Ryan v. Commissioner

42 T.C. 386, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 103
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 14, 1964
DocketDocket No. 94778
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 42 T.C. 386 (Ryan 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
Ryan v. Commissioner, 42 T.C. 386, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 103 (tax 1964).

Opinion

DeeNNEN, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ income tax for the years 1956 and 1957 in the amounts of $17,584.80 and $34,262.88, respectively. By stipulation petitioners conceded all adjustments in the notice of deficiency except adjustments with respect to dealer reserve income.

The only issues remaining for decision are (1) whether petitioners’ change in method of reporting dealer reserve income for their taxable year 1957 constituted a change in method of accounting within the meaning of section 481,1.R.C. 1954,1 so as to make that section applicable, and (2) if so, whether petitioners made a valid and effective election under section 4(a) of the Dealer Reserve Income Adjustment Act of 1960 (Pub. L. 86-459, 74 Stat. 124) not to have section 481 apply.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The stipulated facts are so found.

Petitioners were husband and wife residing in Decatur, Ala., during the years 1955 to 1959, inclusive. They filed timely joint Federal income tax returns for those years with the district director of internal revenue, Birmingham, Ala.

During the years involved and for a number of years prior thereto, Hulond R. Ryan (hereinafter referred to as petitioner) operated a retail furniture and appliance business as a sole proprietorship in Decatur, Sheffield, and Huntsville, Ala. On January 1, 1958, petitioner caused to be formed a separate corporation to operate each of his stores. He transferred to these corporations his inventory and certain fixtures in exchange for the stock and notes of the new corporations. Thereafter petitioner continued to operate his sole proprietorship for the purpose of purchasing furniture which he in. turn sold to the new corporations. In addition, he continued to hold and liquidate certain accounts receivable which were owned by the sole proprietorship.

In his business petitioner often sold furniture and appliances on an installment basis, taking a downpayment and/or trade together with installment paper showing a time or deferred balance payable over a period of months.

At times petitioner sold the installment paper to various finance companies on the usual terms and arrangements common in the business whereby the finance companies would pay petitioner the major portion of the contract in cash and credit the balance to a reserve account in the name of petitioner. The amount credited to this account is commonly referred to as “dealer reserve income” and will be so referred to here.

The balances in petitioner’s dealer reserve account and increases therein for the years in question were as follows:

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During the years involved and prior thereto, petitioner kept his books and reported his income on the accrual method of accounting. However, for years prior to 1957 petitioner reported dealer reserve income on his books and on his returns when the income was actually paid to him by the finance companies, rather than when it was credited to his dealer reserve accounts by the finance companies.

For the year 1957, on the advice of the certified public accountant who supervised petitioner’s books and prepared his tax returns and based on a revenue ruling issued in 1957 indicating that dealer reserve income should be accrued in the year the installment paper was sold to the finance companies (Rev. Rul. 57-2, 1957-1 C.B. 17), petitioner changed his treatment of dealer reserve income. On December 31, 1957, the following entry was made on petitioner’s records:

Debit Credit
Finance reserve_ $117, 720. 61 _
Reserve for repossessions- - $29, 430.15
Sales of new appliances_ _ 88, 290. 46

As of December 31, 1957, petitioner had not been paid any of the $117,720.61 balance in the dealer reserve accounts by the finance companies.

During 1958 petitioner sold installment paper from which he had dealer reserve income.

Petitioner went out of the furniture business in 1960.

Petitioner never requested nor received consent of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to change his treatment of dealer reserve income. Petitioners’ returns for years prior to 1951 were audited by the Internal Revenue Service and no changes were made in the treatment of dealer reserve income.

By letter dated August 24, 1960, petitioner wrote the director of internal revenue, Birmingham, Ala., stating that his tax returns were under audit by the Internal Revenue Service, that the revenue agent had proposed adjustments under section 481 of the Code, that in his opinion section 481 did not apply to the proper accrual of dealer reserve income because it was not a change in method of accounting; but that should he be mistaken, he thereby made the election under section 4 of the Dealer Reserve Income Adjustment Act of 1960 not to have section 481 apply.

By letter dated August 80, 1960, a representative of the Internal Revenue Service wrote to petitioner, referring to petitioner’s letter of August 24, and advising that for an election to be valid it must show a clear intention to make the election under section 4(a), it must contain information sufficient to establish eligibility to make the election, it must show the taxable years to which the election applies, and the electing taxpayer must on or before November 30,1960, file amended returns for the yea,rs in which the election is made.

By letter dated December 8, 1960, petitioner’s attorney wrote to the above representative of the Internal Revenue Service advising that petitioner’s dealer reserve problems had been under discussion at an informal conference with a conferee since the letter of August 30 and the parties had been unable to reach agreement at that time, and at the suggestion of the conferee petitioner wished to advise that he desired that the election under section 4(a) previously referred to in the letter of August 24 be made, that petitioner transferred receivables to finance companies in 1958 and established a reserve of 25 percent of the amount of the (dealers) reserves as income to be received in subsequent years, that the election was to apply to the year 1958, and that it would be impossible for petitioner to file amended returns for the years in question because to do so would revoke petitioner’s position that section 481 did not apply to this transaction.

By letter dated December 15, 1960, the representative of the Internal Revenue Service wrote to petitioner’s attorney advising that the election was not valid, referring to the failure of petitioner to file amended returns.

Petitioners have not filed amended returns for any of the years 1956.1957. or 1958.

The notice of deficiency was issued prior to the running of the statute of limitations for the year 1957.

OPINION

The principal issue is whether section 481 is applicable and permits respondent to include in petitioner’s income for the year 1957 the entire amount of the balances in petitioner’s dealer reserve accounts as of the end of 1957.

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Ryan v. Commissioner
42 T.C. 386 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
42 T.C. 386, 1964 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ryan-v-commissioner-tax-1964.