1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*59
1. Debentures, together with interest accrued but unpaid, were exchanged in 1947, pursuant to a reorganization, for new securities in an amount less than the cost of the old debentures.
2. Parent corporation secured issuance to it of about 70 per cent of the common stock of a subsidiary, giving in exchange securities and a written guaranty of the dividends of the preferred stock of the subsidiary.
25 T.C. 229">*229 OPINION.
The respondent determined deficiencies in income tax of petitioner for the taxable year 1947 in the sum of $ 711.20, and 1948 in the sum of $ 242,058.95. The petitioner seeks a determination that there is no deficiency but overpayments instead.
Petitioner, a Pennsylvania corporation, holding company, with its principal place of business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed its consolidated Federal income tax returns for the years 1947 and 1948 with the then collector of internal revenue for the first district of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia.
The facts were all stipulated and are found accordingly. The parties are agreed there are but two issues1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*61 remaining in the case: (1) Whether a gain should be recognized where a debenture, together with accrued interest, is exchanged in a
On December 19, 1906, petitioner, a holding company, became the owner of certain 4 per cent debentures of the Consolidated Railway Company at a total cost of $ 873,240. The debentures were not in default as to interest. On September 18, 1947, pursuant to the terms of 25 T.C. 229">*230 a plan of reorganization of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, under section 77 of the Bankruptcy Act, petitioner surrendered the said debentures. The interest then in default on such debentures amounted to $ 149,370. Petitioner received in return for the old securities new securities having a fair market value of $ 528,531.60 and cash in the sum of $ 45,960. On June 1, 1948, respondent issued a ruling with respect to the taxable status of said reorganization and, pursuant thereto, petitioner reported the1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*62 sum of $ 66,091.97 for 1947 as taxable interest income and now claims this sum as part of its refund claim.
Very little need be said in answer to this first issue. The petitioner is entitled to the decision on this point. We held in
The facts with respect to the second question raised by petitioner relate to a guaranty agreement and the payments made pursuant thereto. In 1926 a holding company known as the Connecticut Gas & Coke Securities Company, herein called Securities Company, was organized. It was organized at the instance of the Koppers Company, herein called Koppers, as a holding company for various operating utility companies. The proposed capitalization of Securities Company was 200,000 shares of no-par nonvoting, cumulative preferred stock, and 300,000 shares, no-par voting common stock. The preferred stock was entitled to a cumulative preferred dividend of $ 3 per share. On or about September 1, 1926, Koppers made a written offer for 200,000 shares of the common stock of Securities Company agreeing to 1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*64 transfer in exchange stock of certain operating utilities and further agreeing "to guarantee the dividends on the preferred stock of the holding company (Securities Company) for a period of 25 years." The offer was accepted as of October 1, 1926, and the exchange of 25 T.C. 229">*231 stock was made and the terms of the guaranty were endorsed on the certificates of the preferred stock issued by Securities Company.
We need not follow the corporate maneuverings or the name changes in Koppers Company that occurrred in the next few months. It is enough to say that on July 11, 1927, the petitioner holding company acquired Koppers' common stock in Securities (204,481 shares) under the terms of a written agreement between Koppers and petitioner wherein petitioner gave in exchange certain shares of stock and wherein petitioner agreed to "indemnify and save Koppers harmless on account of its above recited guarantee of dividends on the preferred stock of Securities." At first one of petitioner's subsidiaries was substituted for Koppers on the guaranty. Later, on January 11, 1935, by a supplemental written agreement between petitioner and Koppers Company, petitioner was substituted in place of its subsidiary1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*65 on the guaranty. The next year, 1936, liability began to develop on the guaranty obligation. It was stipulated that, from March 9, 1936, through September 30, 1947, petitioner transferred to Securities Company amounts totaling $ 1,376,233.66 ($ 69,648.95 of the aforesaid amount being paid in 1947), all of which were used by Securities Company to pay dividends on its preferred stock.
On May 6, 1947, petitioner, a registered holding company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,
Petitioner makes certain general and specific claims based upon the above fact situation. Its general claim is, it was entitled to a deduction, either as a loss or expense, of the amounts it had to pay Securities Company, pursuant to its guaranty of the preferred stock dividends. Respondent's position is that the guaranty was given as part of the consideration for Securities Company common stock; that the payments made under the guaranty were part of the cost to petitioner 25 T.C. 229">*232 of Securities Company common stock and are, therefore, not allowable as deductions for bad debts or expenses.
The case is ruled by
we think the conclusion is justified that petitioner's agreement to guarantee the payment of the dividends on the preferred stock of the A. B. & C. was a part of the consideration in exchange for which it received the common stock. * * * The payments made by the petitioner on its guaranty, then, must be regarded as a part of the consideration paid for the common stock, and are capital expenditures. * * *
The opinion of this Court in the
we are of the opinion that the payments made by the Coast Line under its guaranty were part of the consideration paid by it for the common stock and were therefore capital expenditures rather than losses or ordinary and necessary business expenditures.
Both opinions above cite and discuss
A holding company which guarantees dividends at a specified rate on the stock of a subsidiary corporation for the purpose of securing new capital for the subsidiary and increasing the value of its stock holdings in the subsidiary may not deduct amounts paid in carrying out this guaranty in computing its net income, but such payments may be added to the cost of its stock in the subsidiary.
The only distinction which petitioner makes between its situation and the situation present in the
Petitioner singles out, for separate discussion, the payment made under the guaranty during 1947 and the payment made, or rather the securities and cash transferred to Securities Company, in final liquidation and discharge of petitioner's future obligation under its agreement of guaranty.
Petitioner argues that in 1947 its right to reimbursement, for payments made pursuant to the guaranty, was worthless. And, petitioner argues, the payments made under such circumstances, were, for income tax purposes, either losses or expenses, as soon as they were made. Petitioner cites a number of cases where taxpayers were entitled to deduct as an expense or loss, payments made under1955 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 59">*70 a contract of guaranty when it was apparent there was no hope of reimbursement. The authorities are not in point for in none of them was the guaranty given as a part of the purchase price for a capital investment. Here the guaranty of dividends was originally given by Koppers Company as a means of acquiring the common stock of Securities Company, a capital investment. It is admitted petitioner stands in the shoes of Koppers Company. Any and all payments made under the guaranty contract were made under an obligation assumed as part of the purchase price of the common stock of Securities Company. This is true as to the payments made before 1947, the payment made during 1947, and the payment made in 1948 to extinguish future liability under the guaranty contract. They were all payments made under the contract by which the common stock was purchased. They are no less payments under the contract in 1947 and 1948 because all chance of reimbursement was gone by then. Whether there was chance of reimbursement or not was immaterial. Nondeductibility results, as said by the Circuit Court in the