Nor-Cal Adjusters v. C. I. R.
| Decision Date | 05 September 1974 |
| Docket Number | NOR-CAL,No. 72-1361,R-CAL,72-1361 |
| Citation | 503 F.2d 359 |
| Parties | 74-2 USTC P 9701 ADJUSTERS, aka Nor-Cal Insurance Adjusters, formerly Hobson Adjusters, a corporation, Appellant, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Appellee. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit |
Lee M. Galloway (argued), of Ingraham, Deming & Galloway, Sacramento, Cal., for appellant.
Wesley J. Filer, Atty. (argued), Tax Div., U.S. Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., for appellee.
Before BARNES and TRASK, Circuit Judges, and THOMPSON, * District Judge.
This is an appeal from a decision of the United States Tax Court affirming the Commissioner's determination that bonuses paid to officer-shareholders of appellant Nor-Cal Adjusters (Nor-Cal) are not deductible business expenses within the meaning of 162(a)(1) Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 7482 I.R.C. 1954.
Nor-Cal is a California corporation engaged in the business of insurance adjustment. Appellant was incorporated on October 2, 1963 by Joseph R. Hobson, who became its sole shareholder. Soon after incorporation, R. H. Wetterer and W. R. Wincapaw, who were adjusters employed by Hobson, each purchased 25% Of Nor-cal's stock from Hobson. Later in 1966 another employee, Gene Theison, purchased 15% Of taxpayer's stock from Hobson. The following schedule lists Nor-Cal's officers and their respective shareholdings in Nor-Cal at the beginning of the taxable year in question:
Stock Ownership
---------------------
Number of
Officer-Shareholder Shares Percentage
--------------------------- --------- ----------
J. Hobson, President 350 35
R. Wetterer, Vice-President 250 25
W. Wincapaw, Secretary 250 25
G. Theison, Treasurer 150 15
Sometime between July 30, 1967 and September 30, 1967, taxpayer redeemed the 35% Of its stock held by Hobson. In exchange for his stock, Nor-Cal agreed to pay Hobson 35% Of its net profits for a 5 year period. Net profits were defined by the purchase agreement as the net after-tax profits of the corporation, plus all bonuses and salaries to the officers in excess of 60% Of fee billings.
The payments designated as salary were paid according to employment contracts between taxpayer and each officer. Each officer's salary was comprised of a fixed sum for administrative duties required by his office and 60% Of his fee billings.
Bonuses had been paid to taxpayer's officer-shareholders in every year of its existence through the year in question. From the time appellant was originally incorporated to the filing of this action, Nor-Cal has neither formally declared nor paid a dividend to any of its shareholders.
Each of the bonus payments and administrative salary payments made by Nor-Cal to its four officer-shareholders during the year in issue was exactly proportionate to the recipient's respective stockholding in Nor-Cal. Taxpayer also employed three other insurance adjusters during 1967 but none of those individuals received bonuses in any way comparable to the officer-shareholders.
The Commissioner disallowed the 1967 bonus payments as reasonable salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered. Nor-Cal petitioned the Tax Court, alleging that the salaries and bonuses paid to the officer-shareholders were fully deductible under the provisions of 162 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The Tax Court sustained the Commissioner's determination on the finding that the bonuses were not payments for personal services actually rendered, but were disguised distributions of corporate earnings and profits. We agree.
When as here, a taxpayer claims a deduction which is disallowed by the Internal Revenue Service, the burden is on the taxpayer to prove to the Tax Court the merit of the deduction. The shifting of that burden can only be caused by the interjection of 'new matter' as provided by Rule 32 of the Rules of Practice of the United States Tax Court.
Appellant argues that the notice of deficiency framed in the language of 162(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 is insufficient on the grounds that it did not properly advise the taxpayer of the theory upon which the Commissioner intended to proceed at trial. Appellant alleges that he was misled when preparing for trial; he assumed that the Commissioner would rely upon that portion of the statute relating to the unreasonableness of the salaries. Nor-Cal states they were surprised when the Commissioner at trial, in his opening statement, referred to the bonuses as disguised distributions of corporate earnings and profits. The Tax Court found that while the salaries were reasonable, the bonuses were distributions of earnings and thus taxable.
The deficiency notice 1 properly and timely sent to appellant read in pertinent part as follows:
While such a notice does not specifically detail the theory upon which the Commissioner intends to defend his position in disallowing the deduction, it is sufficient to inform the taxpayer that the deductions are to be disallowed and the reasons therefor. Notice only is required; it is deception that is prohibited. See United States v. First Security Bank, 334 F.2d 120 (9th Cir. 1964). Here taxpayer knew the relevant portion of the code upon which the Commissioner intended to proceed. Luke v. Commissioner, 351 F.2d 568 (7th Cir. 1965); Irish v. Commissioner, 129 F.2d 468 (3rd Cir. 1942); Olsen v. Helvering, 88 F.2d 650 (2d Cir. 1937). There was no deception practiced by the Commissioner when it was determined that the amounts paid as bonuses to Nor-Cal's shareholders were in fact distributions of earnings and profits rather than compensation for services actually rendered. The statute specifically provides that compensation must be both reasonable and for personal services actually rendered in order to be an allowable deduction. The test then of Section 162 is two prong, the salaries must be reasonable and in addition must be paid for personal services actually rendered. Therefore, the burden of proof of deductibility in 162(a)(1) remained with Nor-Cal to show that the bonuses given to the officer-shareholders were both reasonable within the ambit of the statute and were for personal services actually rendered in order to qualify as an allowable deduction. This the Tax Court found appellant failed to do in that it held the bonuses to be dividends in disguise.
Taxpayer further argues that the record does not support the Tax Court's finding that the bonuses in issue were dividend distributions rather than payment for services actually rendered. Implicit within this argument is the contention that the evidence was insufficient to overcome the presumptive correctness of the Commissioner's determination. The Tax Court below decided otherwise and relied upon a number of factors to justify its decision:
1. The bonuses were in exact proportion to the officers stockholdings.
2. Payments were in lump sums rather than as the services were rendered.
3. There was a complete absence of formal dividend distributions by an expanding corporation.
4. The system of bonuses were completely...
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