-9- A prohibited transaction includes any direct or indirect sale or exchange, or leasing, of any property between a plan and a disqualified person. Sec. 4975(c)(1)(A). Section 4975(e)(1) defines "plan" as a trust described in section 401(a) which forms part of a plan. The parties stipulated that the Plan was a qualified plan and an exempt trust within the meaning of sections 401(a) and 501(a). A disqualified person includes a fiduciary, or an owner, direct or indirect, of 50 percent or more of the stock of a corporation whose employees are covered by the plan. Sec. 4975(e)(2)(A), (E). The parties stipulated that petitioner was a "disqualified person" with respect to the Plan, within the meaning of section 4975(e)(2). A disqualified person also includes an employer any of whose employees are covered by the plan. Sec. 4975(e)(2)(C). Therefore, the Corporation is a disqualified person within the meaning of section 4975(e)(2). The issue is whether the contribution of the accounts receivable to the Plan constituted a prohibited transaction under section 4975(c)(1). In Commissioner v. Keystone Consol. Indus., Inc., 508 U.S. 152, 158 (1993), the Supreme Court analyzed whether the transfer of property was a "sale or exchange" within the reach of section 4975(c)(1)(A). The Court held that section 4975(c)(1)(A) prohibits the transfer of property in satisfaction of an employer's obligation to fund a qualified defined benefit plan. Id. at 159. In construing section 4975(c)(1)(A), the Court accepted the already-settled meaning of the phrase "sale orPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011