Western Power Corp. v. Commissioner

34 B.T.A. 618, 1936 BTA LEXIS 673
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedMay 27, 1936
DocketDocket No. 72943.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 34 B.T.A. 618 (Western Power Corp. 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
Western Power Corp. v. Commissioner, 34 B.T.A. 618, 1936 BTA LEXIS 673 (bta 1936).

Opinion

[619]*619OPINION.

Van Fossan:

In this proceeding an original deficiency of $19,312.44 was asserted against the petitioner for the calendar year 1930. The petition alleges that respondent’s determination is based upon the erroneous inclusion in taxable income of $286,152.83 as interest accrued on loans and advances, the disallowance of $9,657.47 as a depreciation deduction, and the disallowance of $3,159.35 as an amortization deduction of bond discount and expense.

By an amended answer, respondent, after denying the foregoing allegations of error, affirmatively alleged that the deficiency is $8,295,605.39, instead of $19,312.44, and asserted a claim for the additional deficiency of $8,276,292.95. Respondent’s claim for the additional deficiency is based upon his failure to include in gross income “an amount of $88,969,107.89 ($68,969,107.89), or such greater amount as may be determined, representing the profit from the sale by the petitioner in the year 1930 of certain shares of capital stock of four certain public utility companies, and the cancellation by petitioner of certain floating indebtedness of two of the companies to it.”

' If the respondent’s determination that a sale occurred is sustained, an alternative issue of fact is presented, viz., the fair market value of a block of 1,825,000 shares of common stock of the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on June 12,1930.

Stipulations of fact, with documentary evidence attached, together with the testimony of numerous witnesses and exhibits, make up the record of this proceeding. The stipulations dispose of the issues relating to depreciation and amortization, and effect will be given thereto under Rule 50. As to the issues raised by the amended answer and reply and the $286,152.83 item, only those portions of the stipulated facts and the other facts of record that are deemed pertinent to the determination thereof appear in our findings.

The petitioner is a New York corporation, organized on June 5, 1915, whose business is investments in capital stock of public utility Corporations. The petitioner’s capitalization on June 12, 1930, was as follows:

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Both classes of stock had full voting powers.

In the year 1930, the North American Co., a New Jersey corporation, owned approximately 321,486 shares of petitioner’s outstanding common stock, or approximately 99.8 percent, but was not affiliated with it under the provisions of the Revenue Act of 1928 [620]*620prior to December 17, 1930, because of outstanding voting preferred stock. The North American Co. was a large holding company of stocks and securities of public utility companies in various parts of the United States, principally in the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and California.

Immediately prior to the tiansactions hereinafter referred to the petitioner was the owner of certain shares of stock in the Great Western Power Co. of California, sometimes hereinafter referred to as Great Western, the San Joaquin Light & Power Corporation, sometimes hereinafter referred to as San Joaquin, and the Midland Counties Public Service Corporation, sometimes hereinafter referred to as Midland, all located in the State of California. The classes of stock, all with a par value of $100 per share, the number of authorized shares, the outstanding shares, and the number of shares owned by petitioner were as follows:

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All of the stock of each of the above companies had full voting powers and the percentage of voting stock of each company owned by the petitioner was as follows:

Great Western Power Corporation- 62. 73%
San Joaquin Light & Power Co_ 51. 92%
Midland Counties Public Service Corporation_ 100.00%

The petitioner acquired its stock in Great Western in 1918, and its stock in San Joaquin and Midland in 1925. No companies operating west of the Rocky Mountains, other than the above corporations and their subsidiaries, were controlled directly or indirectly by petitioner or the North American Co.

Great Western, San Joaquin, and Midland were operating companies engaged in the public utility business of electric light, electric [621]*621power, gas, and associated businesses m the State of California, more particularly described as follows:

The Great Western Power Co. of California system immediately prior to June 12, 1930, furnished electric light and power throughout a territory in central California of approximately 2,000 square miles with a population of 1,277,400. Included in the above are 44 communities, the principal cities of which are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento, Martinez, Richmond, Napa, Petaluma, and Santa Rosa. Central heating plants supply heat in San Francisco and Oakland.

In addition to owning and operating two hydro and four steam generating plants, Great Western contracted for the entire output of the Bucks Creek hydro plant, which is owned by the Feather River Power Co. It also had under lease a steam generating plant at Oakland from another subsidiary, California Electric Generating Co.

The total generating capacity of the hydro and steam plants of the Great Western system on December 31, 1929, was 249,400 kilowatts. The total amount of electricity produced in 1929 was 1,049,765,324 kilowatt-hours, of which 98.2 percent was produced by the hydro plants. In addition to the above production, 5,447,932 kilowatt-hours were purchased. There were received in interchange from San Joaquin .7,920,000 kilowatt-hours, and 197,538,000 kilowatt-hours were delivered to San Joaquin through interchange.

The San Joaquin Light & Power Corporation was incorporated in California on July 19, 1900, as a consolidation of the San Joaquin Light & Power Co., the Power, Transit & Light Co. of Bakersfield, and Merced Falls Gas & Electric Co. At June 12,1930, it controlled, through stock ownership, the Bakersfield & Kern Electric Railway, the San Joaquin Light & Power Co., and the Valley Electrical Supply Co.

In addition to furnishing Midland with all its power, San Joaquin served a population of over 331,500, which embraced a territory of 9,062 square miles, including 175 communities in California, the principal cities and towns being Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced, Madera, Selma, Hanford, Sanger, Reedley, and Dinuba. It also operated a street railway system in Bakersfield, furnished water in Selma, and distributed gas in Bakersfield, Merced, and Selma.

The properties of San Joaquin included 13 hydro-electric and steam-electric generating stations with a total capacity of 231,602 horsepower, and a transmission and distribution system including 8,839 miles of electric lines and 213 miles of gas mains.

* The Midland Counties Public Service Corporation was a consolidation in 1914 of the Coalinga Water & Electric Co., Midland Counties Gas & Electric Co., Paso Robles Light & Water Co., and Russell [622]*622Robison Water & Electric Co. The Coalinga Water & Electric Co. had been incorporated on November 29, 1909, under the laws of California, as successor to the Coalinga Light & Power Co.

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Related

Hudson v. Commissioner
39 B.T.A. 1075 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1939)
Western Power Corp. v. Commissioner
34 B.T.A. 618 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 B.T.A. 618, 1936 BTA LEXIS 673, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/western-power-corp-v-commissioner-bta-1936.