National Metropolitan Bank of Washington v. United States

170 Ct. Cl. 617
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 14, 1965
DocketNo. 235-61
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 170 Ct. Cl. 617 (National Metropolitan Bank of Washington v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Metropolitan Bank of Washington v. United States, 170 Ct. Cl. 617 (cc 1965).

Opinion

Durfee, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an action for refund of income taxes. Plaintiff bank was in business for many years, but on May 20, 1958, was placed in voluntary liquidation and assigned all its assets to the American Security and Trust Company, which assumed all its liabilities. During subsequent liquidation, the affairs of plaintiff were in the hands of a Liquidating Committee. Plaintiff itself did no banking business after May 20,1958.

In August, 1958 the District of Columbia assessed plaintiff for gross receipts tax in the amount of $49,428.68 for the period July 1, 1957 through May 20, 1958, which was the [619]*619day that plaintiff went out of 'business. The payment of the District of Columbia gross receipts tax was actually made by check drawn by the American Security and Trust Company on August 7, 1958. Section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, 26 U.S.C. § 162 (1958 ed.) permits the deduction of “ * * * all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business * * Defendant contends that plaintiff bank cannot initially establish that it, not its successor, paid or incurred the expense which it claims is deductible; that taxpayer ceased to exist for tax purposes on May 20, 1958, and could not file a tax return or sustain a net operating loss thereafter for a carryback to 1956.

Plaintiff is entitled to claim a deduction somewhere for the payment of the tax of $49,428.68 to the District of Columbia for its gross receipts for the period July 1, 1957 through May 20, 1958, when plaintiff went out of the banking business. Although plaintiff bank agreed to then assign all of its property and assets to the American Security and Trust Company on May 20,1958, plaintiff did not thereafter become a mere corporate “shell,” or cease to exist as alleged by defendant. On that same day, the shareholders of plaintiff bank voted to place it in voluntary liquidation under the provisions of §§ 5220 and 5221 of the United States Revised Statutes, 12 U.S.C. §§ 181, 182 (1958 ed.) to take effect at 5 p.m. on May 20, 1958. Three persons were, by the same action, appointed a liquidating committee of the bank with full authority to act for the bank in all matters during liquidation. Upon due notice to the Comptroller of the Currency of this action, the Comptroller replied that he intended on May 21, 1958, to report National Metropolitan in voluntary liquidation as of 5 p.m., May 20, 1958. The Liquidating Committee continued to act until June 9, 1959, when it filed its final report with the Comptroller of the Currency. Until that time, plaintiff bank continued in legal existence at least for tax purposes. It was neither insolvent nor in the hands of a receiver and was capable of suing and being sued for the purpose of winding up its business until its affairs were completely settled. National Bank v. Insurance Company, 104 U.S. 54 (1881); Chemical National Bank v. Hartford [620]*620Deposit Company 161 U.S. 1 (1896); Rosenblatt v. Johnston, 104 U.S. 462 (1881).

The Treasury Begulations concerning deductibility of taxes provide:

§ 1.164 — 1. Deduction for taxes.— * * * taxes imposed by the United States * * * or a political subdivision [thereof] * * * are deductible from gross income for the taxable year in which paid or accrued, according to the method of accounting used in computing taxable income. * * * In general, taxes are deductible only by the person upon whom they are imposed. * * *

When the gross receipts tax was imposed upon plaintiff bank by the District of Columbia it was no longer in the banking business, but it was still a legal entity against whom the District could have proceeded to enforce collection of the tax which was assessed against the bank after it went into liquidation. The primary obligation for payment of the tax to the District remained upon plaintiff as long as it continued in legal existence. Although the American Security and Trust Company had agreed to assume all of plaintiff bank’s debts, liabilities and obligations, its payment of this tax was made for and on behalf of plaintiff bank. Defendant relies mainly on Citizens National Trust & Savings Bank of Los Angeles v. Welch, 119 F. 2d 717 (9th Cir. 1941), but in that case the action was brought by the assignee national bank; the items claimed had been disallowed as deductions in computing the net income of the assignor state bank, but had been allowed for the assignee national bank. There is nothing here before us to indicate that the assignee American Security has ever claimed or received the benefits of this tax deduction. The court, in the above cited case, in rejecting the contention that plaintiff assignee national bank paid the items as the agent of the assignor state bank, noted that the state bank did no business after the consolidation and concluded at page 719, “* * * Obviously a bank which is doing no business cannot be doing business by or through an agent.” This statement is not applicable to the facts in our case. Plaintiff bank was not doing business as a bank, but its legal entity continued as long as it continued in liquidation.

Under the agreements for purchase of assets and assump[621]*621tion of liabilities 'between plaintiff bank and American Security, plaintiff bank agreed that immediately after the closing date of May 20,1958, when it would cease doing business as a bank, “* * * it will proceed to complete its liquidation by distributing its assets and thereupon dissolve.” [Emphasis supplied.]

Section 6012 of the 1954 Code, 26 U.S.C. § 6012 (1958 ed.) is entitled “Persons required to make returns of income,” and subsection (b)(3) thereof provides:

(3) Receivers, trustees and assignees for corporations.
In a case where a receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or assignee, by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, by operation of law or otherwise, has possession of or holds title to all or substantially all the property or business of a corporation, whether or not such property or business is being operated, such receiver, trustee, or as-signee shall make the return of income for such corporation in the same manner and form as corporations are required to make such returns.

Defendant concedes in its brief that this section “requires that the existence of a liquidating corporation be continued for federal tax purposes on the same basis and in the same manner as in the past, as long as the corporation’s affairs are being settled and its assets are not actually distributed to the shareholders of the corporation.” We accept this construction of the statute, but we do not accept the distinction attempted by defendant in arguing that plaintiff bank on May 20, 1958, became a corporation de facto dissolved.

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Bluebook (online)
170 Ct. Cl. 617, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-metropolitan-bank-of-washington-v-united-states-cc-1965.