1982 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 100">*100
78 T.C. 786">*786 OPINION
Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners' Federal income tax of $ 25,883.47 for the taxable year ended June 24, 1972, and $ 24,023.10 for the taxable year ended June 30, 1973. The sole issue for our determination is whether, for purposes of computing petitioners' minimum tax liability, tax carryovers generated by one corporation in preaffiliation years 1 may be used to offset items of tax preference generated by a second corporation in 1982 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 100">*103 consolidated return years.
This case was submitted fully stipulated pursuant to
The petitioners in this case are three corporations with their principal places of business in Rochester, N.Y. -- Wegman's Properties, Inc. (Properties), Wegman's Enterprises, Inc. (Enterprises), and Wegman's Markets, Inc. (Markets). Properties was created during 1972 when the shareholders of Enterprises and Markets contributed all of their stock in those corporations to Properties in exchange for the stock of Properties. 78 T.C. 786">*787 Thus, during 1972 and 1973, Enterprises and Markets were wholly owned subsidiaries of Properties.
For 1970 and 1971, Markets and Enterprises each filed separate Federal corporation income tax returns. In 1970 and 1971, Markets had $ 0 and $ 24,000 of tax preference items and generated tax carryovers of $ 108,571.50 and $ 558,583.86. In 1970 and 1971, Enterprises paid minimum tax of $ 46,762 and $ 23,263 and generated no tax carryovers.
Properties, Markets, and Enterprises properly elected to file consolidated returns for 1972 and 1973. For 1972, petitioners reported tax preference items for purposes of the minimum tax of $ 462,514.67. It appears that these tax preference items were generated1982 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 100">*105 by Enterprises. For 1973, Enterprises had tax preference items of $ 378,699, and Markets had tax preference items of $ 61,609. Petitioners' attempt to offset Markets' tax carryovers from 1970 and 1971 against tax preference items generated by Enterprises in 1972 and 1973 has been disallowed by respondent. 2
On March 19, 1970, the Internal Revenue Service issued Technical
1982 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 100">*107 We emphasize that the issue here is a narrow one. Respondent apparently has allowed petitioners, in consolidated 78 T.C. 786">*789 return years, to offset their combined regular income tax liability against their combined preference items. 6 We need only decide whether Markets' tax carryovers, generated in preaffiliation years, may be offset against Enterprises' preference items generated in affiliated years.
Any corporation seeking to utilize as a deduction tax attributes generated in past years by another corporation can do so only upon the authority of a specific statutory or regulatory provision. See
As previously indicated, the Secretary has not promulgated any consolidated return regulations authorizing the result petitioners are seeking. Nor does
1982 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 100">*109 In
Petitioners' reliance on
The parties have discussed at length the applicability of sections 381 and 382 and
On brief, petitioners state that they are entitled to take 78 T.C. 786">*791 advantage of allocating the $ 30,000 minimum tax exemption pursuant to
In sum, Markets' tax carryovers from 1970 and 1971 may not be offset against tax preference items generated in consolidated return years by Enterprises.
1. See
(a) Definition of "Affiliated Group". -- As used in this chapter, the term "affiliated group" means one or more chains of includible corporations connected through stock ownership with a common parent corporation which is an includible corporation if -- (1) Stock possessing at least 80 percent of the voting power of all classes of stock and at least 80 percent of each class of the nonvoting stock of each of the includible corporations (except the common parent corporation) is owned directly by one or more of the other includible corporations; and (2) The common parent corporation owns directly stock possessing at least 80 percent of the voting power of all classes of stock and at least 80 percent of each class of the nonvoting stock of at least one of the other includible corporations.↩
2. See note 6, at p. 789
3. Unless otherwise indicated, all further section references are to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 as amended and in effect during the years in issue.
During the years in issue,
(1) the sum of the items of tax preference in excess of $ 30,000, is greater than (2) the sum of -- (A) the taxes imposed by this chapter for the taxable year (computed without regard to this part and without regard to the taxes imposed by * * * * (B) the tax carry overs to the taxable year. * * * *
(c) Tax Carry Overs. -- If for any taxable year -- (1) the taxes imposed by this chapter (computed without regard to this part and without regard to the taxes imposed by * * * * (E)* * * exceed (2) the sum of the items of tax preference in excess of $ 30,000,↩
4. For example, if, in a given year, tax preference items total $ 40,000 and the regular income tax imposed that year is $ 60,000, a tax carryover of $ 50,000 is generated ($ 40,000 preference items - $ 30,000 exclusion - $ 60,000 tax paid).↩
5. Technical
"The Internal Revenue Service today announced that amendments will be made to the regulations to reflect the effect on consolidated returns and partnerships of the addition by the Tax Reform Act of 1969 of the minimum tax for tax preferences.
"The amendment relating to consolidated returns will make clear that the election by affiliated groups of corporations to file a consolidated Federal income tax return is effective with respect to the computation of the minimum tax as well as the regular income tax."
We reject petitioners' suggestion that this Technical Information Release is somehow dispositive of the issue before us.↩
6. Respondent also has permitted the use of Markets' carryover to offset Markets' tax preference items.↩
7. See
(1) Person. -- The term "person" shall be construed to mean and include an individual, a trust, estate, partnership, association, company or corporation.
* * * *
(14) Taxpayer. -- The term "taxpayer" means any person subject to any internal revenue tax.↩
8.
9. We also note that the purported allocation agreement indicates a date 6 years after the last taxable year at issue herein and that there is no evidence that it was ever filed with respondent. Cf.