Rissman v. Commissioner

6 T.C. 1105, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 188
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 21, 1946
DocketDocket No. 6365
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 6 T.C. 1105 (Rissman 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
Rissman v. Commissioner, 6 T.C. 1105, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 188 (tax 1946).

Opinion

OPINION.

Black, Judge-.

The two issues presented in this proceeding are (1) whether the respondent erred in disallowing an aggregate of $35,669.06 or any part thereof claimed by petitioner as a net long term capital loss from the sale in 1941 of certain shares of stock in three separate corporations, and (2) whether the respondent erred in disallowing $1,100 of the $1,767.73 claimed by petitioner as deductible expenses.

Issue (I). The manner in which petitioner computed the claimed loss aggregating $35,669.06 in schedule F of his return has been set out in our findings. The respondent disallowed the deduction on two grounds, namely, that petitioner had not proved that he owned the 25 shares of stock in each of the three corporations and that he had also failed to substantiate the cost or other basis of the stock.

In bis brief the respondent in effect now concedes that petitioner lias proved ownership of at least 24 shares in each of the 3 corporations here involved, for in his request for findings of fact he has requested us to find that “In 1941 petitioner was the owner of 24 shares of 714 Buena Building Corporation stock, 24 shares of 737 Cornelia Building Corporation stock and 24 shares of Forty Third Michigan Corporation stock,” and that his wife, Esther J. Rissman “was the owner of one share of the stock of each of said corporations.” We think the evidence supports these requested findings and we have accordingly so found. We do not think petitioner has proved ownership of the one share in each of the corporations that was issued to his wife. There is some evidence that petitioner owned the share issued to his wife by the Buena Corporation, but the weight of the evidence is otherwise. We, therefore, hold.that petitioner has only proved ownership as to 24 shares in each of the corporations here involved.

The respondent still contends that petitioner has failed to substantiate the cost or other basis of the stock. In this connection the applicable statute is section 113 of the Internal Revenue Code, the material provisions of which, as amended, are set forth in the margin.1

The respondent argues first that- petitioner's entire ease falls because he has failed to prove that the stock of the three corporations was acquired in a transfer of properties to controlled corporations within the terms of section 112 (b) (5). At the time the Buena, Cornelia, and Michigan properties were transferred in 1928 to the three corporations, respectively, section 112 (b) (5) of the Revenue Act of 1928 provided that:

No gain or loss shall be recognized if property is transferred to a corporation by one or more persons solely in exchange for stock or securities in such corporation, and immediately after the exchange such person or persons are in control of the corporation; but in the case of an exchange by two or more persons this paragraph shall apply only if the amount of the stock and securities received by each is substantially in proportion to his interest in the property prior to the exchange.

The respondent correctly argues that in order to satisfy the requirements of section 112 (b) (5) “it was incumbent upon this petitioner to establish (1) who owned the properties transferred to the corporation, (2) the exact interests of each of said transferors in the properties, (3) that immediately after the exchange said transferors were in control of the corporations, and (4) that each of said transferors received in the exchange stock substantially in proportion to his interest in the property.” We, however, do not agree with the respondent that petitioner has failed to satisfy these conditions. Although the evidence was not as satisfactory as it might have been, we believe that a careful consideration of the entire record supports the ultimate facts we have found, namely, that prior to the transfers to the corporations the respective properties were owned one-fourth by petitioner, one-fourth by John Rissman, and one-half by Cohn, and that immediately after the transfers the entire capital stock of the corporation was owned by the same parties in the same proportions, with the exception of the one share in each of the corporations that was issued to petitioner’s wife and which apparently petitioner gave to his wife. On the foundation of these facts, we hold that the trans-ferors of the properties realized no gain or loss on the transfers in 1928, and that the basis to them of the properties transferred is required to be substituted for the stock received by them. This “substituted basis” must then be adjusted as provided for in code section 113 (b) (2), set out in our footnote 1 above.

In the event of our holding contrary to the respondent’s contentions as to whether petitioner has satisfied the requirements of section 112 (b) (5), the respondent, as an alternative, has requested us to find as an ultimate fact the following:

23. If any part of such capital loss is allowable, the amount of §35,669.06 claimed in petitioner’s return is excessive:
(a) as to each of the stocks of Buena Building Corporation, Cornelia Building Corporation and Forty-Third Michigan Corporation, to the extent that petitioner claimed a loss with respect to the share of stock of each of said corporations owned by petitioner’s wife, Esther J. Rissman; and
(b) as to the Buena stock, to the extent that the claimed basis of $220,676.60 for the entire 100 shares included the cancelled inter-company loans in the net amount of $41,468.26, and included the alleged equity of $80,000.00 for the Clark Street property; and
(c) as to the Forty Third Michigan stock, to the extent that the claimed basis of $91,183.92 for the entire 100 shares included the cost of the original land at $37,288 in lieu of the correct cost of $30,567.

In vie,w of our above holding relating to the ownership of the stock in question, it follows that the respondent’s request for the ultimate finding set forth in paragraph 23 (a), supra, should be and is allowed.

We also think that the respondent’s request for the ultimate finding set forth in paragraph 23 (b), supra, should be allowed. The claimed basis of $220,676.60 for the entire 100 shares of Buena Corporation was computed by Busby in the preparation of petitioner’s return. The computation is set out in our findings. The amount of $362,000 stated in the computation is the total of cash paid in by Cohn, petitioner, and John Rissman of $52,000; the acquisition of the Buena property subject to a first mortgage of $190,000; the giving of a purchase money mortgage of $40,000; and the transfer to the sellers of the Buena property of the Clark Street property at an agreed figure of $115,000, with the sellers of the Buena property assuming two mortgages on the Clark Street property totaling $35,000. The record does not show the cost of the Clark Street property to Cohn, petitioner, and John Rissman. The fair market value of their equity in the Clark Street property at the time of the 1924 exchange was $80,000. Petitioner has used the $80,000 as a part of the cost of the Buena property on the theory that the 1924 exchange of the two properties was a taxable exchange rather than a tax-free exchange under section 208 (b) (1) of the Revenue Act of 1924.2

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Rissman v. Commissioner
6 T.C. 1105 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)

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Bluebook (online)
6 T.C. 1105, 1946 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 188, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rissman-v-commissioner-tax-1946.