Todd Shipyards Corp. v. United States

142 Ct. Cl. 507
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 7, 1958
DocketNo. 288-57
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 142 Ct. Cl. 507 (Todd Shipyards Corp. 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.

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Todd Shipyards Corp. v. United States, 142 Ct. Cl. 507 (cc 1958).

Opinion

Laramore, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is a suit for refund of income and excess profits tax for the year 1945 and also for a refund of interest on a deficiency in excess profits tax for the same year.

Plaintiff an accrual basis taxpayer suffered a net operating loss in 1946 and seeks a determination as to the amount, if any, of this 1946 loss that is available as a net operating loss carryback to 1945 after the same loss has already been carried back and used as a deduction against 1944 income. This case involves a determination of the correct adjustment to be made to the net income of 1944 as required by section 122(d) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 and presents no issues significantly different from those disposed of favorably to the plaintiffs in Continental Foundry & Machine Company v. United States, 141 C. Cls. 604, and National Forge & Ordnance Co. v. United States, 139 C. Cls. 204, 222.

In Continental Foundry we held that under the Supreme Court’s decision in Lewyt Corp. v. Commissioner, 349 U. S. 237, an accrual basis taxpayer was entitled to deduct from its finally determined net income of the second preceding taxable year, from that in which the loss occurred, the amount of excess profits tax properly accrued. Adjustments occurring in a later year by reason of renegotiation of war profits were not to be considered in computing the excess profits tax to be deducted under section 122(d)(6). The excess of the net operating loss over the net income of the second preceding taxable year, after deducting the accrued [509]*509excess profits tax, was then available as a net operating loss carryback to tbe first preceding taxable year. In this case 1945 is the first preceding taxable year from the year in which the loss occurred.

The only difference between this case and Continental Foundry is that the adjustment to plaintiff’s excess profits tax for the second preceding taxable year came as a result of an increased accelerated amortization deduction rather than renegotiation. However, both cases involved events happening after the tax in question had been accrued. That is all that is necessary to meet the test laid down by the' Supreme Court in Lewyt Corp., supra. Here the increased accelerated amortization deduction became available only after the President of the United States terminated the “emergency period” late in 1945. After this plaintiff filed an application and was allowed an increased deduction for accelerated amortization of its emergency facilities. This resulted in a refund of excess profits tax accrued for 1944. Under the decisions of the Supreme Court and this court a section 122(d) (6) deduction may not be reduced by the amount of the refund. This is so even though the net income from which the section 122(d) (6) deduction is made does reflect the adjustment. It necessarily follows that plaintiff in determining its net operating loss carryback to 1945 may deduct from it finally determined net income for 1944 the amount of excess profits tax accrued notwithstanding the subsequent adjustment created by the allowance of an increased accelerated amortization deduction. The excess of the 1946 net operating loss over the 1944 net income as adjusted is then available as a net operating loss carryback to 1945.

The Government’s affirmative defense claiming that a “tax benefit” rule should be applied if plaintiff is allowed to recover was raised and. determined adversely to the Government in National Forge & Ordnance, supra, Continental Foundry, supra, and Lockheed Aircraft Corp. v. United States, this day decided ante, p. 505. See also Budd Company v. United States, 252 F. 2d 456. It would serve no useful purpose to again repeat those contentions. Upon the authority of the above cited cases plaintiff is entitled to recover, together with interest as provided by law, and judg[510]*510ment will be entered to that effect. The amount of recovery will be determined pursuant to Bule 38 (c).

It is so ordered.

Madden, Judge; Whitaker, Judge; Littleton, Judge; and Jones, Chief Judge, concur.

FINDING OF FACT

The court, having considered the facts as stipulated by the parties, and the briefs and argument of counsel, makes findings of fact as follows:

1. Plaintiff is a validly existing corporation organized in 1916 under the laws of the State of New York. Its principal executive office is located at One Broadway, New York, New York.

2. Plaintiff keeps its books and files its Federal income and excess profits tax returns on the accrual basis of accounting and by calendar years.

3. On or about September 13, 1946, pursuant to an extension of time granted by the then Commissioner of Internal Revenue, plaintiff timely filed a corporation income and declared value excess profits tax return for the calendar year ended December 31,1945, with the Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of New York. Said return reported an income tax liability of $710,907.66. No net operating loss deduction was allowable to plaintiff in this return when it was filed.

4. On or about September 13, 1946, pursuant to an extension of time granted by the then Commissioner of Internal Revenue, plaintiff timely filed a corporation excess profits tax return for the calendar year 1945 with the Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of New York. Said return reported an excess profits tax liability of $2,711,186.30.

5. On or about March 15, 1947 plaintiff timely filed its corporation income tax return for the calendar year ended December 31, 1946, with the Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of New York showing an excess of allowable deductions over the gross income for 1946 of $8,406,938.17.

[511]*5116. Upon audit and examination of plaintiff’s income tax return for the calendar year 1946 by the Director of Internal Revenue for the Lower Manhattan District, the excess of allowable deductions over the gross income for 1946 was determined to be $8,441,490.07.

7. Upon audit of plaintiff’s income and excess profits tax returns for the calendar year 1945, the Director of Internal Revenue for the Lower Manhattan District proposed to adjust plaintiff’s net income for the calendar year 1945 at $5,494,611.38, allowing a net operating loss deduction of only $85,550.18 (based on a net operating loss for 1946 of $8,441,352.57), to determine its income tax liability for 1945 at $1,252,315.29 and to adjust plaintiff’s excess profits tax liability for 1945 at $1,346,195.79.

8. Prior to completion of the audit referred to in finding 7, plaintiff had made the following payments to the Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of New York in respect of income taxes for the calendar year 1945: on or about March 15,1946, $188,000.00; on or about June 13,1946, $188,000.00; on or about June 2, 1947, $612,084.04, by credit for overpayments of income taxes for the calendar year 1944, as a result of plaintiff’s sustaining a net operating loss in calendar year 1946; and on or about June 2,1947, $334,907.66 by credit for overpayments of excess profits taxes for the calendar year 1944, as a result of plaintiff’s sustaining a net operating loss in calendar year 1946.

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