Prudential Overall Supply - Page 14




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               years.  Verified by the normal five year contract the                  
               garments * * * [are] priced so that the expense of                     
               obtaining the rental is recovered with a five year                     
               rental program.                                                        
               Dust control items, consisting of mats and mops, have                  
               also been shown to have a life of five years.  * * *                   
                                       OPINION                                        
               Although not explicitly stated in the notice of deficiency,            
          the deficiency amounts reflect adjustments that would require               
          petitioner to capitalize the cost of the garments and dust                  
          control items that it used in its industrial laundry business and           
          to depreciate the cost of the items over the useful lives that              
          were determined by respondent.                                              
               The issue presented is whether it was an abuse of                      
          respondent’s discretion, under section 446(b), to require                   
          petitioner to change its method of accounting.                              
               The term “methods of accounting” includes not only the                 
          overall method of accounting of the taxpayer but also the                   
          accounting treatment of any item.  Sec. 1.446-1(a)(1), Income Tax           
          Regs.  A correction to require depreciation in lieu of a                    
          deduction for the cost of a class of depreciable assets that had            
          been consistently treated as an expense involves the question of            
          the proper timing of an item and is to be treated as a change in            
          method of accounting.  Sec. 1.446-1(e)(2)(ii)(b), Income Tax                
          Regs.  Thus, respondent’s determination that petitioner must                
          capitalize the cost of the garments and dust control items                  






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