income reflected on said returns. The assets distributed to petitioner as a result of the liquidation of said corporations represented, for the most part, the income earned by said corporations after the payment of Federal and New York State taxes on such income.

[293]*293Petitioner sold most of his general partnership interest in Dolly Company under an installment contract. During each of the years 1965, 1966 and 1967, he received $500,000 in payments as the result of said sale.

The above sale by petitioner of his interest in the Dolly Company was not a sale of partnership assets, but was solely the sale of a part of the petitioner’s partnership interest. The partnership continued to operate after the sale in the same manner it had operated prior to such sale.

The first issue raised is whether the income received by petitioner from the various partnerships of which he was the general partner represented unincorporated business tax income rather than distributive shares of profits as a copartner. Petitioner performed his activities as general partner of those partnerships in the pursuit of his own individual interest for a profit in the over-all business of producing stage plays. After entering into agreements of limited partnerships in which he became the sole general partner of them, petitioner undertook the sole active administration of the partnerships.

The unincorporated business tax is imposed on the net income from a trade, business or occupation wholly or partly carried on within New York State by an individual. If a taxpayer carries on two or more unincorporated businesses, all are consolidated for purposes of determining unincorporated business taxable income.

One of the agreements between petitioner, as general partner, and his limited partners provides that the petitioner’s right to receive payment for rights or property is a "Producer’s Management Fee—1% of weekly gross box office receipts”. Petitioner also received 50% of the net profits for his services.

In Matter of Elkind v State Tax Comm. (63 AD2d 789), this court confirmed a determination of the State Tax Commission that income received by a general partner for managing real property of partnerships was unincorporated business income, stating that: "Since petitioner, in managing the real property, performed services for the partnerships, the owners thereof, and since he received compensation for those services, there are facts to sustain the respondent’s determination and it should, therefore, be confirmed (Matter of Grace v New York State Tax Comm., 37 NY2d 193).”

Respondents’ determination that petitioner’s income as sole general partner of the limited partnerships producing stage [294]*294plays is income subject to the unincorporated business tax was correct, and should be upheld.

The second item of income which petitioner contends is not subject to the unincorporated business tax consists of the salaries received from David Merrick, Inc. Services, as an employee, or as an officer or director of a corporation or association, are excluded from the definition of an unincorporated business, unless such services constitute part of a business regularly carried on by such individual (Tax Law, § 703, subd [b]).

David Merrick, Inc., was formed for the purpose of renting office space and facilities to the limited partnerships organized and used by petitioner to finance and produce stage plays. It also was the business organization used by petitioner to produce the play called "Pickwick”. The record does not show that the corporation had any purpose other than to further the petitioner’s unincorporated business.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
68 A.D.2d 289, 417 N.Y.S.2d 312, 1979 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10552, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merrick-v-tully-nyappdiv-1979.