Southern California Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner

95 T.C. No. 3, 95 T.C. 35, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 66
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 5, 1990
DocketDocket No. 45338-86
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 95 T.C. No. 3 (Southern California Sav. & Loan Ass'n 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
Southern California Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Commissioner, 95 T.C. No. 3, 95 T.C. 35, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 66 (tax 1990).

Opinions

OPINION

WRIGHT, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies in and additions to petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Additions to tax
Year Deficiency Sec. 6653(a)1 Sec. 6653(a)(1) Sec. 6653(a)(2)
1971 $955 $48
1973 191,500 9,575
1974 5,791 290
1975 115,579 5,779
1976 198,682 9,934
1977 431,336 . 21,567
1978 608,102 30,405

After concessions by respondent, the issues remaining for decision are: (1) Whether section 461(e) limits an interest expense deduction claimed by Southern California Savings & Loan on a short-period return filed pursuant to the consolidated return regulations; (2) whether Southern California Savings & Loan’s method of accounting for interest expense for a short period is unacceptable under section 446(b) because it does not clearly reflect income; and (3) whether petitioners are hable for the additions to tax under sections 6653(a), 6653(a)(1), and 6653(a)(2).

The parties submitted this case fully stipulated pursuant to Rule 122. The stipulation of facts, supplemental stipulation of facts, and attached exhibits are incorporated herein.

Petitioner Southern California Savings & Loan Association, a Federal Savings & Loan Association (New SoCal), has its principal place of business in Beverly Hills, California. New SoCal was created by the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp. acting as receiver for Southern California Savings & Loan (SoCal), a domestic building and loan association which in 1985 was declared insolvent by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.

SoCal filed consolidated returns on a calendar year basis with its affiliated group, which included First Surety Corp. and its subsidiaries, for all taxable periods from 1971 through December 23, 1982. SoCal maintained its books and computed its taxable income under the cash receipts and disbursements method.

On December 23, 1982, SoCal was acquired by National Trust Group. SoCal reported its income for the period prior to its acquisition on the consolidated Federal income tax return filed by its affiliated group for calendar year 1982. For the short period from December 23, 1982 through December 31, 1982, SoCal filed a separate Federal income tax return.

On its return for the short period, SoCal claimed a deduction of $13,759,394 for interest expense. Of the total claimed deduction, $245,359 represents miscellaneous interest expense which is not contested by respondent. Of the remainder, $7,025,413 represents interest accrued during the last 6 months of 1982, while $6,488,622 represents interest accrued solely during December of 1982. All interest for which SoCal claimed a deduction on the short-period return was paid or credited during the short period.

The $13,759,394 claimed interest expense deduction resulted in a net operating loss of $5,945,989 for the short period which was carried back to the consolidated returns of First Surety Corp. and its subsidiaries for 1971 and 1973 through 1978. Respondent determined that petitioner was entitled to an interest expense deduction of $2,453,394 for the short period and that the rest of the claimed interest deduction, or $11,306,000, must be claimed in equal portions over the next 9 succeeding taxable years.

I. Consolidated Return Regulations

Section 1501 provides that an affiliated group of corporations may file a single consolidated return in lieu of separate returns. The section further provides that in the case of a corporation which is a member of the affiliated group for a fractional part of the year, the consolidated return shall include the income of such corporation for such part of the year as it is a member of the affiliated group.

If the consolidated return of an affiliated group includes the income of a corporation for only a fractional part of the year, then the income for the part not included in the consolidated return must be included in a separate return. Sec. 1.1502-76(b)(2), Income Tax Regs. The regulations provide the following example of the operation of this rule:

Corporations P and S, a group of corporations, filed a consolidated return for the calendar year 1966. As of the close of June 30, 1967, all of the stock of S was sold to individual A. P must file a consolidated return for 1967 including P’s income for the entire taxable'year and the income of S for the period of January 1, 1967, through June 30, 1967. S must file a separate return for the period July 1, 1967, through December 31, 1967. [Sec. 1.1502-76(b)(3), Example (2), Income Tax Regs.]

If the taxable income of a corporation must be included in part in a consolidated return and in part in a separate return, the taxable income to be reported in each such return is determined on the basis of the corporation’s income as shown on its permanent records, including work papers. Sec. 1.1502-76(b)(4)(i), Income Tax Regs.

The regulations also provide that any period of less than 12 months for which either a separate return or a consolidated return is filed under the provisions of section 1.1502-76, Income Tax Regs., shall be considered as a separate taxable year. Sec. 1.1502-76(d), Income Tax Regs. Finally, the regulations provide that “The Code, or other law, shall be applicable to the group to the extent the regulations do not exclude its application.” Sec. 1.1502-80, Income Tax Regs.

Respondent concedes that SoCal filed a separate short-period return because it was required to do so by the consolidated return regulations. Respondent also concedes that had SoCal’s taxable year not been bifurcated the full amount of the contested interest would be deductible on the 1982 consolidated Federal income tax return of its affiliated group. Respondent does not contend that in claiming the interest expense on its short-period return SoCal failed to comply with the consolidated return regulations.

Respondent argues that, despite SoCal’s compliance with the consolidated return regulations, the interest expense deduction it claimed for the short period is limited by section 461(e).

II. Limitation of Interest Expense Deduction Under Section 461(e)

Prior to 1962, the year section 461(e) was enacted, domestic building and loan associations were permitted by section 593 to deduct, as an addition to their bad debt reserves, an amount virtually equal to their entire taxable income. As part of the Revenue Act of 1962, Congress amended section 593 to reduce the statutory percentage of taxable income available as a deduction for addition to bad debt reserves. Revenue Act of 1962, Pub. L. 87-834, sec. 6, 76 Stat. 977, 1962-3 C.B. 111, 127.

Due to this change, domestic building and loan associations would be liable for appreciably increased income tax.

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Bluebook (online)
95 T.C. No. 3, 95 T.C. 35, 1990 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 66, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-california-sav-loan-assn-v-commissioner-tax-1990.