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Robert C. WHEELER, Wesley L. Wheeler, Howard E. Wheeler and Eugene M. Wheeler, Petitioners, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit1957-02-25No. Nos. 3-6, Dockets 23839-23842
241 F.2d 883

Summary

Holding. The court affirmed the Tax Court's decision, holding that shareholder-officers may not deduct advances to their corporation as business bad debts when those advances merely assist the corporation's operations rather than further an independent business of promoting and financing enterprises, and that losses from guarantee obligations must be treated as non-business bad debts and were not properly deductible in the year the bank seized the pledged stock.

Four members of the Wheeler family, who owned all stock in Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. and served as officers, made cash advances to the corporation and personally guaranteed certain of its bank loans in 1946. After the corporation's financial condition deteriorated, the bank seized the pledged stock and the corporation subsequently filed for bankruptcy. On their 1946 tax returns, the taxpayers claimed business bad debt deductions for the advances and loss deductions for the guaranties.

The court rejected both claims. Regarding the advances, the court found they were not incurred in the taxpayers' own trade or business but rather were merely capital contributions to assist the corporation's shipbuilding operations. The taxpayers could only qualify for business bad debt treatment if they were engaged in the business of promoting and financing enterprises, which they were not. Regarding the guaranties, the court determined these must be treated as non-business bad debts under the applicable tax code provision, and furthermore, the bank's seizure of the stock in 1946 did not constitute a sufficiently definitive event to establish a loss in that year.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether shareholder advances to a corporation qualify as business bad debt deductions
  • Whether shareholder-officer status and business relationship to the corporation affect bad debt classification
  • Whether losses on corporate loan guaranties are deductible as business losses or non-business bad debts
  • Whether seizure of pledged stock constitutes a taxable event establishing loss in a particular year

Procedural posture

The taxpayers appealed a Tax Court decision that denied business bad debt deductions for advances to Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. and loss deductions for loan guaranties claimed on their 1946 tax returns.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

PER CURIAM.

This appeal raises two main issues: (1) Whether shareholders and shareholder-officers who advance money to the corporation, thereby creating bona fide debts, may obtain business bad debt deductions under § 23 (k), Internal Revenue Code of 19-39, when the corporation becomes unable to pay its debts; (2) whether a loss on the shareholders’ guaranties of the corporation’s debts to a third party is deductible as a loss under § 23(e) or only as a non-business bad debt under § 23 (k) (4), Internal Revenue Code of 1939, and whether the loss was incurred in 1946. The Tax Court found for the Commissioner on all issues, T. C. Memo 1955-138, and we affirm.

Taxpayers Howard E. Wheeler and his three sons, have all been in the shipbuilding business as a family since 1919. Since that time they have been involved in many business enterprises — partnership and corporate — all centered on shipbuilding. The Wheelers have developed a reputation for their boats as a family product. In 1941, they organized Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. to handle wartime contracts. The Wheelers owned all of the corporation’s stock and the three sons were officers. After the war, in 1946, the family decided to continue the business and found it necessary to make advances to the corporation. They also individually guaranteed a good many of the corporation’s loans to the bank, pledging their stock as collateral.

The business affairs of Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. worsened, and in November 1946 the bank called its loan and notified all parties that it would take over the pledged stock. In December the corporation filed a petition for reorganization under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act and in 1947 was adjudged bankrupt. On their 1946 returns taxpayers sought to take bad debt deductions for the advances and loss deductions for their guaranties to the bank. As to the guaranties they claim that the bank’s taking their stock over in 1946 constituted the event necessary to establish the loss in that year.

1. The Advances

The Tax Court found that these debts, although they may have been related to some business interests of the taxpayers, were not incurred in the trade or business of the taxpayer in the special sense of § 23 (k). This conclusion is amply supported by recent decisions in this circuit. Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Schaefer, 2 Cir., 240 F.2d 381; Commissioner v. Smith, 2 Cir., 1953, 203 F.2d 310. The only instance where a shareholder or officer may deduct debts of his corporation to him as business bad debts under § 23 (k) is where his business can be considered to be the promoting and financing of business enterprises. See, e. g., Henry E. Sage, 1950, 15 T.C. 299. Here it is clear that the taxpayers did not make the advances to further any independent promoting business of their own but merely to assist the corporation in its business of building ships.

2. The Guaranties

Taxpayers claim that they suffered losses because of the guaranties and that these should be treated as losses for the year 1946. Putnam v. Commissioner, 1956, 352 U.S. 82, 77 S.Ct. 175, 1 L.Ed.2d 144, holds that transactions like those before us must be considered non-business bad debts under § 23 (k) (4), and may not be treated as losses under § 23(e). In any event, we cannot say that the Tax Court was clearly erroneous in holding that by merely taking over the stock in 1946 the bank took no action “sufficiently definitive to constitute a taxable event fixing petitioners’ losses in that year.” See Stranahan v. Commissioner, 6 Cir., 1930, 42 F.2d 729.

Affirmed.