1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*279
10 T.C. 164">*164 This proceeding involves income tax deficiencies determined by respondent against the petitioner in the amounts of $ 2,965.71 and 10 T.C. 164">*165 $ 12,801.54 for the calendar years 1941 and 1942, respectively. Petitioner seeks a redetermination of no deficiency for each of those years and of an overpayment of $ 1,063.95 for the year 1942.
The petitioner assigns the following errors in the respondent's determination: (1) The disallowance, for the year 1941, 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*280 of a deduction of $ 44,086.28 claimed as the premium paid and unamortized discount and expense upon the retirement of petitioner's first mortgage series A bonds in that year; (2) the failure to allow, as a deduction for the year 1942, the amount of $ 15,490.26 as amortization of the cost of defense facilities constructed or acquired under necessity certificates; and (3) the failure to allow, as a deduction for the year 1942, the amount of $ 30,757.10 as a net operating loss carry-over from the taxable year 1941. Certain other adjustments made by respondent are not involved herein.
The second issue raised by the pleadings has been settled by stipulation that petitioner is entitled to a deduction of $ 14,151.12 for the year 1942 on account of amortization of defense facilities, and effect thereto will be given in the recomputation under Rule 50.
At the hearing it was further stipulated that with the exception of the first issue the parties are in complete agreement as to the essential facts involved herein, including those under the third issue, and that upon this Court's decision on the first issue they can recompute petitioner's tax liability for the years 1941 and 1942 under Rule1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*281 50.
The proceeding was submitted upon the pleadings and a stipulation of facts, including exhibits attached thereto. The stipulation, included herein by reference, is adopted as our findings of fact and will be summarized herein.
FINDINGS OF FACT.
The petitioner, a Delaware corporation, has its principal place of business at Sumter, South Carolina, and owns and operates telephone exchanges, properties, and systems within the latter state. Petitioner's books of account have been kept on the accrual basis and, for the years involved herein, its tax returns were made on that basis and filed with the collector of internal revenue for the district of South Carolina.
On July 16, 1941, the petitioner had outstanding its first mortgage 5 per cent 25-year bonds, series A (hereinafter referred to as series A, or old bonds) in the principal amount of $ 387,000, maturing July 1, 1961. Those bonds had been duly authorized, issued, and sold prior to January 1, 1941, to the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Boston, Massachusetts (hereinafter referred to as the insurance company) and were secured by an indenture of mortgage to the City National Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago, Illinois, and1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*282 Arthur T. Leonard of Chicago, as trustees, dated as of July 1, 1936, and a supplemental indenture dated November 1, 1939. The indenture as supplemented provided, 10 T.C. 164">*166
1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*283 On July 16, 1941, by a written instrument dated July 11, 1941, the petitioner and the insurance company entered into an agreement providing for the simultaneous cancellation of petitioner's outstanding series A bonds, all of which were then owned by the insurance company, and the issuance to the insurance company of petitioner's first mortgage 4 per cent 25-year bonds, series B (hereinafter referred to as series B, or new bonds) in the aggregate principal amount of $ 600,000, maturing July 1, 1966. Such agreement, wherein petitioner is referred to as the "Company," provided,
11. As stated above, $ 387,000 principal amount of the Series B Bonds will be issued under Article Four of the Original Indenture against the cancellation and retirement of an equal principal amount of the said outstanding Series A Bonds and the remaining $ 213,000 principal amount of the Series B Bonds will be issued under Article Six of the Original Indenture against the deposit with the Trustee1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*286 thereunder of $ 213,000 cash. The cash so deposited will be withdrawn by the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.02 of the Original Indenture.
The issuance of petitioner's series B bonds was duly authorized in the manner provided by law and duly secured by the original indenture of mortgage dated as of July 1, 1936, as modified by the indenture dated November 1, 1939, and as supplemented by a supplemental indenture of mortgage dated as of July 1, 1941.
On July 30, 1941, in accordance with the above mentioned agreement of July 16, 1941, and at the office of the trustees under the indenture of mortgage, the petitioner issued its series B bonds in aggregate principal amount of $ 600,000 and delivered them to the insurance company, and simultaneously the insurance company delivered to the petitioner the latter's then outstanding $ 387,000 principal amount of series A bonds, which were duly retired and canceled.
On July 30, 1941, and in accordance with the above mentioned agreement of July 16, 1941, the petitioner issued its check payable to the insurance company in the amount of $ 427,258.75 ($ 387,000 principal 10 T.C. 164">*168 amount, $ 38,700 premium, and $ 1,558.75 interest1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*287 from July 1 to July 30, 1941) and simultaneously the insurance company issued its check payable to petitioner in the amount of $ 641,293.33 ($ 600,000 principal amount, $ 39,360 premium, and $ 1,933.32 interest, from July 1 to July 30, 1941). The insurance company's check was endorsed by petitioner and deposited to the credit of its account with the City National Bank & Trust Co. of Chicago, and prior to such deposit petitioner did not have sufficient cash on hand to cover its above mentioned check issued to the insurance company.
