Sakaba Oil Corp. v. Commissioner
Sakaba Oil Corp. v. Commissioner
Opinion of the Court
The complaining taxpayer during its fiscal year ending April 30, 1925, sold an oil lease which had cost it $187,270' for $750. During the previous years of its operation deductions for depletion of it had been claimed and allowed aggregating $31,770. The depletion which might have been claimed and allowed during those years amounted to $183,071. According to the Revenue Act of 1924, § 202 (b), 26 USCA § 933 note, in ascertaining tbe loss on a sale “depletion previously allowed” was to be taken into account, so that the uncompensated loss sustained was $154,749. But the Revenue Act of 1926, §§ 286 and 1200 (a), 26 USCA § 931 note and § la note, repealed and substituted the Act of 1924 as of January 1, 1925. Under the Act of 1926, § 202 (b), 26 USCA § 933 (b), the basis for computing the loss on a sale is to be diminished by the assount of “depletion which has since the acquisition of the property been alloioable in respect of such property under this title or prior incomp tax laws.” Accordingly, under the Revenue Act of 1926 the loss on sale of the lease would be only $3,448. Because of the wide difference on this item of loss there would for the fiscal year be no net income under the return but a large deficit if governed by the Revenue Act of 1924, but a taxable gain of $70,946 if governed by the Act of 1926'. The policy of the Act of 1924 was to make available on a sale all unclaimed depletion allowances. The policy of the Act of 1926 was to make the taxpayer lose the allowances if not taken in the years in which they accrued. It
The taxpayer further contends that according to the Act of 1924 a loss was incurred and that in redetermining its taxes for the following fiscal year ending in 1620 the Board should have carried forward a statutory net loss under section 206 (e) of the Act of 1926, 26 USCA § 937 (e). The tax for the fiscal year ending in 1926 was before the Board for redetermination under a separate proceeding, but no such issue as is here argued was presented to or passed on by the Board of Tax Appeals, nor is there either evidence or findings of fact in the record which would enable the corrections and adjustments to be made which are necessary in order to arrive at a net loss transferrable to a succeeding year. We cannot consider the contention.
No error appearing, the petitions for review are denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SAKABA OIL CORPORATION v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE (two cases)
- Status
- Published