Vastola v. Commissioner

84 T.C. No. 62, 84 T.C. 969, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 21, 1985
DocketDocket No. 2247-84
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 84 T.C. No. 62 (Vastola 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
Vastola v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. No. 62, 84 T.C. 969, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76 (tax 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

Tannenwald, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner’s Federal income taxes for taxable years 1977 and 1978 of $83,164.63 and $27,267.85, respectively. The case is before this Court on respondent’s motion for partial summary judgment under Rule 1211 on the issue of whether petitioner may deduct her claimed losses for the years in issue to the extent they resulted from alleged advanced minimum royalty payments.

At the time she filed her petition in this case, petitioner resided in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Petitioner filed Federal income tax returns, on which she elected the accrual method of tax accounting, for 1977 and 1978.

In her objection to respondent’s motion, petitioner claims the following:2 The Grand Coal Venture (gcv), a partnership electing under section 761(a)(2) to be excluded from the provisions of subchapter K, was formed during 1977 for the purpose of developing and mining certain coal-bearing property. Petitioner, based in large part upon a preliminary geologist’s report attached to the GCV offering memorandum that estimated "probable minimum reserves” of 30-million tons of lignitic coal at a depth of less than 200 feet, decided to invest in gcv. On December 31, 1977, she executed a sublease agreement with Ground Production Corp. (the lessee of the property and petitioner’s sublessor) for the right to mine coal, a subscription agreement with gcv for 7.2 units, a nonrecourse note in favor of Ground Production Corp., and a security agreement for the note. In relevant part, the sublease agreement provided as follows:

Subject to the terms, provisions and conditions hereof and of the Lease, the Sublessor does hereby sublet unto the Sublessee the Percentage Interest in all of the coal contained in, on and underlying the tracts of land * * *, and the mining rights and privileges appurtenant thereto * * * for a period of [8] years
[[Image here]]
Sublessee agrees that for each twelve month period during the term hereof (the "term” being the initial year period plus all extensions), but not to exceed a total of 20 years (although this Sublease may be further extended) commencing with the date hereof and ending one year thereafter (each such twelve month period is hereinafter referred to as a "term year”), it will pay to Sublessor a non-refundable minimum annual royalty of $40,000 (FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS) (the "Minimum Annual Royalty”) payable as hereinafter provided. * * *
At the closing the Sublessor requires payment of the Minimum Annual Royalty for the first year of the term of the Sublease in the amount of $40,000.00 per Unit ($10,000.00 in cash and $30,000.00 by non-recourse Note per Unit) and in addition $10,000.00 per Unit (toward the second year’s Minimum Annual Royalty) by the Sublessee’s delivering his Recourse Promissory Note * * *
On or before December 31, 1978, the Sublessee shall execute and deliver his Non-Recourse Note for $30,000.00 per Unit and on or before December 31, 1979, and each year thereafter the Sublessee shall execute and deliver his Non-Recourse Promissory Note for $40,000.00 per Unit.
The Non-Recourse Promissory Notes will bear interest at the rate of 10% per annum or the maximum legal contract rate of interest, whichever is less, and shall be due and payable on December 31, 1997. The Promissory Notes will require payments of $2.00 per ton of coal mined, removed, shipped and sold to be applied first toward payment of accrued interest and the balance in reduction of principal.
* * * * * * *
Sublessor shall look solely to the security interest given by Sublessee to Sublessor in certain property and assets of the Sublessee, for the payment of the Minimum Annual Royalty Note [nonrecourse] * * * In no event shall the Sublessee be personally liable for the payment of the * * * Note * * * and in the event of any default hereunder or under the * * * Note no deficiency or other personal judgment will be rendered or entered against the Sublessee with respect to the obligations evidenced hereby or by the * * * Note.

The nonrecourse promissory notes executed by or for petitioner in 1977 and 1978 required monthly payments of $2 per ton of coal mined, removed, and shipped from the property, "provided, however, that in the event such monthly installments have not theretofore been sufficient to pay this Note in full, the unpaid principal balance of this Note and all unpaid and accrued interest shall be due and payable on December 1, 1997.”4 The notes each also provided that—

The holder of this Note shall look solely to the property and assets covered by the Security Agreement for the payment of this Note and the performance of the Participant’s obligations hereunder and in no event shall the Participant be personally liable for the payment of the Note or the performance of the obligations hereunder. In the_ event of any default hereunder, no deficiency or other personal judgment shall be rendered or entered against the Participant with respect to the obligations evidenced by this Note.

The security agreement grants to Ground Production Corp. a security interest in all coal lying under the property, petitioner’s interest in all personal property thereon, and all accounts receivable, contract rights, and general intangible rights to the payment of money for coal, goods, and services that may become due to petitioner as a result of the mining, processing, and sale of coal from the property. A security interest in the proceeds from all of the above property was also given.

Petitioner paid $78,000 cash and executed a nonrecourse note for $216,000 (i.e., $30,000 X 7.2 units) in 1977, and executed a recourse note for $78,000 and a nonrecourse note for $216,000 in 1978.5 No mineral product was produced or sold by petitioner or GCV during the years in issue.

Section 1.612 — 3(b)(3), Income Tax Regs., sets forth the rules for deductibility of advanced royalties. Generally, advanced royalty payments are deductible only in "the year the mineral product, in respect of which the advanced royalties were paid or accrued, is sold.” Sec. 1.612-3(b)(3), Income Tax Regs. When the advanced royalty is paid or accrued "as a result of a minimum royalty provision,”6 however, the rule is different—

in the case of advanced mineral royalties paid or accrued in connection with mineral property as a result of a minimum royalty provision, the payor, at his option, may instead treat the advanced royalties as deductions from gross income for the year in which the advanced royalties are paid or accrued. See section 446 (relating to general rule for methods of accounting) and the regulations thereunder.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Deihl v. Comm'r
2005 T.C. Memo. 287 (U.S. Tax Court, 2005)
Dieker v. Comm'r
2005 T.C. Memo. 225 (U.S. Tax Court, 2005)
Tomasso v. Commissioner
1991 T.C. Memo. 173 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Adler v. Commissioner
1989 T.C. Memo. 597 (U.S. Tax Court, 1989)
Lebowitz v. Commissioner
1989 T.C. Memo. 178 (U.S. Tax Court, 1989)
Looney v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 332 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Irom v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 211 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Bauman v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 122 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Walden v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 98 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Toruno v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 92 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Poster v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 57 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Zegeer v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 590 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Wiseman v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 364 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Heitzman v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 109 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Rose v. Commissioner
88 T.C. No. 18 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Green v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 29 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Chamberlain v. Commissioner
1987 T.C. Memo. 20 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Goldstone v. Commissioner
1986 T.C. Memo. 481 (U.S. Tax Court, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
84 T.C. No. 62, 84 T.C. 969, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 76, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vastola-v-commissioner-tax-1985.