Pierce Estates, Inc. v. Commissioner

16 T.C. 1020, 1951 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 198
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 14, 1951
DocketDocket No. 26834
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 16 T.C. 1020 (Pierce Estates, Inc. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pierce Estates, Inc. v. Commissioner, 16 T.C. 1020, 1951 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 198 (tax 1951).

Opinion

OPINION.

Rice, Judge:

The first issue is whether certain payments by petitioner corporation represented payments of interest or of dividends. This in turn is dependent upon whether certain securities were a form of indebtedness or were stock. If the payments were interest payments they are deductible by petitioner under section 23 (b) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides:

SEC. 23. DEDUCTIONS FROM GROSS INCOME.

In computing net income there shall be allowed as deductions:

**»»*«*
(b). Interest. — All interest paid or accrued within the taxable year on indebtedness, except * * *.

The status of hybrid corporate securities containing characteristics of both stock and indebtedness has frequently been before this Court. No one factor is sufficient for a determination of such status but all of the attributes must be carefully weighed and each case will turn on its own facts.

Some of the characteristics which are considered are: The maturity date if any, the method used in accounting for the securities on the books, the designation of the security, the ratio of these securities to capital stock, the interest rate, subordination of interest payments, specified designation of the source of the interest payments, right of action by the holder in case of default, voting rights, and consideration.

While nomenclature is not controlling in this type of case, it has some evidentiary value. Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Co., 33 B. T. A. 895 (1936), affd. (C. A. 4, 1937), 90 F. 2d 971. The securities issued by petitioner were denominated 30-year cumulative income debenture notes. They had a definite maturity date in the reasonable future, an important characteristic of an evidence of indebtedness. Kelley Co. v. Commissioner, 326 U. S. 521 (1946); Swoby Corporation, 9 T. C. 887 (1947). They were carried on the books as a liability, being the first item which appeared on the liability side of petitioner’s profit and loss statements.

The book value of petitioner’s outstanding no-par stock was nearly $600,000 for the period 1930 until 1941, from which time it was over $200,000 following a write-down in connection with adjustments of the capital accounts. The notes had a face value of $150,000. The ratio of the two was not of such a character as to make it appear that in reality the notes indicated an investment in the corporation. Swoby Corporation, supra.

The notes provided for 6 per cent cumulative interest payable out of the net income of the corporation. Such net income was defined in the note itself as being any amount remaining after current expenses, taxes, interest (other than on the notes), repairs, and depreciation reserves had been set aside by the Board of Directors. Such a condition for payment is not unusual and, while it is more like a stock characteristic, has been present in cases where the security has been held to represent an indebtedness, Kelley Co. v. Commissioner, supra, although it is a factor which weighs against such result.

Since the notes were silent as to rights of the holder in case of default, there was no limitation on those righfs which are available to any creditor upon default of a legal obligation. Cf. Mullin Building Corporation, 9 T. C. 350, 356 (1947), affd. (C. A. 3, 1948), 167 F. 2d 1001.

These securities were part of the consideration given to the stockholders of petitioner in exchange for assets transferred by the stockholders to the corporation. Notes rather than capital stock were given since one of the stockholders (the trustees of the estate of a deceased son) wanted a definite date for return of the principal.

Some of these factors point in one direction, others in the opposite direction. Having carefully considered all the enumerated characteristics plus others which have not been set forth, we hold that the income debenture notes evidenced indebtedness, and that interest paid thereon is deductible under section 23 (b) of the Code.

Having determined that interest paid on the notes is properly deductible for income tax purposes, we must determine how much petitioner may deduct. Petitioner is on an accrual basis. For the taxable year in question it deducted $65,156.94, which represented payment of interest on the debenture notes including back interest which had not been paid in prior years. The theory petitioner advances for such treatment is that the interest did not accrue until such time as petitioner made the income with which to pay it. The respondent, on the other hand, argues that since petitioner is on an accrual basis, the interest accrued yearly and should have been claimed as a deduction each year. We uphold the respondent on this question. While it is true that until such time as petitioner showed a net income for any year the interest would not be payable, all steps necessary to determine liability arose in each year that the notes were outstanding and it was merely the time of payment which was postponed.

In Miller & Vidor Lumber Co. v. Commissioner (C. A. 5, 1930), 39 F. 2d 890, affirming 15 B. T. A. 948 (1929), certiorari denied, 282 U. S. 864 (1930), the court said:

In this case the petitioner kept its books and made its returns on the accrual basis, which reflected true income. The interest on the notes was a fixed liability of a definite amount, ascertainable at the end of each year. While the interest was not paid annually, and was not due annually, it was earned annually. Each year’s, interest was ratably earned by the use of the principal sum in the business of the taxpayer during the year of its use. It was an expense of creating the income for each separate year, and the net income of the business for a particular year could be ascertained only by deducting from gross income the item of annual interest. The year of the payment of the interest and the year when the interest matured have no importance, where the accounting is on the accrual basis. Scientific accounting requires the deduction to be made from the gross income, which the item of expense helped to create, and that requires the deduction for annual interest to be made from the gross income of the year in which the principal served to create it.

In Warner Co., 11 T. C. 419 (1948), affd. (C. A. 3, 1950), 181 F. 2d 599, petitioner kept its books on an accrual basis. In that case the original bond indenture called for 6 'per cent annual interest payments. During the depression petitioner suffered losses and was unable to pay such interest as it became due. It therefore executed a supplemental indenture with the bondholders, providing that for the years 1933 through 1935, interest not to exceed 6 per cenv be paid only to the extent that there were sufficient earnings. Any deficiency in such interest was to be paid at maturity or any earlier redemption. No interest was paid for these years until 1942, when it was all paid and a deduction for the entire amount was claimed for that year. We held that since petitioner was on an accrual basis it was not entitled to such a deduction in the year the interest was paid.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 T.C. 1020, 1951 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 198, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pierce-estates-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1951.