Waterman Steamship Corp. v. United States

32 F. Supp. 880, 91 Ct. Cl. 249, 25 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 151, 1940 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 67
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedMay 6, 1940
DocketNo. 44090
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 32 F. Supp. 880 (Waterman Steamship 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.

Bluebook
Waterman Steamship Corp. v. United States, 32 F. Supp. 880, 91 Ct. Cl. 249, 25 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 151, 1940 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 67 (cc 1940).

Opinion

GREEN, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

In 1933 the plaintiff, Waterman Steamship Coi’poration, with the permission of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue changed its accounting period from a calendar year basis to a fiscal year basis ending September 30, and the first income tax return under the new arrangement covered the nine months’ period ending September 30, 1933. The parties agree that plaintiff’s income for this period was $207,823.14, and $2,891.16 tax and $294.82 interest thereon were assessed and paid by the plaintiff. The plaintiff duly filed a claim for refund of the amount so paid claiming that in fact no tax was due for this period, and the question in the case is whether it was rightly assessed by the Commissioner. The basis of plaintiff’s claim is that the Commissioner computed the tax on an annual basis, that is, he took the income for the nine months’ period and ascertained what it would be at the same rate for a year. From this amount he deducted 12% percent of the declared value of plaintiff’s capital stock to find the taxable income. Computing 5 percent of that amount as the tax thereon for a year, he fixed the excessvprofits tax for the taxable year at; 9/12ths of this amount, or $2,891.16, which, as we have said above, was paid by the plaintiff. See Finding 6 for a detailed statement of the computation.

Plaintiff contends that the Commissioner should have deducted 12% percent of the declared value of the stock from the amount of net income for the taxable year (nine months) which would give, as plaintiff claims, the correct amount of taxable income at $7,823.14 and that the excess-profits tax on that amount would be only $391.16.

The argument of plaintiff is to the effect that there is no authority in the law for computing plaintiff’s 1933 excess-[253]*253profits tax on an annual basis. Counsel for plaintiff insist that the Commissioner of Internal Eevenue cannot legislate or read provisions into the law which are not found there but must administer the law as he finds it. This will be conceded. However, the Commissioner claims that the law makes a special provision for the calculation of the tax when it is being computed for a period of less than a year.

The excess-profits tax in this case was collected under Section 216 of the National Industrial Eecovery Act, 48 Stat. 195, 208, which provides as follows:

(a) There is hereby imposed upon the net income of every corporation, for each income-tax taxable year ending after the close of the first year in respect of which it is taxable under section 215, an excess-profits tax equivalent to 5 per centum of such portion of its net income for such income-tax taxable year as is in excess of 12% per centum of the adjusted declared value of its capital stock * * * as of the close of the preceding income-tax taxable year * * * determined as provided in section 215. The terms used in this section shall have the same meaning as when used in the Eevenue Act of 1932.
(b) The tax imposed by this section shall be assessed, collected, and paid in the same manner, and shall be subject to the same provisions of law (including penalties), as the taxes imposed by title I of the Eevenue Act of 1932.

We think Congress intended to compute the excess-profits tax upon the amount of profits which exceeded 12% per cent annually on the adjusted declared value. If the tax were not imposed on an annual basis, there would in effect be one rate for a short term and a higher rate for a full year. In a case like the one before us where it is necessary to compute the tax for only part of a year, it is evident that a gross injustice would be done between taxpayers. If plaintiff’s theory is correct, it would give a great advantage to the corporation which was making a return for only part of a year. A concern which was making a return for six months and made a profit of 12% per cent would pay no tax although it was making profit at the rate of 25 percent on an annual basis, and another concern which was reporting for a full year and made 25 percent would be obliged [254]*254to pay a very heavy tax. Nevertheless, if there is no provision whatever in the law for computing the tax on an annual basis, the fact that an oversight occurred and an injustice was committed will not permit engrafting upon the law a provision to correct it.

Counsel for plaintiff call attention to the provisions of Section 216 imposing the excess-profits tax upon such portion of the net income for the “income-tax taxable year as is in excess of 12% per centum of the adjusted declared value of its capital stock.” The term “taxable year” has different significations, according to its use. Ordinarily it means the period for which the taxes are assessed and if this part of the National Industrial Recovery Act is to be followed literally, the action of the Commissioner could not be sustained. At this point it becomes necessary to determine whether the provisions of Section 216 of the National Industrial Recovery Act are modified by the provisions of the act of 1932 and this necessitates an examination of the provisions of the two statutes.

It will be observed that Section 216 of the National Industrial Recovery Act above set out contains in subdivision .(a) a provision as follows:

The terms used in this section shall have the same meaning as when used in the Revenue Act of 1932.

and in (b)

The tax imposed by this section shall be assessed, collected, and paid in the same manner, and shall be subject to the same provisions of law * * * as the taxes imposed by title I of the Revenue Act of 1932.

Section 47 (c) of the Revenue Act of 1932 contained a special provision applicable to the facts in this case as follows:

(c) Income 'placed on cmwal basis. — If a separate return is made under subsection (a) on account of a change in the accounting period, the net income, computed on the basis of the period for which separate return is made, shall be placed on an annual basis by multiplying the amount thereof by twelve and dividing by the number of months included in the period for [255]*255which the separate return is made. The tax shall be such part of the tax computed on such annual basis as the number of months in such period is of twelve months.
(47 Stat. 169,187.)

A reading of these provisions we think shows plainly that Congress intended the provisions of the act of 1982 to apply to taxes imposed under Section 216 of the National Industrial Recovery Act. It is asserted on behalf of plaintiff that the word “terms,” as used in subdivision (a) of Section 216 of the above-named act, is limited in its meaning and signification so as not to be applicable to the computation of the excess-profits tax imposed by that section. But this assertion is not supported by any sound reasons. If we turn to the dictionary for a definition of the word “term” or “terms,” we find that one of the meanings of “terms” is “provisions” when used with reference to the statements contained in a written or printed document, which would include a statute. In our opinion, the language of Section 216 (a) with reference to its terms was used-expressly for the purpose of making the provisions of the Revenue Act of 1932 applicable.

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Bluebook (online)
32 F. Supp. 880, 91 Ct. Cl. 249, 25 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 151, 1940 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 67, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waterman-steamship-corp-v-united-states-cc-1940.