CM Hoskins Digest

CM HOSKINS VS.
CIR
Petitioner, a domestic corporation engaged in the real estate business as brokers, managing agents
and administrators, filed its income tax return for its fiscal year ending September 30, 1957 showing a
net income of P92,540.25 and a tax liability due thereon of P18,508.00, which it paid in due course.
Upon verification of its return, respondent Commissioner of Internal Revenue, disallowed four items of
deduction in petitioner's tax returns and assessed against it an income tax deficiency in the amount of
P28,054.00 plus interests. The Court of Tax Appeals upon reviewing the assessment at the taxpayer's
petition, upheld respondent's disallowance of the principal item of petitioner's having paid to Mr. C. M.
Hoskins, its founder and controlling stockholder the amount of P99,977.91 representing 50% of
supervision fees earned by it and set aside respondent's disallowance of three other minor items.
Court of Tax Appeals upheld the disallowance of an item which was paid to Mr. C Hoskins representing
50% of supervision fees earned and set aside the disallowance of the other 3 items.
Petitioner questions in this appeal the Tax Court's findings that the disallowed payment to Hoskins was
an inordinately large one, which bore a close relationship to the recipient's dominant stockholdings
and therefore amounted in law to a distribution of its earnings and profits.
ISSUE: W/N the payment of Mr. Hoskins supervision fees may be deductible from the companys
income tax.
HELD: NOT DEDUCTIBLE.
We uphold in this taxpayer's appeal the Tax Court's ruling that payment by the taxpayer to its
controlling stockholder of 50% of its supervision fees or the amount of P99,977.91 is not a deductible
ordinary and necessary expense and should be treated as a distribution of earnings and profits of the
taxpayer.
The case before us is similar to previous cases of disallowances as deductible items of officers' extra
fees, bonuses and commissions, upheld by this Court as not being within the purview of ordinary and
necessary expenses and not passing the test of reasonable compensation. In Kuenzle & Streiff, Inc.
vs. Commissioner of Internal Revenuedecided by this Court on May 29, 1969, we reaffirmed the test
of reasonableness, enunciated in the earlier 1967 case involving the same parties, that: "It is a
general rule that 'Bonuses to employees made in good faith and as additional compensation for the
services actually rendered by the employees are deductible, provided such payments, when added to
the stipulated salaries, do not exceed a reasonable compensation for the services rendered' (4
Mertens Law of Federal Income Taxation, Sec. 25.50, p. 410). The conditions precedent to the
deduction of bonuses to employees are: (1) the payment of the bonuses is in fact compensation; (2) it
must be for personal services actually rendered; and (3) the bonuses, when added to the salaries, are
'reasonable . . . when measured by the amount and quality of the services performed with relation to
the business of the particular taxpayer' (Idem., Sec. 25, 44, p. 395).
Petitioner's case fails to pass the test. On the right of the employer as against respondent
Commissioner to fix the compensation of its officers and employees, we there held further that while
the employer's right may be conceded, the question of the allowance or disallowance thereof as
deductible expenses for income tax purposes is subject to determination by respondent Commissioner
of Internal Revenue. Thus: "As far as petitioner's contention that as employer it has the right to fix the
compensation of its officers and employees and that it was in the exercise of such right that it deemed
proper to pay the bonuses in question, all that We need say is this: that right may be conceded, but
for income tax purposes the employer cannot legally claim such bonuses as deductible expenses
unless they are shown to be reasonable. To hold otherwise would open the gate of rampant tax
evasion.
"Lastly, We must not lose sight of the fact that the question of allowing or disallowing as deductible
expenses the amounts paid to corporate officers by way of bonus is determined by respondent
exclusively for income tax purposes. Concededly, he has no authority to fix the amounts to be paid to
corporate officers by way of basic salary, bonus or additional remuneration a matter that lies more
or less exclusively within the sound discretion of the corporation itself. But this right of the corporation
is, of course, not absolute. It cannot exercise it for the purpose of evading payment of taxes
legitimately due to the State."

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CM HOSKINS VS.

HELD: NOT DEDUCTIBLE.

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