Miller v. Commissioner

75 T.C. 182, 1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 34
United States Tax Court·Decided October 29, 1980·No. Docket Nos. 1538-79, 10923-79·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

Dawson, Judge:

In these consolidated cases the respondent determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Docket No. Year Deficiency

1538-79 . 1976 $4,541.00

10923-79 . 1977 757.00

The deficiency determined for the year 1976 is based on an adjustment disallowing the deductions of losses sustained from the sales of the interests of petitioner David L. Miller in eight parcels of real estate, and a sale of his stock in Charles Miller, Inc., to his brother, I. Marvin Miller. Respondent has conceded that claimed losses related to sales of property to unrelated third parties are deductible. In dispute, however, are three parcels of real estate and the stock of Charles Miller, Inc., sold by the petitioner to his brother. The deficiency determined for the year 1977 is based on an adjustment disallowing the deduction of the long-term capital loss carryover which resulted from the 1976 sales.

The principal issue for decision is whether the deductions for losses sustained from the sales of stock and real property by the petitioner to his brother, which were ordered by binding arbitration to separate the interests of the hostile brothers, were properly disallowed by respondent under the provisions of section 267.1 The resolution of the long-term capital loss carryover issue for 1977 depends upon the disposition of the principal issue.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

David L. Miller and Frances A. Miller (petitioners) are husband and wife who resided in Rydal, Pa., when they filed their petitioners in these cases. Their Federal income tax returns for 1976 and 1977 were filed with the Internal Revenue Service Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

David L. Miller (petitioner) and I. Marvin Miller (Marvin) are the natural sons of Charles and Miriam Miller. Charles Miller died in 1954. Under his will, all of his shares of stock in Charles Miller, Inc., being 20 of 21 outstanding shares, were left in equal shares to the petitioner and Marvin. The remaining share was owned by Miriam Miller. The corporation was engaged in the real estate and insurance brokerage business. Also left in equal shares to petitioner and Marvin was certain real estate located at 2254 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, which was the location of the principal office of the corporation. After certain specific bequests to family members, the balance of Charles Miller’s property was left in trust to his widow.

Petitioner and Marvin jointly purchased additional parcels of real estate in Philadelphia. This additional real estate, the stock in the corporation, and the real estate distributed under the Will of Charles Miller later became the subject of a dispute between the brothers.

Petitioner was a student when his father died. He then worked part-time in the family business. Subsequently, he became a lawyer and has engaged in the practice of law. Marvin had been active in the family business before his father’s death and has remained active in the business until the present time.

In January 1971, a serious dispute arose between the brothers resulting from allegations by the petitioner that Marvin had improperly used funds collected on behalf of third parties in order to cover losses in the operation of the family business. By October 1971, the relationship between them became so strained that they could not mutually resolve their differences. They then retained arbitrators, who subsequently decided that the only way to end the dispute between the brothers was to enter into a binding award by the terms of which the petitioner would be required to sell to Marvin three parcels of real estate and his stock in the corporation.

On July 24, 1973, the arbitrators issued their report under the terms of which the brothers would sever their property interests as of that date. Both brothers took exceptions to the report, and on October 2,1973, the arbitrators issued a supplemental report.

During the negotiation period, the brothers did not see each other socially and rarely spoke. Their strained relationship continued. They did not trust each other. Although petitioner is an attorney specializing in real estate and Marvin is in the real estate business, neither has referred any business to the other for several years.

Notwithstanding the issuance of the arbitrators’ supplemental report, the brothers refused to abide by its terms until December 29,1976, when, with certain modifications, the petitioner sold his stock in Charles Miller, Inc., to Marvin and his interests in the parcels of real estate at 2254 North Broad Street, 2222 North 15th Street, and 1248 W. Hazzard Street, all located in Philadelphia.

Petitioner has never reacquired an interest in the stock or properties he sold to Marvin. He has no control, directly or indirectly, over Marvin or the assets he sold to him.

On his Federal income tax return for 1976, the petitioner claimed a long-term capital loss of $4,999 and three ordinary losses of $331, $2,274, and $382, totaling $2,987, resulting from the sales of the stock and the properties to his brother, Marvin.

In his notice of deficiency for 1976, the respondent disallowed the claimed deductions for the losses on the ground that they were not allowable under the provisions of section 267.

OPINION

The issue here involves the application and interpretation of section 267,2 which disallows deductions for losses sustained from sales or exchanges of property between certain related parties.

Petitioner contends that section 267 does not prohibit the deductions for the losses he claimed on the sales to Marvin because the disallowed losses do not come within the intent or scope of section 267. He argues that (1) his relationship with Marvin was so hostile they were no longer “brothers”; (2) section 267(c)(4) refers not only to a connection established by birth, but also requires the presence of a “family relationship”; (3) section 267(c)(4) merely creates a rebuttable presumption that brothers by birth are within the ambit of section 267(a)(1); (4) the decision in McWilliams v. Commissioner, 331 U.S. 694 (1947), does not preclude a “family hostility” exception to section 267; and (5) some courts have created an exception to the family attribution rules of section 318 where the family members to the transactions were hostile. Respondent counters with arguments that (1) the plain language and intendment of section 267 precludes a “family hostility” exception; (2) there is an insufficient parallel between the provisions and legislative history of section 318 on the one hand and section 267, on the other; (3) all of the evidence, oral and documentary, relating to hostility between the petitioner and his brother should be treated as inadmissible because it is irrelevant in the application of section 267; and (4) no deduction for a loss sustained from a sale or exchange of property between brothers is allowable under these circumstances.

We agree with respondent.

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