Maschmeyer's Nursery Inc. - Page 20

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          there after his family moved to a different home in 1989.  No               
          evidence was offered from which we can properly infer any other             
          reason for this separation.6  That Maschmeyer served as                     
          petitioner’s president is beside the point.  His use of the                 
          residence was necessary to petitioner’s business as described               
          above.  We are satisfied that the residence was used in                     
          petitioner’s business for purposes of section 167.                          
               Respondent attaches great importance to the fact that the              
          improvements commenced immediately after Maschmeyer became sole             
          shareholder.  From this respondent infers that the improvements             
          were made to benefit Maschmeyer as a shareholder rather than as             
          an employee.  There is no support in the analogous cases,                   
          J. Grant Farms v. Commissioner, supra, and Johnson v.                       
          Commissioner, supra, for the proposition that because the farm              
          operators who lived on site were also sole owners of the                    
          corporation, the accommodations were being furnished to them in             
          their capacity as shareholders.  Inasmuch as Maschmeyer continued           
          throughout the taxable years at issue to perform the employment             
          duties for which the corporate residence was made available to              
          him, we find that any distinction between benefits he received as           
          an employee and benefits he received as a shareholder is not                


               6 We are not persuaded otherwise by the evidence that he is            
          currently in the process of obtaining a divorce.  We find that he           
          was required to live on petitioner’s property in order to                   
          discharge his responsibilities as manager of petitioner’s                   
          business.                                                                   




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