W. B. Harbeson Lumber Co. v. Commissioner

24 B.T.A. 542, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1624
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedOctober 30, 1931
DocketDocket Nos. 33076, 51012.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 24 B.T.A. 542 (W. B. Harbeson Lumber Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. B. Harbeson Lumber Co. v. Commissioner, 24 B.T.A. 542, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1624 (bta 1931).

Opinion

[549]*549OPINION.

Teammell:

Numerous issues were raised by the petitioner in its pleadings respecting deductions claimed by it from income for the taxable years and disallowed by the respondent. At the hearing petitioner conceded the correctness of the respondent’s action as to certain of the said deductions, thus abandoning in effect its contentions to that extent. It results from' these concessions of the petitioner that the respondent’s determinations on those points now stand unchallenged, and further detailed reference thereto is unnecessary here.

Also, at the hearing respondent conceded that the petitioner is entitled to certain claimed deductions in addition to those theretofore allowed. These additional deductions now conceded by the respondent are set out in our findings of fact hereinabove, and will be given effect in redetermining the deficiency.

The issues remaining for consideration may be briefly stated as follows: (1) Disallowance by the respondent of a deduction in 1923 of $250 claimed on account of alleged loss on the Camp Walton News; (2) disallowance by the respondent of a deduction claimed from [550]*550income for 19-21 on account of the cost of two Ford automobiles in the amount of $1,060.50; (3) disallowance by the respondent of a claimed deduction from income ■ for 1921 on account of repairs to track scales in the amount of $820.96; (4) disallowance by the respondent of a deduction from 1926 income claimed as an advertising expense paid through a chamber of commerce; (5) disallowance by the respondent of a deduction from 1926 income of the amount of $801.69 expended in-said year by the petitioner for the personal comforts of an officer' of the company in connection with his residence; (6) disallowance by the respondent of deductions in 1927 on account .of two alleged bad debts in the total amount of $4,881.05; and (7) the correct allowance for depreciation and depletion in each of the taxable years. These issues will be discussed in the order above set out.

, Issue (7). The petitioner made no reference to this issue in its brief, nor offered any evidence thereon at the hearing. For lack of proof to show error, the action of the respondent is, therefore, approved.

Issue (¾). The petitioner claimed a deduction from income for 1921 in the amount of $1,060.50 representing the cost of two Ford automobiles. The evidence shows that one of the automobiles was used by the petitioner’s land man who looked after all of its logs, and the other was used by the logging superintendent in the woods. It is further shown that these automobiles were completely worn out and junked in approximately six months from the date of purchase. Respondent disallowed the claimed deduction on the ground that these automobiles were capital expenditures.

' Capital expenditures ordinarily result in the acquisition of assets having periods of useful life in excess of one year, and in such cases the cost is returnable through deductions for depreciation spread over such periods, as the assets are worn out or consumed in the process of earning income. Where the period of useful life is one year or less, that is, where the asset is worn out and discarded within one year of its purchase, the entire cost is deductible from the income of that year, whether the expenditure be designated as expense or capital. We think the amount here in question constituted an allowable deduction from the petitioner’s income for 1921. On this issue the respondent’s action is reversed.

Issue (3). The petitioner also claimed, and respondent disallowed on the same ground as assigned in the preceding issue, a deduction from its 1921 income in the amount- of $820.96 representing cost of repairs to its track scales. These scales were a part of one of the petitioner’s sawmill plants at the time acquired by the petitioner, and were subject -to inspection of the railroad company, which re[551]*551quired that the scales be properly maintained in order for the petitioner’s weights to be accepted. It is shown that these scales were not rebuilt in 1921, but were merely repaired. . We think the evidence establishes that the expenditure in question represents maintenance expense, and is an allowable deduction. The respondent’s action on this issue is reversed.

Issue (4). The petitioner claimed a deduction of $750 for alleged advertising expense, from its income for 1926, which deduction was disallowed by the respondent with the following explanatory statement.

Advertising $750.00. Chamber of Commerce advertising fund. Amounts expended for advertising other than trade advertising are not deductible from income.

The petitioner offered no evidence on this issue, but stated its position thereon at the hearing as follows:

The petitioner concedes the fact stated in the sixty-day letter in regard to that item that this was the Chamber of Commerce Advertising Fund but claims that the adjustment is erroneous upon the face of the sixty-day letter and it is unnecessary for us to submit any proof or any argument in regard to it, resting our contention on that item on the face of the sixty-day letter.

The petitioner in its brief argues that if it is established that a' given item is in fact an advertising expenditure, it is an ordinary and necessary business expense, and its deductibility necessarily follows. The facts admitted are so meager as to throw no light on the circumstances surrounding the alleged expenditure, nor- is it clearly shown that the amount in question constituted a business expenditure rather than a donation. While it was claimed by the petitioner as an advertising expense, it was disallowed by the respondent as such, and the explanatory statement of the latter merely contains the ambiguous words “ Chamber of Commerce advertising fund.” We do not know to what chamber of commerce the amount was contributed, where it was located, what relation it borfe to the petitioner’s business, nor when or in what manner the fund was expended, if in fact it was expended. These facts were undoubtedly within the knowledge of the petitioner’s officers, and apparently could have been easily established, since one of its principal executives was present and testified at the hearing. However, the petitioner offered no explanatory testimony, but contented itself with admitting the bare facts stated by the respondent in his deficiency notice. From the very meager facts so stated and admitted, we can not say that error is shown on the face of the record. Respondent’s action on this issue is therefore approved.

Issue (5). This issue is in substantially the same situation in respect of proof of error as the preceding one.- The respondent dis[552]*552allowed a deduction from the petitioner’s 1926 income in the following language:

Residence expense $801.69. Expenditures incurred for tire personal comforts of an officer of the company and form no part of the corporate expense.

At the hearing, petitioner’s counsel stated in this connection:

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W. B. Harbeson Lumber Co. v. Commissioner
24 B.T.A. 542 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1931)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 B.T.A. 542, 1931 BTA LEXIS 1624, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-b-harbeson-lumber-co-v-commissioner-bta-1931.