Commissioner of Internal Rev. v. Newport Industries, 7320.

• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (7th Circuit)
• Citation: 121 F.2d 655
• Docket Number: No. 7320.,7320.
• Parties: COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE v. NEWPORT INDUSTRIES, Inc.
• Decision Date: 30 June 1941

121 F.2d 655 (1941)

COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE
v.
NEWPORT INDUSTRIES, Inc.

No. 7320.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

June 30, 1941.

Samuel O. Clark, Jr., Asst. Atty. Gen., and J. P. Wenchel, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and Robert N. Anderson, both of Washington, D. C. (Harry Marselli, Sp. Asst. to Atty. Gen., on the brief), for petitioner.

Ellsworth C. Alvord and Floyd F. Toomey, both of Washington, D. C., for respondent.

Before EVANS, MAJOR, and KERNER, Circuit Judges.

KERNER, Circuit Judge.

In this case the Commissioner of Internal Revenue allowed an overpayment claim for one year, credited the overpayment against a deficiency for a prior year, and reported the resulting balance to the taxpayer. After the balance owing the Government for the prior year had been paid, the Commissioner disallowed the overpayment claim, reversed the credit and reinstated the deficiency. The question presented is whether the Commissioner had the power to reopen the case, reconsider his previous action and make a further determination.

In 1931 the respondent acquired the assets and assumed the liabilities of the taxpayer, the Newport Company, which was then dissolved. The respondent admits that it is liable as transferee for any deficiency, if any remains due and unpaid.

The Newport Company filed its income tax return for the six months' period ending December 31, 1919, and thereafter the Commissioner determined a deficiency against it which was contested in the Board of Tax Appeals. A final order and decision was entered on November 30, 1936, which fixed the taxpayer's deficiency for the year 1919 at $60,000, and on December 31, 1936, that deficiency, with interest thereon was assessed.

In 1928 the Newport Company filed a claim for refund of income tax alleged to have been overpaid for the year 1926. In due time this claim of overpayment was considered, and in 1937 it was allowed in the amount of $53,785.32. The Commissioner then directed the Collector of Internal Revenue to credit the overpayment against unpaid taxes for other years, an

121 F.2d 656

offsetting practice which appears to be mandatory under the statute. § 284(a) of the Revenue Act of 1926, 44 Stat. 9, 66, 26 U.S.C.A. Int.Rev.Acts, page 220. On January 21, 1937, the Collector offset this overassessment against the outstanding assessment of December 31, 1936, interest was computed and adjusted, and a resulting balance was struck. On February 9, 1937, the respondent paid the balance owing the Government, whereupon the Commissioner closed the 1919 tax account of the Newport Company and mailed respondent the original certificate of overassessment

On September 29, 1937, the Commissioner reconsidered the refund claim filed by the Newport Company for 1926, and decided that his allowance of the claim was erroneous. Consequently he reversed the credit and reinstated the deficiency for 1919, giving taxpayer credit for the sum actually paid on February 9, 1937. After the changes the records in the Bureau of Internal Revenue showed a tax liability for 1919 unsatisfied in the amount of $51,049.23. On November 30, 1937, a notice of deficiency for 1919 was mailed to the respondent, and in February of 1938 respondent filed a petition for a redetermination of the deficiency with the Board of Tax Appeals.

In the petition for redetermination the respondent alleged that the deficiency was erroneous "for the reason that said deficiency was fully paid and discharged prior to the mailing of the notice of deficiency herein." The Commissioner's answer denied that the 1919 tax liability had "ever been paid or otherwise satisfied or discharged." The evidence adduced at the hearing disclosed what has been stated in the preceding paragraphs of this opinion. The Board held that the book entries by which the allowed claim of overpayment was credited to the 1919 tax account, the adjustment of interest and the subsequent payment of the resulting balance, amounted in law to a complete payment and satisfaction of the 1919 tax. 40 B.T.A. 978.

The Board did not decide that the credit was erroneous or that the tax liability was in fact paid or satisfied. It concluded that the credit, presumptively correct when made, amounted in law to a payment of the tax to which it was applied, and consequently the Commissioner's later determination that the credit allowance was erroneous could only serve as a basis for an erroneous refund suit. Reliance is placed on United States v. Swift & Co., 282 U.S. 468, 51 S.Ct. 202, 75 L.Ed. 464; United States v. Botany Worsted Mills, 3 Cir., 98 F.2d 880; and Western Wholesale Drug Co. v. United States., D.C., 47 F.2d 770. In our opinion we shall assume that the credit entry was erroneous, and confine ourselves to the...