Superior Pine Products Co. v. United States

201 Ct. Cl. 455, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1134, 1973 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 203, 1973 WL 21339
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 13, 1973
DocketNos. 319-68 and 110-70
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 201 Ct. Cl. 455 (Superior Pine Products Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Superior Pine Products Co. v. United States, 201 Ct. Cl. 455, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1134, 1973 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 203, 1973 WL 21339 (cc 1973).

Opinion

Pee Curiam :

These cases come before the court on plaintiff’s exceptions to a recommended decision filed April 6, 1972, by Trial Commissioner Roald A. Hogenson pursuant to Rule 184(h). The court has considered the case on the briefs and oral argument of counsel. Since the court agrees with the decision, as hereinafter set forth, it hereby affirms and adopts the same as the basis for its judgment in this case. Therefore, it is concluded that plaintiff is not entitled to recover on its claims and defendant is not entitled to recover on its counterclaim. Accordingly, plaintiff’s petitions and defendant’s counterclaim are dismissed.

OPINION OF COMMISSIONER

Hogenson, Commissioner: Plaintiff, a Georgia corporation, has for many years been the owner in fee of more than 200,000 acres of land comprising the Suwannee Forest, located in Clinch and Echols Counties, Georgia, about 70 miles from Jacksonville, Florida.

Plaintiff seeks in these consolidated cases to recover judgment in the sum of $298,355 for refund of Federal income tax and assessed interest paid by plaintiff to defendant for calendar years 1965, 1966, and 1967, together with interest as provided by law. Determination of the amounts of recovery, if any, has been reserved until decision of the issues of liability.

Such issues involve the proper characterization of a 1947 agreement, as amended, between plaintiff and St. Regis Paper Company, pursuant to which St. Regis acquired the rights to timber growing or to be grown and took possession and management of the Suwannee Forest for a 60-year term commencing January 1, 1948. The issues relate to the tax treatment (long-term capital .gain or ordinary income) to be accorded to the proceeds derived by plaintiff from such agreement during the taxable years in dispute.

Plaintiff relies on § 631 (b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, and in the alternative on §§ 1221 and 1231, as entitling it to long-term capital gain treatment.

[458]*458After a full review of tbe record and upon consideration of tbe requested findings of fact and briefs of tbe parties, it is my opinion based upon tbe following detailed and ultimate findings of fact and conclusions of law, that plaintiff is not entitled to recover, that its petitions should be dismissed, and that defendant’s counterclaim should be dismissed.

FINDINGS op Fact

1. Plaintiff, Superior Pine Products Company, is and was a Georgia corporation, with principal office at Fargo, Georgia.

2. Plaintiff, pursuant to extensions granted, on or about June 10, 1966, filed its Federal income tax return for calendar year 1965 with tbe District Director of Internal Revenue, Atlanta, Georgia. Plaintiff paid the income tax as shown thereon in the sum of $115,499.42.

3. Under date of October 28, 1966, plaintiff executed Treasury Form 870, Waiver of Restrictions on Assessment and Collection of Deficiency in Tax and Acceptance of Over-assessment, agreeing to pay the deficiency stated therein for the year 1965. The deficiency was in part a result of a determination by the defendant’s agent that a portion of plaintiff’s reported receipts from a certain agreement with St. Regis Paper Company constituted ordinary income and not capital gain income as reported. The adjustments resulted in the assertion of a deficiency in income tax for the year 1965 in the amount of $95,157.07.

4. On January 6, 1967, plaintiff paid to the District Director of Internal Revenue, Atlanta, Georgia, the amount of $95,757.07, in payment of the asserted deficiency in income tax for the year 1965, plus interest thereon, computed to the date of payment, in the amount of $4,122.80.

5. On its Federal income tax return for 196.5, plaintiff reported all of its income from the St. Regis agreement in the sum of $477,701.01 as proceeds from the sale of timber, deducted $17,374 as expense of sale, and treated the balance of $460,327 as a long-term capital gain. Plaintiff included as a direct expense of sale of timber $15,246 of the total compensation paid to its officers in the sum of $24,180 for 1965.

[459]*459Year 1965 was tbe subject of an audit by the Internal Revenue Service, which determined that of the $417,701.01, $38,942.44 represented capital gain income and the balance, $438,758.57, represented ordinary income. This resulted from application of Rev. Rui. 62-81, 1962-1 Cum. Burl. 153, and the determination that the timber on plaintiff’s land, subject matter of plaintiff’s agreement with St. Regis, had a fair market value of $7,300,000 as of January 1, 1948, the commencement date of the term of such agreement.

By the end of 1965, plaintiff had received $7,738,758.57 under its agreement with St. Regis, or $438,758.57 more than the fair market value of timber on the tract at January 1, 1948.

6. Plaintiff, pursuant to extensions granted, filed its Federal income tax return for calendar year 1966 on or about June 16, 1967, with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Atlanta, Georgia. Plaintiff paid the income tax as shown thereon in the sum of $212,230.81.

7. On its Federal income tax return for 1966, plaintiff reported its income from the St. Regis agreement in the sum of $486,419.90 as ordinary income instead of capital gain income as reported on its returns for prior years.

Plaintiff deducted from ordinary income all of the $24,900 paid to its officers in 1966.

8. On or about November 28,1967, plaintiff filed Treasury Forms 843, Claims for Refund, for the years 1965 and 1966, requesting refunds in the respective amounts of $97,668.34 and $98,913.70, plus interest and such other and greater amount as may be legally refundable. Each of such claims asserted that plaintiff was entitled to capital gain income treatment on all of its proceeds from the St. Regis agreement.

9. Each of the claims for refund for years 1965 and 1966 was disallowed by defendant, and on September 18, 1968, plaintiff executed Treasury Form 2297, Waiver of Statutory Notification of Claim Disallowance, covering both of such years.

10. Plaintiff timely filed its Federal income tax return for calendar year 1967 with the Southeast Regional Service Center, Internal Revenue Service, Chamblee, Georgia, and [460]*460paid the tax shown to be due thereon in the sum of $112,657.45.

Plaintiff reported its income from the St. Begis agreement in 1967 in the sum of $467,703.32 as proceeds from sale of timber, deducted $23,670.92 as expense of sale of timber, and treated the balance of $444,032.40 as long-term capital gain. Plaintiff included as a direct expense of sale of timber $16,254 of the total compensation paid to its officers in the sum of $25,300 in 1967.

11. Under date of September 18, 1968, plaintiff executed Treasury Form 870, Waiver of Bestrictions on Assessment and Collection of Deficiency in Tax and Acceptance of Over-assessment, agreeing to pay the deficiency stated therein for the year 1967. This deficiency was in part the result of a determination by the Internal Bevenue agent that a portion of plaintiff’s receipts from the St. Begis agreement constituted ordinary income and not capital gain as reported. The additional taxes alleged to be due and owing amounted to $98,695.69.

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33 Fed. Cl. 384 (Federal Claims, 1995)
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201 Ct. Cl. 455, 31 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1134, 1973 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 203, 1973 WL 21339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/superior-pine-products-co-v-united-states-cc-1973.