People ex rel. New York Trust Co. v. Graves

265 A.D. 94, 37 N.Y.S.2d 900, 1942 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5687
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedNovember 11, 1942
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 265 A.D. 94 (People ex rel. New York Trust Co. v. Graves) 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
People ex rel. New York Trust Co. v. Graves, 265 A.D. 94, 37 N.Y.S.2d 900, 1942 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5687 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinions

Heffernan, J.

This proceeding was, instituted by relator to review a final determination of the State Tax Commission affirming an assessment of additional tax of $40,117.02 against it for the year 1929 under article 9-B of the Tax Law.

In its return for that year relator claimed a deduction in the amount of $67,489.44 for extraordinary repairs and a further deduction in the sum of $824,000 alleged to be a “reasonable allowance for salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered” arising out of the issuance and sale of stock to officers and employees of the corporation. These deductions were disallowed. No question is raised as to the propriety of the disallowance of the item for extraordinary repairs.

Although respondents are now attempting for the first time to question the reasonableness of the amount of the item for salaries we think no such issue is presented for determination. In the proceedings before the respondents that contention was not made; in fact the record shows that both parties conceded that only a question of law is involved. If respondents were of the opinion that the deduction claimed should be disallowed in whole or in part because unreasonable in amount it was incumbent upon them to say so in order that relator might have submitted proof on that subject. Having failed to do so, good faith and fair dealing now forbid that they should be permitted to introduce an issue entirely extraneous to the question of law presented.

[96]*96To understand the legal question to be decided it is necessary to review the facts in some detail. For five years prior to 1929 relator, through its board of trustees, annually distributed to its officers and to some of its employees, pursuant to a profit-sharing policy adopted by it, a sum in addition to their salaries in recognition of services rendered by them during the year covered by such distribution. In 1929 the plan for making payments of extra compensation through the medium of cash profit-sharing was placed on a different footing. Tinder the new plan the extra compensation was to take the form of stock bonuses rather than cash. > >

On January 16, 1929 a resolution was adopted by the board of trustees of relator extending for a period of five years the profit-sharing policy for officers and employees then in effect The resolution also recommended to relator’s stockholders that the authorized capital stock of the company be increased by $2,500,000 and further recommended that the par value of the company’s shares be changed from $100 a share to $25 a share. The proposed increase of capital stock would thus be represented by 100,000 newly authorized shares of the par value of $25 each. The resolution also recommended .that the stockholders authorize the issuance and sale of a part of the new stock to trustees of a trust to be formed, to be held by them for the benefit of officers and employees of relator as, part of the profit-sharing policy.

i At a meeting of the stockholders held on February 14, 1929, the recommendations of the board of trustees were adopted. Thereby the stockholders authorized a four for one split of shares so that 100,000 shares of old stock of the par value of $100 became 400,000 shares of the par value of $25. The capital of the company was increased from $10,000,000 to $12,500,000 by the issuance of 100,000 shares of new stock of the par value of $25. Eights to subscribe to 80,000 of the new shares at $75 per share were issued to the stockholders. The remaining 20,000 new shares were.to be issued and sold to the trustees of the trust to be created at the same price, to be held for the benefit of officers and employees .of relator pursuant to the plan approved by the stockholders. It is stipulated that at this time the fair market value of each share of stock was $273.

On March 26,1929, the proposed trust was created by a trust agreement between the relator and certain trustees under the terms of which 19,928 shares of stock were issued and sold to such trustees. The remaining 72 shares, for reasons not disclosed in the record, apparently were issued and sold to certain stockholders.

[97]*97Under the terms of the agreement the trustees were directed to allot the 19,928 shares of stock annually for five years, beginning January 1-, 1929, at the rate of 4,000 shares per annum for the first four years and the remaining shares for the fifth year at $75 per share to officers and employees of relator qualified to participate in the profit-sharing plan on the basis of their salaries. Earnings distributable by relator to employees, under other features of its profit-sharing policy, and dividends on allotted stock held by the trust, were to be applied in payment of the stock allotted to such employees. The board of trustees of relator was empowered to designate the officers and employees to whom stock should be allotted each year and the amount thereof but could not direct the trust to relinquish stock for any other purpose. Under no circumstances could a participant obtain possession of the shares allotted to him before the termination of the trust on December 31, 1933.

In its return showing its net income for the calendar year 1929 relator claimed a deduction of $824,000 representing the difference between the fair market value at the time of the sale by relator to the trust on March 26,1929, of the 4,000 shares allotted by the trustees in that year amounting to $1,124,000 and $300,-000, the actual price of such shares. In view of the terms of the stipulation of the parties fixing the value of the stock the difference is $792,000 and not $824,000.

In its returns based upon net income for the years 1930 to 1933, inclusive, relator claimed like deductions. In this proceeding however we are dealing only with the 1929 deduction.

The question for us to determine is whether or not the difference between the amount received for the shares of stock issued and sold to officers and employees of relator by virtue of its profit-sharing plan and the fair market value of such stock is a proper deduction in determining net income.

The pertinent provisions of section 219-z of article 9-B of the Tax Law relating to deductions are: “In computing net income there shall be allowed as deductions: 1. All the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the year in carrying on business, including a reasonable allowance for salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered, # * * > 9

The contention of relator is that it incurred an ordinary and necessary expense of its business when, for the purpose of paying extra compensation to its officers and employees, it created a trust of shares of its own stock which could have been sold for $3,945,744, more than the amount it received. It asserts that the [98]*98extra compensation so paid differs in no way from the ordinary salary or bonus paid in cash, and that distribution of the shares constitutes taxable income to the officers and employees and that relator is entitled to a corresponding deduction from its own taxable income. Relator’s argument is predicated on the erroneous assumption that the transfer of the 19,928 shares to the trustees conferred upon it an absolute right to dispose of this stock. The answer to that argument is that relator had no authority to sell these shares to anyone except the officers and designated employees. The powers of relator with reference to this stock were strictly limited to the specific purpose of providing increased compensation to its officers and employees.

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Bluebook (online)
265 A.D. 94, 37 N.Y.S.2d 900, 1942 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5687, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-new-york-trust-co-v-graves-nyappdiv-1942.