People ex rel. Studebaker Corp. of America v. Gilchrist

217 A.D. 130, 216 N.Y.S. 208, 1926 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7754
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedMay 21, 1926
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 217 A.D. 130 (People ex rel. Studebaker Corp. of America v. Gilchrist) 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. Studebaker Corp. of America v. Gilchrist, 217 A.D. 130, 216 N.Y.S. 208, 1926 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7754 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinions

Hinman, J.

The relator, The Studebaker Corporation of America, is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, engaged in the business of selling motor vehicles in the State of New York and elsewhere. It did no manufacturing but purchased automobiles and parts from the Studebaker Corporation, its parent corporation, which owned all of its stock. This parent company was likewise organized under New Jersey laws but manufactured motor vehicles in Indiana and Michigan. It became the parent corporation of various other corporations through which it did its sales business in various parts of the United States and Canada. It did not dispose of its product in New York State except through the relator. By an agreement between the relator and its parent company, dated August 25, 1920, which replaced a prior agreement, the parent corporation agreed to sell its products to the relator at the retail fist price less twenty-five per cent discount on cars and thirty-three and one-third per cent discount on parts. This agreement was the basis of purchase during the two years involved in this proceeding. During one year the relator sustained an operating loss of $449,133.14, while the parent corporation made a net profit of $11,434,954.41. During the next year the relator’s loss was $2,168,176.63, while the parent corporation made a . net profit of $13,684,852.73. Both of these losses were taken over by the parent corporation. The balance sheets of relator at the close of both of these years show no surplus out of which dividends could be declared and the relator admits that it has never declared a dividend since it was incorporated in 1911. [132]*132The other selling subsidiaries of the parent corporation, with one exception, also operated at a loss during the two years covered by this proceeding. The one subsidiary which made a profit showed a profit of only $218,772.54 for one of the years and only a profit of $110,016.42 for the other year. It is very clear that the very large profits of the parent corporation of over $11,000,000 one year and over $13,000,000 the other year, were made at the expense of its subsidiaries and since the parent corporation took over the losses notwithstanding its contract with its subsidiary, the agreement was manifestly not the proper basis for estimating the fair profits which but for the agreement could have been obtained by the relator and was made for the purpose of avoiding income taxation in this State. The parent corporation filed with the Federal government reports for these years showing the combined income of itself and its subsidiaries and was taxed by the Federal government upon that basis. From the reports filed by the relator, which disclosed the entire net income of the parent corporation and its subsidiaries, as reported to the Federal government, and presumably from such other information as was in its possession, the State Tax Commission assessed taxes against the relator for the years in question upon the basis of the combined entire net income and combined segregated assets of the parent corporation and its subsidiaries. The taxes assessed for the two years respectively were $9,671.27 and $15,580.71. The relator claims that it had no income of its own and should have been taxed upon that basis; that it was subject only to a one-mill tax, which would have amounted to $12.14 for one year and $15.91 for the other. Due application was made by relator for a revision of the assessments. A hearing was afforded by the State Tax Commission. Upon the hearing the relator produced proof in the form of reports showing the exact figures of the combined income and combined segregated assets of the parent corporation and its domestic subsidiaries and upon those figures the assessments were revised and reduced to $9,452.53 and $12,468.55, respectively. It is now conceded by the State Tax Commission that the tax of 1921 should be still further reduced to $9,398.66 and the tax of 1922 to $11,936.24, to correct clerical errors.

The question presented is whether our statute under which these taxes were assessed is sufficiently broad to frustrate this plan obviously devised for the purpose of evading this income tax and to justify the taxes so assessed. We think that it is. The taxes have been assessed under article 9-A of the Tax Law (added by Laws of 1917, chap. 726), as amended to July 1, 1922. Both parties rely on the 1st and 3d paragraphs of subdivision 9 of section 211 [133]*133of the Tax Law (added by Laws of 1920, chap. 640, as amd. by Laws of 1922, chap. 507, in effect April 6, 1922) and subdivision 7 of section 214 of the Tax Law (added by Laws of 1920, chap. 640, as amd. by Laws of 1921, chap. 705).

Said subdivision 9 of section 211 of the Tax Law as it read on July 1, 1922, provided as follows:

“ 9. Any corporation owning or controlling, either directly or indirectly, substantially all of the capital stock of another corporation, or of other corporations, liable to report under this article, may be required to make a consolidated report showing the combined net income, such assets of the corporations as are required for the purposes of this article, and such other information as the Tax Commission may require, but excluding intercorporate stock-holdings and intercorporate accounts.
The Tax Commission may permit or require the filing of a combined report where substantially all the capital stock of two or more corporations hable to taxation under this article is owned by the same interests. The Tax Commission may impose the tax provided by this article as though the combined entire net income and segregated assets were those of one corporation, or may, in such other manner as it shall determine, equitably adjust the tax.
“ Where any corporation hable to taxation under this article conducts the business whether under agreement or otherwise in such manner as either directly or indirectly to benefit the members or stockholders of the corporation, or any of them, or any person or persons, directly or indirectly interested in such business by selhng its products or the goods or commodities in which it deals at less than a fair price which might be obtained therefor, or where such a corporation, a substantial portion of whose capital stock is owned either directly or indirectly by another corporation, acquires and disposes of the products of the corporation so owning the substantial portion of its capital stock in such a manner as to create a loss or improper net income, the Tax Commission may require such facts as it deems necessary for the proper computation provided by this article, and may for the purpose of the act determine the amount which shall be deemed to be the entire net income of the business of such corporation for the calendar or fiscal year, and in determining such entire net income the Tax Commission shall have regard to the fair profits which, but for any agreement, arrangement or understanding, might be or could have been obtained from dealing in such products, goods or commodities.”

Said subdivision 7 of section 214 of the Tax Law, as it read on July 1, 1922, provided as follows:

[134]*1347.

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Related

People Ex Rel. Studebaker Corp. of America v. Gilchrist
155 N.E. 68 (New York Court of Appeals, 1926)

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Bluebook (online)
217 A.D. 130, 216 N.Y.S. 208, 1926 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7754, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-studebaker-corp-of-america-v-gilchrist-nyappdiv-1926.