National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Company v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue

472 F.2d 796, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 678, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 12005
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 26, 1973
Docket72-1125
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 472 F.2d 796 (National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Company v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Company v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 472 F.2d 796, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 678, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 12005 (10th Cir. 1973).

Opinions

ORIE L. PHILLIPS, Circuit Judge.

National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Company, hereinafter called National Alfalfa, was incorporated under the laws of Delaware on May 4, 1946. It was authorized to engage and did engage in the business of dehydrating and milling alfalfa.

The question presented in this case is whether National Alfalfa incurred amortizable and deductible bond issue discount, deductible as interest paid, when it issued its 18-year, five per cent, sinking fund debenture bonds, hereinafter referred to as debentures, each for the principal sum of $50, to the preferred stockholders in exchange for their preferred stock, on the basis of one $50 debenture for each share of preferred stock of the par value of $50, when at the date of the exchange the fair market value of the preferred stock was only $33 per share.

Prior to July 23, 1957, National Alfalfa had issued an outstanding 47,059 shares of $50 par value, five per cent, cumulative preferred stock in an aggregate par value amount of $2,352,950, and as of that date there was a dividend ar-rearage on each of such shares of $10. Such preferred shares were redeemable at the discretion of National Alfalfa, in whole or in part, at prices ranging from $53 per share for shares redeemed prior to December 1, 1949, to $51 per share for shares redeemed after December 1, 1955, plus accumulated and unpaid dividends down to the date of redemption.

When redeemed, such preferred shares could not be reissued by National Alfalfa, but had to be cancelled and retired by it.

National Alfalfa was required to set aside annually after September 1, 1948, 20 per cent of its consolidated net earnings, after a payment of accrued dividends on its outstanding preferred stock, for the purpose of redeeming preferred shares, as long as any were outstanding. However, such preferred shares could not be redeemed with funds in the sinking fund, nor purchased or acquired for value by National Alfalfa at any time when there were dividend arrearages thereon, unless consented to by the holders of 50 per cent of the preferred shares, or unless National Alfalfa notified all of its preferred shareholders of its desire to purchase such shares and invited them to tender offers.

[798]*798On April 8, 1957, the Board of Directors of National Alfalfa adopted several resolutions, which are set out in Note 1 hereto.1

[799]*799The Board of Directors, by such resolutions, approved certain corporate actions, which, if approved by a two-thirds vote of each class of its shareholders and carried out, would constitute a reorganization of National Alfalfa within the meaning of 26 U.S.C.A. § 368(a) (1) (E). Such actions were:

1. The entering into of a trust indenture with Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as trustee, dated July 1, 1957, pursuant to the terms of which there would be issued $2,352,950 principal amount five per cent debentures, due July 1, 1975, and such debentures would be exchanged for all the shares of the outstanding cumulative preferred stock of National Alfalfa on the basis of one debenture for the principal amount of $50 for each share of such preferred stock of the par value of $50;

2. The issuance to each preferred stockholder participating in the exchange of his preferred stock for debentures of warrants effective August 1, 1957, for the purchase of common stock of National Alfalfa, on the basis of one warrant for each share of preferred stock exchanged, such warrants evidencing the right to purchase one-half share of common stock, but exercisable only for the purchase of full shares of such common stock at $10 per share at any time from the date of issue of such warrants to July 1, 1969; such warrants to be issued to and accepted by preferred stockholders participating in the exchange in lieu of the arrearage of cumulative dividends on their preferred stock;

3. (a) The amendment of the articles of incorporation of National Alfalfa, so as to provide for the issuance only of common stock;

(b) Increasing the number of shares of common stock from 763,000 to 1,000,000, and increasing the par value of the stock from $1 to $3.

The principal purpose of the reorganization was to enable National Alfalfa to extend easterly the territory in which it did business and effect a 50 per cent increase in its borrowing credit, which would be required by it for carrying the increased inventory which would result from such expansion. Such increase in the borrowing credit of National Alfalfa would be accomplished by issuing the five per cent debentures to the preferred stockholders in exchange for their preferred stock and the issuance to the preferred stockholders of the warrants to purchase common stock in discharge of the cumulative dividend arrearage.

The resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of National Alfalfa were duly approved by the requisite number of votes of each class of stockholders at the regular annual meeting of National Alfalfa, held on July 23, 1957, and thereafter all of such resolutions were carried out.

National Alfalfa delivered to each of its preferred stockholders one $50, five per cent, debenture for each share of preferred stock held by such stockholders, and each of such stockholders delivered to National Alfalfa all of the shares of preferred stock held by him, and National Alfalfa retired such preferred stock.

In replying to a request for a ruling by Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, the Treasury Department said in a letter to the Trust Company that no gain or loss would be recognized on the exchange of the $1 par value common stock for $3 par value common stock under the provisions of § 368(a)(1)(E) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, but gain or loss would be recognized to the preferred stockholders on the exchange [800]*800of their preferred stock for debenture bonds.

National Alfalfa also delivered to each of such preferred stockholders and each of them accepted warrants to purchase common stock of National Alfalfabas set forth above, in satisfaction of the dividend arrearage on his preferred stock.

The indenture required that National Alfalfa should create a sinking fund for the retirement of the debentures by the following provision:

“The Company (National Alfalfa) covenants and agrees that on or before the expiration of 90 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company commencing with the fiscal year ending April 30, 1959, it will pay to the Trustee as and for a contingent sinking fund for the redemption of Debentures at the sinking fund redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures so to be redeemed, together with accrued interest to the redemption date, a sum in lawful money of the United States of America sufficient to redeem $196,080 principal amount of said Debentures, provided that in any year when the Consolidated Net Income is insufficient to redeem $196,080 principal amount of said Debentures the amount required to be paid over to the Trustee shall be 100% of such Consolidated Net Income and the difference between that sum and $196,080 shall accumulate to be paid from the Consolidated Net Income of subsequent years and provided further that the Company must commence the accumulation of income for sinking fund purposes by setting aside 100% of Consolidated Net Income up to $196,080 in each year commencing with the year beginning May 1,1957.”

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472 F.2d 796, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 678, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 12005, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-alfalfa-dehydrating-and-milling-company-v-commissioner-of-ca10-1973.