National Pneumatic Co. v. Commissioner

5 B.T.A. 637, 1926 BTA LEXIS 2822
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedNovember 26, 1926
DocketDocket No. 3651.
StatusPublished

This text of 5 B.T.A. 637 (National Pneumatic Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Pneumatic Co. v. Commissioner, 5 B.T.A. 637, 1926 BTA LEXIS 2822 (bta 1926).

Opinion

[646]*646OPINION.

Smith:

The principal point involved in this appeal is the value of assets acquired by the petitioner in exchange for its capital stock. No question of affiliation of the petitioner with the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. is involved. The petitioner apparently never claimed affiliation with that company and no evidence as to the stock ownership of that company or of the petitioner is before us. Since [647]*647the questions are numerous they will be considered in the same order in which they are stated in the preliminary statement and in the findings of fact.

1. Valuation of assets acquired at date of organization. — (a) Actual cash value of 'patents of Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. — The Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. had been in existence since 1894 and was doing a large and profitable business in 1910. Although it was engaged in three lines of business, the largest and most profitable line was that connected with street car work. This work was secured by reason of the ownership of numerous patents. These patents, together with certain other patents and applications for patents, relating to elevator doors, etc., were transferred to the petitioner and eventually the petitioner issued for such assets $240,000 capital stock. Under the agreement of transfer the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. was to continue to manufacture under its patents. The provisions of the contract were not introduced in evidence. The books of account of the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. showed the sale of these assets for $240,000. The Commissioner determined that the actual cash value of these assets was $162,610.88. The basis of this determination is a capitalization of the earnings of the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. attributable to the patents during a five-year period immediately preceding the date of transfer.

The findings of fact show a very large increase in volume of business of the company during the three years preceding 1910. Many of the contracts begun in 1908 and 1909 had not been completed at the date of transfer of the assets to the petitioner, and very large profits were realized by the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. from the completion of such contracts. The Commissioner did not take into account these profits in determining the earnings attributable to the patents during the five-year period prior to February 1, 1910.

The petitioner contends that if the value of its patents is to be predicated upon its earnings, the earnings realized during the years 1910, 1911 and 1912, from the contracts in hand but uncompleted at the date of transfer, should be taken into consideration.

We are of the opinion that the contention of the petitioner upon this point is Avell founded. The contracts from which the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. had a large income in 1910, 1911 and 1912 were attributable to the patents owned by it prior to February 1, 1910, and assigned to the petitioner in 1910.

No hard and fast rule can be laid down for determining the value of patents paid in for capital stock of a corporation. Appeal of Gamon Meter Co., 1 B. T. A. 1124. The value is a question of fact in any case. Appeal of J. J. Gray, Jr., 2 B. T. A. 672. See also Appeals of [648]*648Saenger Amusement Co., 1 B. T. A. 96; Dwight & Lloyd Sintering Co., 1 B. T. A. 179; William H. Jackson Co., 2 B. T. A. 411.

In the instant case, the interested parties determined that the value of the assets to be transferred to the petitioner by the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. was $240,000. We think that that determination is entitled to serious consideration. We are satisfied that the assets had a greater value than was placed upon them by the Commissioner, and from a consideration of the entire record we are of the opinion that $240,000 was not in excess of the cash value.

(b) Capital stock of The Pay-Within Oajr Go. — For the entire capital stock of The Pay-Within Car Co., the petitioner issued $166,750 of its capital stock. It claims that that was its actual cash value. It is true that The Pay-Within Car Co. had been in existence for only a short period, but its earnings during that period had been very large. There was a prospect that the business would continue to increase in the manner shown by the record of its earnings from November 1, 1908, to February 1, 1910. If those earnings should continue, the patents from which they arose had a very large cash value. We are of the opinion that the actual cash value was at least $166,750.

(c) Capital stock of the Ghicago Welding Go. — The petitioner claims that the actual cash value of 633 shares acquired by it was $25,000, the par value of the shares of stock of the petitioner corporation issued therefor. It appears, however, that the petitioner was to acquire the remaining 367 shares for $4,000 cash. The Commissioner determined the actual cash value of the 633 shares to be $16,938.63. The evidence of record does not warrant a cash value in excess of $16,938.63.

(d) Air-brake patents. — The Commissioner determined the actual £ash value of the air-brake patents to have been $8,469.31. In our opinion the evidence does not warrant a greater cash value.

(e) Burdett-Bowntree patents — Foreign.—Although these patents were placed upon the petitioner’s books of account at a value of $30,250, the evidence shows that the patents were never used by the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Co. and were never used by the petitioner. No evidence has been adduced which would warrant a finding that the patents had a cash value.

(f) Pay-Within car patents. — There is no evidence of record that would warrant any finding of fact that these patents had an actual cash value at the date of acquisition. In the absence of evidence the Commissioner’s determination of no value must be approved.

(g) Services under contract. — The evidence shows that $3,000 par value of capital stock of petitioner was issued to Hugh L. Adams as compensation for services. All of his services were performed [649]*649prior to the tax years under consideration. The services were worth the par value of the capital stock issued therefor and the Board is of the opinion that the petitioner is entitled to invested capital in the amount of $3,000 in respect of such services paid for by capital stock.

2. Valuation of the capital stock of the Prepayment Gar Pales Go. as of 1911, the date acquired in exchange for their assets. — At the hearing of this case it was stipulated as follows:

On Marca 1, 1911, the taxpayer acquired 4,000 shares of the capital stools: of the Prepayment Car Sales Company, par value $100 per share. The consideration given for this stock was the patents of The Pay-Within Car Company and 60.03 per cent of the patents acquired by the taxpayer from the Burdett-Rowntree Manufacturing Company in February, 1910.

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Related

Appeal of National Pneumatic Co.
5 B.T.A. 637 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1926)

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Bluebook (online)
5 B.T.A. 637, 1926 BTA LEXIS 2822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-pneumatic-co-v-commissioner-bta-1926.