Worthy v. Commissioner

62 T.C. No. 37, 62 T.C. 303, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 95
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 12, 1974
DocketDocket No. 5105-71
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 62 T.C. No. 37 (Worthy 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
Worthy v. Commissioner, 62 T.C. No. 37, 62 T.C. 303, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 95 (tax 1974).

Opinion

Simpson, Judge:

The respondent determined the following deficiencies in the petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Year Deficiency
1967 _ $918.99
1968 _ 804.26
1969 _1, 001. 81

Due to concessions, two issues remain for consideration: We must first decide whether certain payments received in connection with the redemption of certain stock constituted additional compensation or capital gains. Second, we must decide whether the petitioner has shown that, within the meaning of section 274(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954,1 he used his membership in a country club primarily for business purposes so that he is entitled to deduct the dues for such membership.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

The petitioners, Ford S. Worthy, Jr., and Isabel C. Worthy, husband and wife, resided in Raleigh, bLC., at the time of filing their petition herein. For the years 1967,1968, and 1969, they filed their joint Federal income tax returns, using the cash method of accounting, with the director, Southeast Service Center, Chamblee, Ga.

Mr. Worthy is a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and is designated as an MAI, which refers to an appraiser with certain training and experience. Prior to the fall of 1957, he was employed in the City Mortgage Department of the Equitable Life Insurance Co. His duties consisted of negotiating commercial and industrial mortgages and appraising properties offered as security for such loans. In the fall of 1957, Mr. Worthy was employed as an assistant to J. W. York to work for Cameron Village, Inc. (Cameron), a corporation Mr. York controlled. Cameron’s primary asset was the Cameron Village Shopping Center in Raleigh, N.C. Mr. Worthy’s starting salary was $10,000 per year. His previous experience with the Equitable Life Insurance Co. was helpful in carrying out his duties of negotiating loans and leases for the shopping center. He later became vice president and general manager of Cameron. Mr. Worthy worked for Cameron until 1966 or 1967, and throughout the period from 1962 to 1965, it was his main employment.

In 1957, Mr. York was also involved in the development of a separate shopping center, known as the JSTorthgate Shopping Center (Northgate), located in Durham, 1ST.C. After Mr. Worthy was hired to work for Mr. York, Mr. York assigned him duties in connection with Northgate. In 1959, Mr. Worthy’s Northgate activities began to require a considerable amount of his time. He assisted Mr. York in the general development of Northgate. Both negotiated some leases separately, and on some occasions, Mr. Worthy assisted Mr. York in his negotiations. Mr. Worthy also communicated with the architect, the general contractor, and the principal owners of Northgate, the Band family. He also assisted Mr. York in obtaining financing for Northgate.

Construction of Northgate began in 1959, and the first store opened in September 1960. In 1962, it had a supermarket, variety store, and drugstore; it was identifiable as a shopping center. In addition, other stores were planned at that time and leases had been negotiated and secured. The leases were obtained in a competitive market as there were two other shopping centers under construction in Durham at the same time, which were seeking leases from the same tenants as Northgate. On one occasion, a store originally signed a lease with one of the other shopping centers, but eventually moved to Northgate.

Mr. York’s association with Northgate began in 1956, when the Band family, the owners of the property on which Northgate was built, approached Mr. York with a view toward employing him to develop the land. They wanted to employ him because of “his experience, performance in Cameron Village, and his qualifications as a developer.” On or about February 9,1956, Mr. York agreed to supervise the development and operation of the proposed shopping center, and on or about August 21,1956, the parties reached an oral agreement respecting the terms and conditions on which Mr. York would provide the desired assistance. One of the conditions required by Mr. York was that he be allowed to purchase some of the Northgate stock. Pursuant to another condition of the oral agreement, on or about January 11, 1957, the Bands transferred the property to Northland Investment Co., Inc. (Northland), a corporation all of whose outstanding stock was owned by them.

By an agreement dated April 1, 1959, Mr. York, the Bands, and Northland set forth in a written contract (the contract) the terms of their future association in the development of Northgate. In part, the contract provided that Northland change its name to Northgate Shopping Center, Inc. (the corporation). The'contract detailed the duties Mr. York was to perform for the corporation. His duties ranged over a number of areas, all of which were directed toward developing and operating Northgate. He was to secure financing, direct architectural planning and improvements, select building contractors and suppliers, and select employees. He was also to direct all matters pertaining to leasing the business premises in Northgate. He was given the duty of selecting a manager and retaining the professional assistance of architects, accountants, and attorneys. In determining a course of action, Mr. York was required to obtain the consent and approval of the corporation’s board of directors before he carried out his planned action. As compensation for his various duties and services, he was to receive the lesser of $12,000 per year or 5 percent of the gross rentals collected from Northgate during the preceding fiscal year.

The corporation had authorized capital stock of 1,000 common shares, par value $100. The contract provided that the corporation would change its authorized capital stock to 1,000 common shares, par value $1, and 99,000 shares, 5-percent cumulative nonvoting preferred, par value $1. The Eands were to receive 850 common shares and 15,600 preferred shares in exchange for the outstanding stock previously owned by them. Mr. York agreed to purchase 150 shares of common for $150.

The contract also contained several provisions giving one party an option to purchase some or all of the stock of another party. The first option dealt with the purchase of Mr. York’s stock. The corporation was given an option to purchase Mr. York’s stock for $250,000 after the first fiscal year during which the corporation had gross rentals of $300,000 or more. In the event the corporation failed to exercise the option, Mr. York could exercise an option to purchase 360 shares of the Eands’ stock for $600,000. If either option was exercised, payment could be made by means of a negotiable note, payable over.a period of 10 years. Further options were given to the corporation and Mr. York in the event the gross rentals did not equal or exceed $300,000 in any 1 fiscal year within 10 years after the making of the contract. The prices to be paid under these options were to be determined by various multiples of the previous annual salary paid to Mr. York. In case Mr. York’s stock was to be purchased, the multiplier was 20; however, the sum paid to Mr. York could not be less than $25,000, nor greater than $250,000. The contract also granted the corporation options to purchase Mr.

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

Related

Kessler v. Commissioner
1982 T.C. Memo. 432 (U.S. Tax Court, 1982)
Borom v. Commissioner
1980 T.C. Memo. 459 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Finney v. Commissioner
1980 T.C. Memo. 23 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Fenstermaker v. Commissioner
1978 T.C. Memo. 210 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)
Cline v. Commissioner
67 T.C. 889 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Buddy Schoellkopf Products, Inc. v. Commissioner
65 T.C. 640 (U.S. Tax Court, 1975)
Worthy v. Commissioner
62 T.C. No. 37 (U.S. Tax Court, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 T.C. No. 37, 62 T.C. 303, 1974 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 95, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/worthy-v-commissioner-tax-1974.