Stark v. Commissioner

29 T.C. 122, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 28, 1957
DocketDocket No. 57701
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 29 T.C. 122 (Stark 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
Stark v. Commissioner, 29 T.C. 122, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52 (tax 1957).

Opinion

OPINION.

Rlack, Judge:

The Commissioner has determined deficiencies and additions to the tax for fraud, as follows:

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The deficiency for 1948 is due principally to one adjustment. That adjustment is “(a) Dividends $109,875.53.” The deficiency notice explains that adjustment as follows:

(a) It is determined that the amount of $109,875.53, as detailed in the following, represents checks and/or cash diverted to the personal use of the taxpayer and fully taxable as dividend income: [Here follows a statement of checks and cash which were the property of Penn Overall Supply Company, Inc., which were paid to Sidney Stark and which aggregate $109,875.53 in the year 1948.]

The deficiency for 1949 is due mainly to a similar adjustment as above, viz, “(a) Dividends $134,687.94.” The deficiency notice explains the adjustment in the same manner as the similar adjustment for 1948 was explained.

The assignment of error as to 1948 is as follows:

(a) The respondent erred in determining that $109,875.53 received by the petitioner, Sidney Stark, as a dividend from Penn Overall Supply Company constituted taxable income.

A similar assignment of error, except as to amount, is made for the year 1949.

Respondent in an amended answer asks for increased deficiencies in income tax for the taxable years 1948 and 1949 in the respective amounts of $6,997.56 and $8,238.28, and for increased additions to the tax under section 293 (b) of the 1939 Code for the taxable years 1948 and 1949 in the respective amounts of $3,498.78 and $4,119.14.

All the facts have been stipulated and the stipulation of facts is incorporated by reference.

The following is a summary of the facts deemed to be necessary for a decision of the issues which we have here to decide.

The petitioners are husband and wife having an office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They filed timely joint Federal income tax returns for the calendar years 1948 and 1949 with the collector of internal revenue for the twenty-third collection district of Pennsylvania. They kept their books and filed their tax returns on the cash receipts and disbursements method and on a calendar year basis.

Penn Overall Supply Company, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Penn Overall), was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1931. Since its incorporation it has conducted an industrial laundry business in Pittsburgh and surrounding territory. Its business has consisted principally of cleaning and supplying overalls, coveralls, towels, and wiping cloths. Penn Overall, for all periods material hereto, kept its books and filed its Federal income tax returns on a calendar year basis and on an accrual method of accounting.

In April 1940, Sidney Stark, hereinafter sometimes referred to as petitioner or Sidney, one of the petitioners herein, became a shareholder of Penn Overall and at that time was elected vice president and treasurer. The outstanding stock of Penn Overall, after Sidney’s acquisition, was owned by him, Sam Kalb, and American Coat & Apron Supply Company, a corporation, each owning approximately one-third.

During the year 1947, Sidney purchased all of the outstanding stock of Sam Kalb; and Sidney’s sons, William Stark and J. Karl Stark, purchased all of the Penn Overall stock owned by American Coat & Apron Supply Company.

The stockholdings in Penn Overall remained in effect from January 30, 1947, through the taxable year ended December 31, 1949. Immediately after January 30, 1947, Sidney was elected president; William Stark, Sidney’s son* was elected vice president; and J. Karl Stark, also Sidney’s son, was elected secretary and treasurer. Those individuals were also elected directors of the corporation and have since comprised the corporation’s board of directors. During the taxable years 1948 and 1949, Sidney controlled the activities of Penn Overall.

In the case of Penn Overall Supply Company, Inc., Docket No. 57696, the parties, simultaneously with the filing of the stipulation of facts in the present proceeding, filed with the Court a stipulation of settlement setting forth the following deficiencies and additions to the tax, as follows:

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The deficiencies and additions to tax shown in the foregoing stipulation arose largely by reason of diversions of income of Penn Overall to Sidney. The Tax Court entered its decision in accordance with the stipulation of the parties, March 29, 1957.

The following schedules show the amounts of unreported income of Penn Overall for the calendar years 1948 and 1949, which were diverted to Sidney and George Kalb, determined on the accrual method of accounting, and the amounts of unreported income received by Sidney from Penn Overall for his use and benefit, determined on the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting:

Unreported Income of Penn Overall on Accrual Method of Accounting
Year Amount
1948_$159,363.86
1949_ 81, 685. 48
Amount of Diverted Corporate Income Received by Sidney Stark, Computed on the Cash Receipts and Disbursements Method of Accounting
Year Amount
1948_$122,275.53
1949_ 147, 310. 44

Of the unreported distributions of $122,275.58 in 1948, $35,286.63 pertained to funds diverted from Penn Overall during 1947 and it is agreed that such funds are fully taxable. The remainder of the funds, namely, $86,988.90, pertained to funds diverted from Penn Overall during 1948.

Of the unreported distributions of $147,310.44 in 1949, $3,500 pertained to funds diverted from Penn Overall during 1947 and it is agreed that this amount is fully taxable; $65,624.96 pertained to funds diverted from Penn Overall during 1948; and $78,185.48 pertained to funds diverted from Penn Overall during 1949.

The accumulated earnings of Penn Overall at' the beginning of 1946 (accumulated since March 1913) and the earnings of the corporation for the calendar years 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1949, without regard to any deductions for additions to tax or interest on deficiencies stipulated in the case of Penn Overall and upon which decision (regarding such deficiencies and additions to tax) has already been entered, were as follows:

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A part of the deficiency in income taxes due from the petitioners for each of the taxable years ended December 31, 1948 and 1949, was due to fraud with intent to evade and defeat tax on the part of Sidney, one of the petitioners. There was no fraud or intent to evade and defeat tax on the part of Sadie Stark, the other petitioner.

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Stark v. Commissioner
29 T.C. 122 (U.S. Tax Court, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 T.C. 122, 1957 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stark-v-commissioner-tax-1957.