Hospital Corporation of America and Subsidiaries - Page 27

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          qualified banks use to determine the maximum amount they may add            
          to their reserves for bad debts.  Petitioners assert, and                   
          respondent does not dispute, that the experience method described           
          in section 585(b)(2) and section 1.585-2(c)(1), Income Tax Regs.,           
          is identical to the Black Motor formula.                                    
               Petitioners seemingly would have us conclude from the                  
          foregoing that the word "experience" in section 448(d)(5) has the           
          same meaning as the term "experience method" in section 585.  We,           
          however, do not agree that Congress' use of the word "experience"           
          in section 448(d)(5) necessarily shows congressional intent that            
          the Uncollectible Amount be calculated under the Black Motor                
          formula.  Indeed, we think that it is more probable that, if                
          Congress had intended the same formula to apply in section                  
          448(d)(5) and in section 585, then it would have specified that             
          the Uncollectible Amount be based on "the experience method" or             
          on "the Black Motor formula".  The use of the word "experience"             
          in section 448(d)(5) and the words "experience method" in section           
          585 may reasonably be viewed as an indication of two different              
          meanings.  Cf. Norfolk S. Corp. v. Commissioner, 104 T.C. 13, 38-           
          41 (1995).                                                                  
               In sum, we do not find that the statutory language manifests           
          congressional intent as to what method is to be employed to                 
          calculate the Uncollectible Amount, and we conclude that section            

          11  (...continued)                                                          





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