Ray v. Commissioner

32 T.C. 1244, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 82
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 23, 1959
DocketDocket No. 69322
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 32 T.C. 1244 (Ray 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
Ray v. Commissioner, 32 T.C. 1244, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 82 (tax 1959).

Opinion

Fisher, Judge:

This proceeding involves a deficiency in income tax determined against petitioner for the taxable year 1952 in the amount of $15,564.46.

The principal issue presented is whether petitioner is entitled to treat, as long-term capital gain pursuant to sections 117 (Ir) (2) or 117 (j) of the Code of 1939,1 the amount of $40,000 which he received as an advance payment during the taxable year 1952 for timber to be cut from bis or other land and delivered to the purchaser.

FINDINGS OK PACT.

Some of the facts are stipulated and, as stipulated, are incorporated herein by this reference.

Joe S. Ray, hereinafter called petitioner, is an individual with his place of residence at West Green, Georgia. He filed his individual Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1952 with the director of internal revenue, Atlanta, Georgia.

Petitioner kept his books and records and filed his return for the year 1952 on the cash basis.

For many years prior to and including the taxable year 1952, petitioner was engaged in the business of farming on his lands in the town of West Green, Georgia, including turpentining the pine trees growing thereon. Turpentining continues for about 8 or 10 years, which is about the average life of a pine tree. When all the turpentine was extracted or “worked out,” petitioner would cut the tree for pulpwood or sawmill timber and let another one grow. During the years petitioner was engaged in turpentining, he sold many trees which had been worked out of turpentine.

During the year 1951, petitioner had a fire on his tree farm, and in order to salvage the trees as much as he could, he sold pulpwood to dealers. Petitioner sold said pulpwood until about January 1952.

On March 15, 1952, petitioner entered into a contract (designated as indenture) with the Mengel Company, hereinafter referred to as Mengel. Later on this same date, petitioner and Mengel entered into a supplemental agreement to add to the terms of the original contract. The original contract, as supplemented, is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the contract.

Said contract wherein petitioner is referred to as “grantor” and Mengel as “grantee,” commences with the recital:

That for and in consideration of the sum of Forty Thousand ($40,000) Dollars, * * * Grantor has granted, bargained, sold and conveyed, and by these presents does grant, bargain sell and convey unto Grantee * * *:
All of the pine trees * * * upon the following described lands * * *

There then follows the legal description of the various lands located in Coffee County, Georgia, containing approximately 4,800 acres.

The contract provides, inter alia, as follows:

1. The basic premises of this indenture is that forty thousand (40,000) standard cords * * * of pulpwood will be produced from the said timber and trees * * *
2. Grantee, its successors and assigns, shall have the right to enter upon said lands and to cut and remove the trees and timber hereby conveyed * * *. The cutting shall be in accordance with the cutting schedule stated hereinafter and the other terms and conditions of this indenture.
3. The payment of $40,000 made by Grantee to Grantor at the ensealing and delivery of this indenture is an advance payment at the rate of one ($1.00) Dollar per standard cord on the stumpage price to be paid by Grantee to Grantor for the pulpwood to be cut from the timber and trees on said lands. As the cutting and removal progresses, the balance of the stumpage price, to be determined as hereinafter stated, shall be paid by Grantee to Grantor.
4. Grantor and Grantee acknowledge that the purchase price of pine pulpwood in Coffee County, Georgia, varies from time to time, and that it is the accepted custom in the trade for the stumpage price paid to the owner of the timber to vary in proportion. It is agreed between the parties hereto that the stumpage price which shall be paid by Grantee to Grantor shall so vary, * * * bearing in mind at all times that Grantee shall receive credit on the stumpage price in the sum of $1.00 per standard cord already paid thereon by the advance payment made at the ensealing and delivery of this indenture. * * *
5. As a cutting schedule for cutting and removing said timber and trees, 5,000 standard cords per year, at the rate of not less than 1,000 and not more than 2,000 standard cords in any quarter part of a year, shall be cut and removed from said land after cutting and removal operations shall have commenced normally.
6. Grantee shall keep accurate records of all timber and trees cut and removed from said land, shall furnish said information to Grantor at regular weekly intervals, and shall account to and pay Grantor at regular weekly intervals the balance due him for stumpage for all timber and trees cut and removed from said land.
7. Grantor shall make proper returns for all taxes due and to become due on said lands, timber and trees, and shall pay all taxes thereon as the same shall become due.
8. Part of the consideration for this indenture is the covenant of Grantor that he will, with initiative and all reasonable diligence and care, safeguard and protect the timber and trees on said land against loss by theft, fire and all forms of waste. * * *
9. If for any reason the timber and trees on said land and covered by this indenture shall fail to produce the 40,000 standard cords of pulpwood provided for herein, then Grantee, its successors and assigns, shall have the right and privilege of retaining a sufficient sum, out of the balance due for stumpage, to retire any unearned part of the $40,000 advanced at the ensealing and delivery of this indenture for the contemplated production of 40,000 standard cords.
10. Grantor is presently engaged in turpentining and other woodland operations on said lands, and it is the agreement of the parties that said operation may continue, consistent with the terms of this indenture. Also, it is the present agreement of the parties hereto that Grantor, within the cutting schedule herein-above mentioned, will cut and remove said timber and trees for pulpwood purposes, and that from him as a producer of pine pulpwood Grantee will purchase same and pay the then prevailing producer’s price, thereby enabling Grantor possibly to reaUee a greater return than he would receive from the stumpage alone. If Grantor should so cut and remove said pulpwood he shall have the right to do so * * *. As such producer of pine pulpwood, Grantor shall be paid by Grantee the generally prevailing price then being paid to producers in Coffee County, Georgia, for each standard cord of acceptable pine pulpwood, less, however, at all times a deduction of $1.00 per standard cord by reason of the advance payment already made by Grantee to Grantor at the ensealing and delivery of this indenture. * * *
11.

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32 T.C. 1244, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ray-v-commissioner-tax-1959.