Law Commons^™

Taxation - Income Taxation Of Stock Dividends, Donald H. Larmee

Michigan Law Review

The petitioner purchased cumulative non-voting preferred stock in a corporation. In subsequent years the company elected to pay, and the petitioner received, dividends in common voting stock. Later the company redeemed its preferred stock. In computing the profit made by the petitioner at the time of redemption, the commissioner allocated to the common stock a proportionate share of the original cost of the preferred stock. He thereupon taxed as income the difference between the redemption figure and the allocated portion of the cost. The stockholder protested, claiming that the stock dividends should be treated as income in the years in …