Snyder Air Products, Inc. v. Commissioner

71 T.C. 709, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 185
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 29, 1979
DocketDocket Nos. 3486-75, 8211-75
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 71 T.C. 709 (Snyder Air Products, 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
Snyder Air Products, Inc. v. Commissioner, 71 T.C. 709, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 185 (tax 1979).

Opinion

Drennen, Judge:

In these consolidated cases respondent determined deficiencies and additions to tax as follows:

Addition to tax, I.R.C. 195k1 Docket
Year Deficiency Sec. 6651(a) Sec. 6653(a) No.
FYE 5/31/68 $37,748.78 $9,437.19 $1,887.44 8211-75
FYE 5/31/70 6,175.87 1,543.97 3486-75

Several of the issues relative to the deficiencies have been settled by stipulation of the parties. The issues remaining for our resolution are:

(1) Whether a condemnation award from the State of New York accrued during petitioner’s fiscal year ending May 31,1968. If not, whether it accrued during petitioner’s fiscal year ending May 31,1970.2

(2) Whether deductions claimed by petitioner during the taxable years at issue for compensation of officers, bad debts, interest, automobile expense, travel and entertainment expenses, legal and professional fees, and miscellaneous expenses are ordinary and necessary business expenses.

(3) Whether a carryforward of a net operating loss deduction to fiscal year ending May 31,1968, was proper, and

(4) Whether the additions to tax pursuant to sections 6651(a) and 6653(a) are properly imposed.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.

Snyder Air Products, Inc. (hereinafter petitioner), was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York on May 25,1953. Petitioner’s income tax return for its fiscal year ending May 31, 1968, was filed with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Buffalo, N.Y., on June 19, 1969. The return for its fiscal year ending May 31, 1970, was filed with said District Director of Internal Revenue on February 18,1972.

At the time it filed the petitions in these cases, petitioner’s legal address was in Syracuse, N.Y.

From the date of its incorporation until October 28, 1963, petitioner was engaged in carrying on the trade or business of manufacturing and selling medical gases and compressed industrial gases. On October 28,1963, petitioner sold substantially all of its corporate assets to the Burdette Oxygen Co. (hereinafter referred to as Burdette). Most of the assets sold were cylinders manufactured by petitioner to contain the gases produced by petitioner, but did not include petitioner’s plant or the machinery and equipment used to manufacture the cylinders. The agreement of sale, the bill of sale, and the chattel mortgage securing the buyer’s promissory note provided in pertinent part:

The quantities and extended prices shown above indicate cylinders owned by Seller as of the date of execution of this agreement pursuant to its record of purchases thereof and its best estimate. The parties agree that in order to determine the final price of these cylinders a joint physical inventory is to be made and completed over a fifteen month period following the Closing Date. The physical inventory, when completed, shall be certified to by the parties and when so certified shall determine the purchase price of these cylinders.

The inventory was necessary because the cylinders manufactured by petitioner were dispersed to the various institutions and industries which were petitioner’s customers. The inventory was conducted by Ephraim Snyder, petitioner’s president, as the cylinders were returned to the plant for refilling.

On October 28,1963, petitioner and Burdette were aware that the real estate upon which petitioner’s manufacturing plant and warehouse was located in Syracuse was scheduled to be appropriated by the State of New York for highway purposes at some future date. In anticipation of this appropriation, petitioner and Burdette entered into a lease' agreement renewable annually whereby Burdette leased petitioner’s oxygen-producing plant and warehouse, the lease automatically terminating upon the taking of possession of the building by the State of New York pursuant to any appropriation of the building for highway purposes. On October 28,1963, petitioner and Burdette also executed an “Agreement for Option to Purchase Manufacturing Equipment” whereby petitioner granted Burdette an option to purchase petitioner’s manufacturing equipment for $10,000. The option was exercised by Burdette and payment of $10,000 made at some unspecified time between June 2, 1965, and May 29,1968.

Subsequent to October 28,1963, petitioner has not carried on any business operations; petitioner’s principal activities consisted of carrying out the sale of its corporate assets pursuant to the agreement of sale and contesting the amount of a condemnation award against the State of New York.

On June 2,1965, the State of New York appropriated the real property and plant equipment in Syracuse on which petitioner’s business had been situated pursuant to section 30, N.Y. Highway Law (McKinney 1962). The appropriated property was valued by the State as follows: $95,000 for the real estate and $43,228 for the plant equipment.

Petitioner filed a claim contesting the amount of the condemnation award with the Court of Claims of the State of New York on March 8,1966.

The Court of Claims entered its decision on May 29, 1968, in which it concluded in pertinent part:

Claimant has been damaged in the total sum of $159,988.00 as follows: (a) Land — $41,760.00; (b) Building — $85,000.00; and (c) compensable fixtures and equipment — $33,228.00.
The claimant paid real estate taxes on the property appropriated for the year 1965 and is entitled to be reimbursed the sum of $1,166.95.
*******
Claimant is entitled to an award in the sum of $159,988.00 for all damages plus the sum of $1,166.95 for taxes paid by the claimant for a total of $161,154.95 with interest thereon from June 2, 1965 to December 2, 1965 and from March 8,1966 to the date of entry of judgment herein.

An appeal was taken by the State of New York from the Court of Claims’ judgment to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, State of New York, Fourth Department. The Court of Claims judgment was unanimously affirmed on December 4,1969. On February 12, 1970, the Appellate Division denied the State of New York’s motion for reargument of appeal or, in the alternative, for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals denied the State’s motion for leave to appeal to that court on April 9,1970.

In the meantime, the New York State Department of Audit and Control mailed to petitioner the following payments toward the condemnation award:

Date Amount
Nov. 24, 1965 $79,630.82
Sept. 16, 1966 10,000.00
Oct. 16, 1968 16,898.80

These payments were made pursuant to the provisions in section 30(13), N.Y.

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Snyder Air Products, Inc. v. Commissioner
71 T.C. 709 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)

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71 T.C. 709, 1979 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/snyder-air-products-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1979.