Phipps v. United States

515 F.2d 1099, 206 Ct. Cl. 583, 35 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1288, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 199
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 16, 1975
DocketNo. 109-72
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 515 F.2d 1099 (Phipps 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
Phipps v. United States, 515 F.2d 1099, 206 Ct. Cl. 583, 35 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1288, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 199 (cc 1975).

Opinions

Nichols, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This suit arises out of disputes over the tax consequences of Ogden Phipps’ partnership agreements in Smith, Barney & Co., for 1959 and for 1960-63. The business was underwriting the sale of securities and acting as a broker and dealer in securities. Lillian B. Phipps is a party solely because she signed joint tax returns with her husband for the 1959-1963 tax years involved. Although the case is presented as a single case for purposes of cross motions for summary judgment, since 1959 involves one partnership agreement and 1960-63 involves another, we deal with each agreement and its tax consequences separately. The IRS has made a disallowance for each year under IRC of 1954, § 265 (2). Plaintiff has paid and sues for refunds.

I

The agreement in effect in 1959 has been previously construed in Phipps v. United States, 188 Ct. Cl. 531, 414 F. 2d 1366 (1969), (hereinafter Phipps I), having been the same one in effect in 1958, one of the tax years there involved. We agree with plaintiff that collateral estoppel applies here and hold again for the plaintiff, since in regard to the 1959 agreement the Government has shown no change of facts or appli[586]*586cable law as required by Commissioner v. Sunnen, 333 U.S. 591 (1948), to lift the ban on relitigating the same issue. United States v. Bayse, 410 U.S. 441 (1973), is relied on by the Government for this, but the Court concludes at 457:

In summary, we find this case controlled by familiar and long-settled principles of income and partnership taxation. * * *

The case involved partnership income, but not the deduction of interest on indebtedness incurred to carry tax-exempt securities which was the problem in the first Phipps case and again here.

As a matter of interest, we note that the Phipps I opinion cites and quotes extensively from John E. Leslie, 50 T.C. 11 (1968). The very day before Phipps was handed down the Second Circuit reversed Leslie sub nom. Leslie v. Commissioner, 413 F. 2d 636 (1969), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 1007 (1970). This does not effect a change in the “legal atmosphere” sufficient to avoid a collateral estoppel because the quoted material from the Tax Court opinion consisted of a summary of legislative history, plus a statement of general principles, neither of which is disputed or shown to be incorrect in the Circuit Judge’s opinion.

II

Under Commissioner v. Sunnen, collateral estoppel does not carry the interpretation of one written agreement over to another, even when the terms are much the same. The 1960-63 agreements are, however, so different insofar as plaintiff is concerned, that even stare decisis would not excuse us from a careful re-examination of their tax consequences. The legal issue as to those years, that we consider decisive, is whether IEC of 1954, § 265 (2) requires that interest paid by the partnership to banks on loans, secured by pledge of plaintiffs’ tax-exempt securities, must be included in plaintiffs’ net income. So far as pertinent, the statute reads: “No deduction shall be allowed for— * * * (2) Interest. Interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry obligations * * '* the interest on which is wholly exempt from the taxes imposed by this subtitle. * * *”

[587]*587m

Plaintiff, a former 'general partner, was for the tax years involved here a limited partner of Smith, Barney & Co., a New York firm organized as a limited partnership under New York law and having membership rights through its partners on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange, the Philadelphia-Baltimore Stock Exchange, the Midwest Stock Exchange, and the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. There were several classes of partners in the firm: (1) ordinary general partners, (2) five “deep pockets” general partners (who underwrote all losses in excess of $1,000,000), (3) retired limited partners (former general partners with guaranteed retirement incomes of at least $18,000 annually), (4) cash-contributing limited partners, (5) securities-contributing limited partners (of whom Phipps, plaintiff here, was one), and (6) partners who contributed stock exchange memberships.

It appears that Mr. Phipps’ contribution to the partnership for the years in question was primarily a personal note secured 'by pledge of securities for the firm’s use. NYSE Buie 325 (which limits members’ amount of business and available customer loan capacity to 2000 percent of the members’ “net capital”) creates a situation where member firms are always in need of additional working capital. Thus, in addition to the general capital and limited capital contributions by the partners, such 'as Phipps’ limited capital, the firms also seek various ways to include partners’ non-capital, individual trading accounts’ assets in “net capital” — without otherwise depriving individual members of legal and beneficial ownership of these individual trading accounts. (Shearson, Hammil & Co. v. State Tax Commission, 19 App. Div. 2d 245, 241 N.Y.S. 2d 764 (1963), aff'd, 255 N.Y.S. 2d 657 (1964), which exempted these trading accounts from the New York Unincorporated Business Tax, provides additional information on the operation of these trading accounts.)

Mr. Phipps’ capital contribution was supplied in the form of a Limited Capital Note — a demand, non-negotiable note— secured at 100% face value by readily marketable securities. In Phipps’ case, tax-exempt securities (such as Section 103 state and municipal bonds) were used. These securities were [588]*588placed in a pledge account with the firm. Phipps was required to maintain at least 100% face value of his note in securities with an equal fair market value and also meeting a 90% “capital requirements value” as defined by NYSE rules for measuring “net capital”. Any appreciation or other excess above this two-fold valuation test could be withdrawn. The partnership paid Mr. Phipps 5% per annum on his capital contribution. The partnership paid interest on bank loans secured by plaintiffs’ tax-exempts as follows:

1960_$10,183. 22
1961_ 9,125. 00
1962_ 9, 000. 00
1963_ 9, 000. 00

The partnership deducted these amounts from the 5% payments to Mr. Phipps, paying him only a net figure.

The provisions of the partnership agreement we consider decisive, Articles IV, V and XI of the 1960 partnership agreement, are attached hereto as an appendix. They were in effect for the tax years 1960-1968, inclusive. A limited partner such as Phipps was to be “paid” 5% on the value of his note, as an expense of the business, whether or not earned, plus an additional 1% if earned. He remained owner of the pledged securities and entitled to the income resulting from them. The partnership might pledge the securities to secure its own obligations. The partnership could take as a credit on the 5% and the 1% if earned, the interest it was required to pay on loans secured by the pledged securities.

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Bluebook (online)
515 F.2d 1099, 206 Ct. Cl. 583, 35 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1288, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phipps-v-united-states-cc-1975.