Ward v. Commissioner

48 T.C. 803, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 45
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 6, 1967
DocketDocket Nos. 440-65, 441-65, 442-65, 443-65
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 48 T.C. 803 (Ward 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
Ward v. Commissioner, 48 T.C. 803, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 45 (tax 1967).

Opinion

Muironey, Judge;

In docket Nos. 440-65 and 441-65 respondent determined deficiencies in tbe 1961 income tax of petitioners Howard R. Ward and Rossford Terminal Warehouse, Inc., in the amounts of $216,656.49 and $145,685.49, respectively (plus negligence penalties which respondent has waived). In docket No. 442-65 and docket No. 443-65 respondent determined transferee liability against the Ross-ford Terminal Warehouse, Inc., in the amounts of $227,489.31 and $47,097.91, respectively.

After various concessions by the parties, the remaining questions in these consolidated cases are whether Ward realized capital gain of $170,000 or some other amount by the 1961 assignment of Ward’s radio station license that was in his name to the predecessor corporation of Rossford Terminal Warehouse, Inc., and the simultaneous assignment of the license by the corporation to a bona fide purchaser; and also whether this transfer renders the said corporation a transferee within the meaning of section 6901, I.R.C. 1954.1

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and they are found accordingly.

Petitioner Howard R. Ward lives in Bowling Green, Ohio, and he filed his 1961 income tax return with the district director of internal revenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Petitioner Rossford Terminal Warehouse, Inc., will be referred to as the corporation. It was formerly named the Voice of the Maumee Valley, Inc., and it is an Ohio corporation located in Bowling Green. It filed its return on a November 30 fiscal year basis and its return for the period ended November 30, 1961, was filed with the district director of internal revenue in Cleveland.

Prior to November of 1955, Ward individually owned a 250-watt radio station in Bowling Green, which he operated under a license granted to him by tbe Federal Communications Commission. It is stipulated tbat tbe radio station bere involved at various times during tbe period 1955 through 1961 used tbe following call letters: WWBG, WTLG, WHEW. In late November of 1955, Ward caused tbe petitioner corporation to be incorporated under Ohio law, and be transferred all of the assets used by him in tbe operation of tbe radio station to tbe corporation for all of its stock. The stated value of the stock given to him was $150,000. Tbe necessary documents were filed with tbe State of Ohio and the exchange of assets for $150,000 worth of stock was approved by tbe Ohio State Securities Commission after an appraisal was made by an appraiser who included tbe value of tbe license in his valuation. In connection with this transfer Ward executed and delivered to tbe corporation a document entitled “Bill of Sale and Assignment,” which states as follows:

Know Air Men bt These Pbesents : That I, Howard R. Ward, in consideration of One ($1.00) Dollar and other valuable consideration to me in hand paid by The Voice of the Maumee Valley, Inc., an Ohio corporation, do hereby Sell, Assign, Transfer and Set Over to the foregoing corporation of all of my right, title and interest in and to any and all property, tangible and intangible, which I may own or in which I have any interest whatsoever, which has been used by me and is used at the present time in connection with the operation of Radio Station WWBG at Dirlam Road, R.F.D., Bowling Green, Ohio.
For the aforesaid consideration I further Sell, Assign and Transfer to the aforesaid corporation any and all licenses which have heretofore been issued to me, to the extent that such licenses are assignable, and to the extent that such assignment shall not jeopardize the operation of Radio Station WWBG.
As a part of the consideration for the aforesaid sale and assignment, it is the undersign’s [sic] understanding that he shall receive certain shares of stock issued by The Voice of the Maumee Valley, Inc., and that the issuance of the aforesaid stock to the undersigned constitutes sole consideration for this sale and assignment.

After tbe above transfer of tbe broadcasting station to the corporation was completed tbe corporation, beginning in early December 1955, continued to operate tbe station tbe same as Ward bad operated it using tbe same frequency and with tbe same call letters tbat Ward bad used. In January 1956, Ward wrote a letter to tbe FCC asking for “tbe necessary forms required to request tbat the license granted in tbe name of Howard E. Ward be transferred to a corporation.” Any forms that might have been sent to him in response to this letter were not immediately completed. Certain situations developed involving an offer to purchase by one using tbe same frequency and operating an AM station and this resulted in Ward’s, in order to protect tbe station license, filing an application with the FCC for increased power on tbe last day for such filing. After several amendments tbe application was granted in June of 1961. During all of this period tbe corporation continued to operate tbe station but tbe FCC license stood in Ward’s name.

In 1960 Ward entered into negotiations for the sale of the broadcasting station and on September 6, 1960, an agreement was entered into by the corporation and Ward for the sale of all of the radio station assets to the Memorial Foundation or its nominee for $200,000 which provided, in part, in the preamble portion, as follows:

AGREEMENT TO SELL ASSET'S OF STATION WHRW
This Agreement, entered into between HOWARD R. WARD, and VOICE OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY, INC., an Ohio corporation, collectively referred to as “SELLERS”, and THE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, an Ohio non-profit corporation, referred to as “BUYER” ;
WITNESSETH THAT:
Whebeas, Howard R. Ward is the individual licensee of Station WHRW which is licensed to operate on the frequency of 730 kilocycles with a power of 250 watts, daytime hours, in Bowling Green; and
Whereas, Howard R. Ward holds a construction permit (File No. BP-10,884, as modified) issued by the Commission authorizing Station WHRW to change power to 1 kilowatt, utilizing a directional antenna, while continuing to operate on 730 kilocycles, daytime hours only; and
Whereas, 'Sellers own all of the assets used in the operation of standard broadcast radio station known as WHRW * * *; and
Whereas, Sellers desire to sell and Buyer desires to purchase all of the assets of Sellers used in connection with the operation of such Station, except as hereinafter provided; and
Whereas, Howard R. Ward desires to assign and Buyer desires to acquire, subject to the consent of the Commission, the license and construction permit, and all rights to operate the Station;
Now Therefore, in consideration of the purchase price hereinafter set forth and of the other terms of this agreement, it is agreed as follows:

In section 1, the agreement goes on to recite that seller agrees to convey “on the Closing Date” all of the physical assets of the station, and the contracts for radio time, and assign the interest of the lessees in leased premises. Section 2 of the agreement provides as follows:

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

Related

Davis v. Commissioner
66 T.C. 260 (U.S. Tax Court, 1976)
Ross Glove Co. v. Commissioner
60 T.C. No. 63 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Male v. Commissioner
1971 T.C. Memo. 301 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
Ward v. Commissioner
48 T.C. 803 (U.S. Tax Court, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 T.C. 803, 1967 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ward-v-commissioner-tax-1967.