- 161 - assuring the success of the corporation." Ross Glove Co. v. Commissioner, 60 T.C. 569, 591 (1973). As these statements demonstrate, particularly in cases involving closely held corporations, such as is present here, or one-man personal service corporations, there is a tension between the doctrine prohibiting the assignment of income and the recognition of a corporate business form as a separate legal entity from its owners. Moline Properties, Inc. v. Commissioner, 319 U.S. 436, 438-439 (1943). Here too, in resolving the issue of whether the individual or his wholly owned corporation is taxable on income earned through the performance of personal services, the primary focus is upon whether the individual or the corporation controls the earning of the income. Bagley v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. 663, 675 (1985), affd. 806 F.2d 169 (8th Cir. 1986); Johnson v. Commissioner, 78 T.C. 882, 890-891 (1982), affd. without published opinion 734 F.2d 20 (9th Cir. 1984); Leavell v. Commissioner, 104 T.C. 140 (1995). A two-prong test has been set forth by this Court in order for the wholly owned or closely held corporation, rather than the service-performer employee, to be considered responsible for the income. First, the service- performer employee must be an employee of the corporation whom the corporation has the right to direct or control in some meaningful sense; and, second, there must exist between thePage: Previous 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 Next
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