Walker v. Commissioner

46 T.C. 630, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 22, 1966
DocketDocket No. 2018-64
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 46 T.C. 630 (Walker 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
Walker v. Commissioner, 46 T.C. 630, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55 (tax 1966).

Opinion

Atkins, Judge:

The respondent, by notice of deficiency dated February 19, 1964, determined a deficiency in income tax for the taxable year 1957 in the amount of $81,075.05.

The primary issue is whether assessment of any deficiency for 1957 is barred by the statute of limitations which in turn depends upon whether, within the purview of section 6501(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, the petitioner omitted from gross income an amount properly includable therein which is in excess of 25 percent of the gross income stated in her return. If assessment is not barred by the statute of limitations, there remain’s only the issue whether a partnership of Which the petitioner was a member was entitled to report on the installment basis the gain derived from the sale of certain assets in 1951, and hence whether the petitioner reported her proper distributive share of the gain on such sale.

BINDINGS 03? FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are incorporated herein by this reference.

The petitioner, a resident of Pascagoula, Miss., filed her Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1957 on October 15, 1958, with the district director of internal revenue in Jackson, Miss.

In 1944 petitioner 'and her then husband, Arnold V. Walker, formed a partnership under the name of Arnold V. Walker Shipyard (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the partnership). She and her husband were equal partners in the partnership during 1957 and for a number of years prior thereto. The partnership operated a shipyard in Pas-cagoula continuously from 1944 through January 1957. The partnership filed its Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1957 on October 14, 1958, with the district director of internal revenue in Jackson, Miss.

Petitioner and Walker separated in Febniary 1957 and were divorced in June 1957.

During the latter part of 1956 and early 1957, negotiations were carried on between the partnership and the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Ingalls), for the purchase by Ingalls of substantially all of the partnership’s assets. Ingalls was in the business of constructing ships and had a large shipyard on the Pas-cagoula Eiver at Pascagoula. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ingalls Iron Works Co., which was engaged in the business of fabricating steel in Birmingham, Ala.

In the course of the negotiations several conferences were held between the partnership, represented by Arnold V. Walker and others, and Ingalls, represented by various of its and its parent’s officials. In December 1956 Donald W. Strickland, vice president and general counsel of Ingalls and its parent, after discussing the proposed terms of sale with Walker and W. E. Guest, president of Ingalls, drafted a proposed agreement which reflected the then understanding of the parties. Such proposed agreement provided, inter alia, that the Walkers would set up a corporation to be known as Arnold V. Walker Shipyard, Inc., with capital stock of 3,000 common shares of par value of $100 each and transfer to it the partnership’s shipyard properties, both real and personal, with certain exceptions; that the corporation would assume the existing indebtedness of the Walkers to a bank in the estimated amount of $285,000 which was secured by a first mortgage or deed of trust on the properties of the partnership; that the corporation would pay in cash the appraised value of the inventories and stores of materials; that the corporation would issue to the Walkers all its stock in proportion to their partnership interests; that the Walkers would then sell to Ingalls all the shares of stock of the corporation in consideration of the payment to them by Ingalls of an amount equal to $900,000 (reduced by the amount of the above indebtedness at time of transfer and accrued and unpaid interest thereon) ; and that $115,000 of such consideration would be paid at the time of transfer and delivery of the stock (less an amount of $500 to be paid by Ingalls upon the signing of the agreement), and that the balance would be payable in 120 equal monthly installments (with interest at 5 percent) commencing 1 month after the date of transfer, such balance to be evidenced by promissory notes of Ingalls. Therein the Walkers represented and warranted that immediately after the transfer of the property to the corporation and the transfer of the corporate stock to Ingalls they, individually or doing business through the partnership, would not owe any debts or have any unsettled claims or liabilities against them whatsoever (other than the mortgage debt referred to above) which might be lawfully claimed or asserted against the corporation or Ingalls or constitute a lien against the property or stock.

The above-proposed agreement was not executed. However, on January 8, 1951, the Walkers and Ingalls executed an agreement which, insofar as material herein,1 contained substantially the same provisions, except that it provided that $500, rather than $175,000, of the agreed purchase price should be paid by Ingalls to the Walkers at the time of the transfer and delivery of the stock by the Walkers to Ingalls. Such change in the amount of the initial payment was made at the request of Arnold Y. Walker.2

The Walkers and Ingalls also entered into another agreement on January 8,1957 (hereinafter referred to as the loan agreement), which provided in part as follows:

The Walkers contemplate organizing a Corporation to be named “Arnold V. Walker Shipyard, Inc.,” and have contracted with Ingalls relative to the sale of the stock of said Corporation, all of which is to be transferred to Ingalls in conformity with the provisions of the contract between the parties dated January 8th, 1967.
Ingalls agrees that simultaneously with the transfer of the stock to and acceptance of same by it, that it will loan to the Walkers the sum of $300,000.00, of which amount the Walkers shall pay on the indebtedness to the Pascagoula-Moss Point Bank or holder thereof, which indebtedness is secured by first mortgage on the property known as the “A. V. Walker Shipyard in the City of Pasca-goula, Mississippi,” the sum of $20,000.00; the said loan shall be evidenced by one hundred and twenty (120) promissory notes of equal amount executed by the Walkers and payable to Ingalls monthly, the same to provide for the payment of interest at the rate of 5% per annum amortized and to be secured by pledge of a sufficient number of the last maturing notes executed by Ingalls and payable to the Walkers in pursuance of the contract aforesaid to aggregate the $300,000.00. It being understood that in the event default is made in the payment of any one of the said Walker notes or the failure of compliance by the Walkers with any of the terms and provisions of the contract aforesaid, that Ingalls or the holder of said notes may declare the balance to be due and payable and apply its notes which are held as collateral to the payment thereof.

The contemplated corporation, Arnold V. Walker Shipyard, Inc., was duly organized and the contemplated transfers were effected. Two promissory notes, each dated January 24, 1957, were given by Ingalls to the Walkers.

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

Related

Ronald Schlapfer
U.S. Tax Court, 2023
Ridge L. Harlan and Marjory C. Harlan v. Commissioner
116 T.C. No. 4 (U.S. Tax Court, 2001)
Harlan v. Comm'r
116 T.C. No. 4 (U.S. Tax Court, 2001)
CC&F W. Operations Ltd. Pshp. v. Commissioner
2000 T.C. Memo. 286 (U.S. Tax Court, 2000)
Cline v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 144 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Rutland v. Commissioner
89 T.C. No. 80 (U.S. Tax Court, 1987)
Reuter v. Commissioner
1985 T.C. Memo. 607 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)
Klayman v. Commissioner
1979 T.C. Memo. 408 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
University Country Club, Inc. v. Commissioner
64 T.C. 460 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Estate of Klein v. Commissioner
63 T.C. 585 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Estate of Whitlock v. Commissioner
59 T.C. No. 48 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Durovic v. Commissioner
54 T.C. 1364 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)
Quick Trust v. Commissioner
54 T.C. 1336 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)
Frank Guerrini Vending Machines, Inc. v. Commissioner
1969 T.C. Memo. 272 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
Benderoff v. United States
398 F.2d 132 (Eighth Circuit, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
46 T.C. 630, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-commissioner-tax-1966.