Court Opinion

ID: 4495220
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-01-23 18:14:13.029168+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:04:02.573941
License: Public Domain

Smith,
dissentingIn my opinion the petitioner’s investment in the real, estate in question is deductible as a loss of the taxable year 1930. The facts as set forth in the majority report show conclusively that the real estate was acquired by the petitioner in transactions entered into for profit and that it was totally worthless in 1980. Section ,23 (e) of the Revenue Act of 1928 permits the deduction of losses sustained during the taxable year and not compensated for by insurance or otherwise., if incurred in any transaction entered into for profit. The statute makes no distinction between transactions involving the purchase of real estate and other transactions. I therefore disagree with the reasoning of the majority opinion, or at least with the inference to be gained from the reasoning of the cases cited and relied upon, that no deduction can be taken for a loss of an investment in real estate until such real estate has been sold or otherwise; disposed of irretrievably. The unreasonableness and impracticability of such a requirement is clearly illustrated by the facts in the instant proceeding, where the petitioner during the taxable year tried to sell the property for the amount of the taxes due but was unable either to sell it or to give it away with the tax overburden.
It seems to me that the identifiable event fixing the loss in 1930, which, in the majority opinion, is said to be lacking, is to be found in the foreclosure proceedings brought on its tax liens against the property by the State of Florida in that year, resulting in the issue of the tax sale certificates to the state and in the fruitless attempts of the petitioner to dispose of the property. In my opinion the statutory equity of redemption did not effect a postponement of the realization of . the petitioner’s loss, nor did the expiration of the redemption period, supply as sound or practical a test for identifying the loss as is afforded by the events which occurred in the taxable year before us. I think that our decision in this proceeding should follow Denman v. Brumback, 58 Fed. (2d) 128, cited in the majority opinion.
Black agrees with this dissent.