Baldwin Locomotive Works v. McCoach
Baldwin Locomotive Works v. McCoach
Opinion of the Court
These writs of error require us to construe section 38 of the act of 1909, taxing the net income of corporations. The opinion of the District Court is reported in 215 Fed. at page 967. Several questions were raised below, but only two are before us, one on each writ. The undisputed facts are as follows: In 1909, 1910, and the first six months of 1911, the Locomotive Works was manufacturing locomotives in Philadelphia, and made the returns of income required by the act. During this period there were
[ 1 ] The corporation did not succeed in its effort to sustain a credit of $500,000, that was claimed as an expense of the business in 1910 and 1911. What happened was this: In 1910 the company sold certain mortgage bonds, whose par value was $10,000,000, but received therefor $500,000 less, and of this amount $100,000 was charged against income in 1910 and $400,000 in 1911. The bonds were dated April 30, 1910, and will be due April 30, 1940, thus extending over parts of 31 fiscal years. The government allowed Vs1 of the discount as a proper charge against income for 1910, and half that amount against income for the first six months of 1911. The amount disallowed was $83,870.-96 for 1910, and $391,935.48 for 1911; the tax thereon being $4,758.-06. This is the first item in dispute, and we can add nothing of value to Judge Dickinson’s excellent discussion. The reality of the transaction was that the corporation pledged its credit and its property for $10,000,000, and sold its promises to pay for $9,500,000. The sum thus received was, of course, not income, either gross or net; in effect, the transaction transmuted a part of the corporation’s assets from credit or property into liquid cash; but it added nothing to its income. If the cost of thus changing the form of its assets is an expense of the business, it has not yet been paid, and will not be paid until 1940.
We agree with the District Court that this increase of valuation was not income within the meaning of the statute. Nothing whatever was added to the corporate property, which remained exactly the same after the appraisement as before. The only thing done was to put upon the company’s books an expression of expert opinion that certain property was worth a certain sum, and this can hardly be said to be income, or even gain, in any proper sense. The company could not become either richer or poorer by making a few book entries that merely recorded a new estimate of how much it was worth.
In each case the judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS v. McCOACH, Internal Revenue Collector McCOACH, Internal Revenue Collector v. BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS
- Cited By
- 31 cases
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- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Internal Revenue 9—Corporate Excise Tax—Deductions prom Income—“Expense op the Business.” Where a corporation sold mortgage bonds due in 30 years at a discount from their par value, the amount of the discount was not an “expense of the business,” and could not be deducted from the income in computing the tax on the corporation's income for the years in which the bonds were issued, under Act Aug. 5, 1909, c. 6, § 38, 36 Slat. 112 (Comp. St. 1913, § 6301), providing that the net income shall be ascertained by deducting from the gross income all the ordinary and necessary expenses actually paid within the year out of the income in the maintenance and operation of the corporation’s business and properties, since, if the cost of changing a part of the corporation’s assets from credit into cash was an expense of the business, it would not be paid until the maturity of the bonds. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Internal Revenue, Cent. Dig. §§ 13-28; Dec. Dig. 2. Internal Revenue Where a corporation appraised certain property at a valuation higher than that at which such property had previously been canned on its books, and appraised other property not previously appraised, the apparent increase in the value of its property by reason thereof was not a part of its “income,” subject to taxation under section 38 of the act, imposing on corporations a special excise tax, based on their net income. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Internal Revenue, Cent. Dig. §§ 13-28; Dec. Dig. 9. For other definitions, see Words and Phrases, First and Second Series, Income.] For oilier cases see same topic & KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests & Indexes