Wood v. Commissioner

33 B.T.A. 806, 1935 BTA LEXIS 693
United States Board of Tax Appeals·Decided December 31, 1935·No. Docket Nos. 65832-65835, 69844.·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinions

OPINION.

MtjRdock :

The following table shows the deficiencies in income tax for the year 1929 as determined by the Commissioner, the names of the petitioners, and the docket numbers:

[807]*807[[Image here]]

There are but two questions for decision and they are common to all of the proceedings. A third issue, raised only in the petition of Willis D. Wood, has been settled by agreement of the parties to abide by the decision of the court in Rogers v. Strong, 72 Fed. (2d) 455; certiorari denied, 293 U. S. 621.

The parties have attempted to state the issues as a part of a stipulation of facts, but the real issues in the case admit of more accurate and clearer statements than those made by the parties.

The first issue can be best understood by a brief statement of some of the facts. A partnership, of which the petitioners were members, owned a number of securities which it transferred to a new partnership at the then market value of the securities. The total cost of those securities to the old partnership exceeded the total market values at the time of the transfer by $132,941.24. The old partnership at the time of the transfer had accumulated earnings amounting to $467,982.15. The question for decision is whether, in computing the petitioners’ distributive shares of the net income of the partnership, a loss from the disposition of the securities should be deducted.

The case was originally submitted for decision upon a certain stipulation of facts. The Board considered that stipulation, but came to the conclusion that it was an unsatisfactory basis for a decision of the case. The Board, therefore, returned that stipulation to the parties and directed them to prepare a proper stipulation of facts or otherwise move in respect to the proceeding. The parties then submitted another stipulation of facts, which they say states “ all the facts necessary to present the triable issues herein involved.” The stipulation, in so far as it pertains to the first issue, is as follows:

1. Previous to the first day of January, 1929 and up to and including the 30th day of June, 1929, Willis D. Wood, Howard O. Wood, Jr., O. O. M. Sprague, J. IT. B. Mitchell and J. T. Terry, Jr., all of the petitioners herein, were members of a co-partnership known as Wood, Low & Company, with offices at 63 Wall Street, New York City. The business of Wood, Low & Company consisted chiefly of the purchase and sale of securities for the account of others, and for their own account, on the New York Stock Exchange, New York Curb, “ Over the Counter ” and of transactions with other dealers, institutions and investors.
[808]*8082.On June 30, 1929, the then partnership of Wood, Low & Company, hereinafter referred to as the Old Firm, transferred all its assets as a going concern to a different partnership which continued the same business under the same firm name of Wood, Low & Company, hereinafter referred to as the New Firm, for the second six months of the year. The New Firm consisted of all the petitioners herein and Carroll Dunham, III.
The interests in profits and losses of the members of Wood, Low & Company, Old Firm, up to and including June SO, 1929 were as follows:
Members of Partnership:
W. D. Wood_ 36. 63%
J. F. B. Mitchell_ 22. 77
C. O. M. Sprague_ 14. 85
John T. Terry, Jr_ 10. 89
H. O. Wood, Jr_ 11. 88
Total of above items_ 97. 02%
Interest of employees in profits_ 2. 98
Total_,_ 100.00%
The interests in profits and losses of the members of Wood, Low & Company, New Firm, from July 1 to December 31, 1929, inclusive, were as follows:
Members of Partnership:
W. D. Wood_ 32. 8375%
J. F. B. Mitchell_ 20.35
C. O. M. Sprague_ 13.4125
John T. Terry, Jr_ 10.175
H. O. Wood, Jr_ 11.1
Carroll Dunham, III_ 4. 625
Total of above items_ 92. 5000%
Interest of employees in profits_ 7. 5
Total_ 100. 0000%
3. Annexed hereto and made a part hereof marked “ Taxpayers’ Exhibit No. 10” is a Summary Statement of the Old Firm balance as at June 30, 1929 and the New Firm balance as at July 1, 1929.
This Summary Statement shows assets of the Old Firm as at June 30, 1929 of a total of $25,309,888.50 and liabilities totalling $23,176,906.42; the difference of $2,132,982.15 includes partners’ capital account balances of $1,665,-000.00 and an accumulated balance in the profit and loss account of $467,982.15; against this balance there was charged $132,941.24, which represented the loss sustained on the disposition of the Old Firm’s securities and the balance of $335,040.91 was distributed to the personal accounts of the partners.
4. All of the Petitioners herein maintained personal checking accounts with and as customers of the Old Firm and the New Firm and it was these accounts which were credited with the distributable profits of the Old Firm of $335,-040.91 and charged with the contributions to capital of $215,000.00.
[809]*809The following table sets forth the changes in partners’ personal balance which were made at that time:
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In each of the above cases where a partner’s personal account is a debit account, such debit was fully secured by deposit as collateral of the personal securities of that partner.
The additional contributions of capital, amounting to $215,000.00, as shown above, were reflected in the individual capital accounts of the Old and the New Firms as follows:
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5. The New Firm acquired the assets and assumed the liabilities of the Old Firm and the New Firm started business July 1,1929 with assets amounting to $25,086,005.83, liabilities of $23,206,005.83 and capital of $1,880,000.00 * * *
6. Annexed hereto and made a part hereof marked “ Taxpayers’ Exhibit No. 9” is a Schedule of the securities owned by the Old Firm showing a taxable cost to the Old Firm of $3,339,907.04. These securities were acquired by the New Firm effective July 1, 1929, on the basis of the market values as at the close of business June 30, 1929. The total of such securities at market value June 30, 1929 was $3,206,965.80.
Upon acquisition of these securities of the Old Firm by the New Firm at market values at the close of business June 30, 1929 there was a loss of $132,941.24, which amount was duly reflected in the profit and loss account of the Old Firm.
7. These securities set forth in “ Taxpayers’ Exhibit No.

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Wood v. Commissioner, 33 B.T.A. 806, 1935 BTA LEXIS 693 (bta 1935).

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Wood v. Commissioner
33 B.T.A. 806 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1935)