In its income and declared value excess profits tax return for the year 1941 the petitioner, in computing its taxable net income, claimed a deduction in the net amount of $ 44,481.06 as representing $ 44,100.53 premium and expenses in connection with the cancellation of its series A bonds during that year and $ 1,050.01 discount on funded debt, less a credit of $ 669.48 release of premium on funded debt. In determining petitioner's tax liability for the year 1941 the respondent,
The transactions carried out on July 30, 1941, whereby petitioner issued $ 387,000 principal amount of its new series B bonds, under article four of the indenture of mortgage, for the purpose of refunding and the simultaneous cancellation and retirement of an equal principal amount of old series A bonds, and further issued additional new series B bonds in the principal amount of $ 213,000 under article six of the indenture of mortgage for the purpose of creating a cash fund for physical property additions, constituted essentially an exchange or substitution of petitioner's new bonds or obligations for its old ones, to the extent of $ 387,000 principal amount for principal amount.
OPINION.
The first assignment of error presents the only remaining issue for our redetermination. 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*289 The parties are in agreement as to the principles of law applicable to that issue, viz., that, generally, where an outstanding issue of bonds is retired for cash, even though the cash is obtained by the sale of a new issue of bonds, the premium paid upon the retirement and the unamortized discount and 10 T.C. 164">*169 expenses of the old bonds are deductible in the year of retirement, 11948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*290 but that where an outstanding issue of bonds is retired by an exchange or substitution of old bonds for new, those same items are deductible only through amortization over the life of the new bonds. 2
The parties are in further agreement that the question herein narrows itself into one of whether the July 30, 1941, transactions carried out pursuant to the terms of the July 16, 1941, agreement constituted, in fact, (1) an exchange or substitution of petitioner's new bonds to the extent of the principal amount of $ 387,000 thereof for its old bonds thus retired and an issue of additional new bonds in the principal amount of $ 213,000 for cash, as contended by respondent, or (2) a purchase and retirement by petitioner of its outstanding old bonds from the proceeds of the sale of its new bonds, as contended by petitioner.
In
In the instant case we have concluded and found as an ultimate fact that petitioner issued its new series B bonds in the principal amount of $ 387,000 in exchange or substitution for an equal principal amount of its then outstanding old series A bonds simultaneously canceled and retired. In our opinion the essential facts herein lead to such1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*292 conclusion. It is true that the written agreement of the insurance company and petitioner dated July 16, 1941, uses numerous expressions which, 10 T.C. 164">*170 if given the emphasis contended for by petitioner, would seem to cloak the July 30, 1941, transactions as a sale of its new bonds for cash and a purchase of its old bonds with a portion of such cash proceeds. However, we may not ignore the fact that the indenture of mortgage is the basic instrument governing the legal inter-relationship existing between the old bonds and the new and also governing the construction to be placed on the July 16, 1941, agreement. That agreement specifically refers to and is bottomed on the indenture of mortgage and despite the use of words of purchase and sale in the agreement it specifically provides that "$ 387,000 principal amount of the Series B Bonds will be issued under Article Four of the Original Indenture against the cancellation and retirement of an equal principal amount of the said outstanding Series A Bonds and the remaining $ 213,000 principal amount of the Series B Bonds will be issued under Article Six of the Original Indenture against the deposit with the Trustee thereunder of $ 213,0001948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*293 cash. The cash so deposited will be withdrawn by the company in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.02 of the Original Indenture," that is, for the purpose of redeeming outstanding bonds or for physical property additions. In short, the essence of the July 30, 1941, transactions was that upon the completion thereof petitioner was in the position of having cash made available through the sale of $ 213,000 principal amount of new series B bonds and of having exchanged or substituted $ 387,000 principal amount of new series B bonds for an equal principal amount of old series A bonds simultaneously canceled and retired. Furthermore, the indisputable facts are that, to the extent of $ 387,000 principal amount, the issuance of the new bonds was entirely dependent upon the simultaneous surrender of the outstanding old bonds; that the old and the new bonds were not independent obligations existing at the same time, but instead evidenced the same indebtedness between the same parties continuing without interruption, by virtue of the simultaneous exchange or substitution; and that the only material change effected as to such continuing indebtedness was in the rate of interest thereon, 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 279">*294 the date of maturity thereof, and the form of the bond representing the debt.
We hold that the premium paid and unamortized discount and expense upon the retirement of petitioner's first mortgage series A bonds in 1941 are not deductible in full in that year, but should be amortized annually over the life of the bonds issued in exchange for those retired.
On the first issue we sustain the respondent's determination.
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