- 19 - were accounted for separately on the company's books, but were not placed in a separate bank account. In Seven-Up Co., the Commissioner contended that the excess of the amounts received by 7-Up over the advertising expenses incurred and paid constituted taxable income. In holding that the excess was not taxable, we stated: The payments made by the participating bottlers were not for services rendered or to be rendered by petitioner. Neither were they part of the purchase price of the extract. They did not, therefore, constitute earnings received by petitioner under a claim of right and without restriction as to disposition, which petitioner would have had to include in its gross income under the rule laid down in North American Oil Consolidated v. Burnet, 286 U.S. 417. While petitioner had the right to receive the bottlers' contributions under its agreements with them, all the facts and circumstances surrounding the transaction clearly indicate that it was the intention of all of the parties concerned that these contributions were to be used to acquire national advertising for the 7-Up bottled beverage and for that purpose only, and that petitioner was to be a conduit for passing on the funds contributed to the advertising agency which was to arrange for and supply the national advertising. * * * Although the funds were not all expended in the year received, for reasons set forth in our findings, petitioner did expend them for national advertising, did not use them for general corporate purposes, treated the amounts on hand in the fund on its books as a liability to the bottlers, and considered itself, as evidenced by its letter of May 2, 1944, to one of the participating bottlers, merely as a trustee, handling the bottlers' money. [Seven-Up Co. v. Commissioner, 14 T.C. at 977-978.] In Ford Dealers Advertising Fund, Inc. v. Commissioner, supra, the taxpayer received funds from franchised Ford Dealers in the Jacksonville, Florida, area to be expended for advertising and promotion. The advertising fund also operated a "car-locatorPage: Previous 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Next
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