Woodward Iron Co. v. United States

59 F. Supp. 54, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 991, 1945 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2499
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedFebruary 6, 1945
DocketNos. 5370-5372
StatusPublished

This text of 59 F. Supp. 54 (Woodward Iron Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woodward Iron Co. v. United States, 59 F. Supp. 54, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 991, 1945 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2499 (N.D. Ala. 1945).

Opinion

MULLINS, District Judge.

Findings of Fact.

1. Cause No. 5370 is a suit under the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C.A. § 41(20), by Woodward Iron Company against the United States for the recovery of $3,934.09, plus interest, income taxes paid by plaintiff for 1936, for which a certificate of overassessment has been issued by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and credited against income and excess profits taxes allegedly due and owing by plaintiff for 1937.

Cause No. 5371 is a suit under the Tucker Act by Woodward Iron Company against Henry J. Willingham present Collector of Internal Revenue in and for the District of Alabama, for the recovery of $10,470.12, income taxes, and $1,641.45, excess profits taxes, each for 1937, and each plus interest.

Cause No. 5372 is a suit under the Tucker Act by Woodward Iron Company against Harwell G. Davis, former Collector of Internal Revenue for the recovery of $27,-752.80, income taxes, and $2,058.20, excess profits taxes, each for 1937, and each plus interest

These three cases were consolidated and tried together by agreement of the parties and by order of this Court.

2. Plaintiff, Woodward Iron Company, is a corporation duly and legally organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. It is qualified to do and actually does business in the State of Alabama, its principal place of active business being in Jefferson County, Alabama.

3. Plaintiff filed United States income and excess profits tax returns for the calendar years 1936 and 1937, with Harwell G. Davis, former Collector of Internal Revenue who acted in such capacity from July 3, 1933, through August 31, 1939, and who is a resident of the City of Birmingham, Alabama, which is located within the Southern Division, Northern District of Alabama. Henry J. Willing-ham is the present Collector of Internal Revenue having qualified as such on September 1, 1939, and being still in office.

4. For all years of consequences to the determination of the issues here involved, plaintiff kept its books of account and filed its federal income and excess profits tax returns according to the accrual method of accounting and during said years filed said returns on the calendar year basis.

5. Plaintiff duly filed within the time required by law with Harwell G. Davis, former Collector of Internal Revenue, its federal income and excess profits tax return for 1936, which return disclosed a liability for income tax only of $95,446.32, which plaintiff paid said Harwell G. Davis as Collector, in installments, the last payment being made on December 14, 1937, in an amount exceeding $5,987.99.

6. Plaintiff duly filed within the time required by law with said Harwell G. Davis, former Collector, its federal income and excess profits tax return for 1937, which disclosed liabilities for income tax in the amount of $178,338.26, and excess profits tax of $2,058.20, total $180,396.46, which amount plaintiff paid to said Harwell G. Davis as Collector of Internal Revenue in four equal installments on March 15, 1938, June 15, 1938, September 14, 1938, and December 14, 1938, respectively, without differentiating between payments of income and excess profits taxes, respectively. The amount paid on December 14, [56]*561938, exceeded $29,811. Plaintiff has waived any claim to interest on either income or excess profits taxes included in said payment for anv period prior to December 14, 1938.

7. On January 22, 1940, plaintiff duly filed within the time prescribed by law with the proper Government officials separate claims for refund for the years 1936 and 1937, in which it sought refunds for 1936, in the amount of $5,587.99, and for 1937 in the amount of $29,811.

8. On June 6, 1944, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue addressed and mailed a letter to plaintiff who duly received the same which letter related to certain adjustments of plaintiffs income for 1936 and 1937. In said letter the Commissioner advised plaintiff that a determination had been made that plaintiff had overpaid its income taxes for 1936 in the amount of $3,934.09. The Commissioner determined that plaintiff’s net income should be adjusted from $644,099.16 as disclosed by the return for 1936, to $617,814.84. Said adjustment resulted from the following alleged unallowable deductions and additional income:

Difference in surplus reserves.. $ 900.00

Capital stock tax for the year ended June 30, 1936......... 1,900.00

Excessive deduction for capital stock tax for the year ended June 30, 1937 ............... 26.00

Total.................... $ 2,826.00

Alleged nontaxable income and additional deductions allowable:

Interest Federal farm mortgage bonds ..................... $ 57.00

Insurance ................... 4,672.92

Interest accrued on past due coupons 6% collateral trust notes 24,380.40

Total .................... $29,110.32

Net adjustments in favor of plaintiff ................... $26,284.32

A computation at proper and legal rates on the basis used by the Commissioner as herein above set out resulted in an over-assessment for the year 1936 in the amount of $3,934.09. In said letter the Commissioner advised plaintiff that he had determined there was a deficiency for 1937 of income taxes $9,179.03 and excess profits taxes $4,069.10, total $13,248.13.

Said alleged deficiency was due to the following alleged unallowable deductions and additional income for said year:

Interest paid on 6% collateral trust notes applicable to prior years ......................$57,626.40

Expenses in connection with listing stocks ................. 6,250.00

Reserve, Workmens compensation insurance.............. 2.13

Excess deduction capital stock’ tax........................ 4,977.00-

Total ....................$68,855.53

Alleged nontaxable income and additional deductions:

Additional deduction for legal and accounting fees and fees to a specified bank........... $ 3,592.89

The net adjustments increased plaintiff’s taxable income for the year 1937 in the-amount of $65,262.64. As a result the net income as disclosed in the return in the amount of $1,198,713.28 was raised to $1,-263,975.92. A computation on said basis,, using legal and proper rates, resulted in the deficiencies of income and excess profits taxes for 1937 in the amounts determined by the Commissioner.

9. Thereafter on June 30, 1940, said Henry J. Willingham, as Collector of Internal Revenue, by direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, credited said overassessment of $3,934.09 for the year 1936, against deficiencies of $13,-248.13, determined by the Commissione- as. aforesaid and payments of which were made as hereinafter set forth.

After August 1, 1940, the Commissioner refunded to plaintiff $612.37 of interest on said sum of $3,934.09. On September 12,. 1940, the Commissioner mailed to the plaintiff a statutory notice of disallowance of' the balance of the refund for the year-1936 as claimed by the plaintiff as aforesaid.

Thereafter the Commissioner of Internal Revenue assessed the deficiencies of income and excess profits taxes for 1937 as covered by the letter of June 6, 1940, as aforesaid. On July 31, 1940, plaintiff paid Henry J.

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§ 207
11 U.S.C. § 207

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Bluebook (online)
59 F. Supp. 54, 33 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 991, 1945 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woodward-iron-co-v-united-states-alnd-1945.