Canal Corporation and Subsidiaries, formerly Chesapeake Corporation and Subsidiaries v. Commissioner

CANAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES, FORMERLY

CHESAPEAKE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES,

PETITIONER v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL

REVENUE, RESPONDENT

Docket No. 14090–06. Filed August 5, 2010.

W, a wholly owned subsidiary of parent, P, proposed to

transfer its assets and most of its liabilities to a newly formed

LLC in which W and GP, an unrelated corporation, would

have ownership interests. P hired S, an investment bank, and

PWC, an accounting firm, to advise it on structuring the

transaction with GP. P also asked PWC to issue an opinion

on the tax consequences of the transaction and conditioned

the closing on receiving a ‘‘should’’ opinion from PWC that the

transaction qualified as tax free. PWC issued an opinion that

the transaction should not be treated as a taxable sale but

rather as a tax-free contribution of property to a partnership.

W contributed approximately two-thirds of the LLC’s total

assets in 1999 in exchange for a 5-percent interest in the LLC

and a special distribution of cash. W used a portion of the

cash to make a loan to P in return for a note from P. W’s only

assets after the transaction were its LLC interest, the note

from P and a corporate jet. The LLC obtained the funds for

the cash distribution by receiving a bank loan. GP guaranteed

the LLC’s obligation to repay the loan. W agreed to indemnify

GP if GP were called on to pay the principal of the bank loan

pursuant to its guaranty. The LLC thereafter borrowed funds

from a financial subsidiary of GP to retire the bank loan. GP

entered into a separate transaction in 2001 that required it to

divest its entire interest in the LLC for antitrust purposes. W

subsequently sold its LLC interest to GP, and GP then sold

the entire interest in the LLC to an unrelated party. P

reported gain from the sale on its consolidated Federal income

tax return for 2001. R determined that P should have

reported a gain when W contributed its assets to the LLC in

1999. R has also asserted a substantial understatement pen-

alty under sec. 6662(a), I.R.C., against P in his amended

answer.

199

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200 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

1. Held: W’s asset transfer to the LLC was a disguised sale

under sec. 707(a)(2)(B), I.R.C. P must include gain from the

sale on its consolidated Federal income tax return for 1999.

2. Held, further, P is liable for an accuracy-related penalty

for a substantial understatement of income tax under sec.

6662(a), I.R.C.

Clifton B. Cates III, Robert H. Wellen, and David D. Sher-

wood, for petitioner.

Curt M. Rubin, Matthew I. Root, and Steven N. Balahtsis,

for respondent.

KROUPA, Judge: Respondent determined a $183,458,981 1

deficiency in petitioner’s (Chesapeake) 2 Federal income tax

for 1999, the year at issue. Respondent asserts in his

amended answer that Chesapeake owes a $36,691,796

substantial understatement of income tax penalty under sec-

tion 6662(a) 3 for 1999. We must determine whether Chesa-

peake’s subsidiary’s contribution of its assets and most of its

liabilities to a newly formed limited liability company and

the simultaneous receipt of a $755 million distribution

should be characterized as a disguised sale, requiring Chesa-

peake to recognize a $524 million gain in 1999, the year of

contribution and distribution. We hold that the transaction

was a disguised sale, requiring Chesapeake to recognize the

gain. We must also determine whether Chesapeake is liable

for the substantial understatement penalty under section

6662(a). We hold Chesapeake is liable for the penalty.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.

We incorporate the stipulation of facts and the accompanying

exhibits by this reference. Chesapeake’s principal place of

business at the time it filed the petition was Richmond, Vir-

ginia.

Background of Chesapeake and WISCO

Chesapeake is a Virginia corporation organized as a cor-

rugated paper company in 1918. Chesapeake’s business has

1 All

monetary amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

2 ChesapeakeCorporation changed its name to Canal Corporation in June 2009. We refer to

the corporation as Chesapeake in this Opinion.

3 All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code (Code), and all Rule references are

to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, unless otherwise indicated.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 201

expanded over time into several paper industry segments,

including merchandising and specialty packaging, tissue, and

forest and land development. Chesapeake eventually became

a publicly traded company and served as the common parent

of a group of subsidiary corporations filing consolidated Fed-

eral income tax returns. Each subsidiary managed its own

assets and liabilities. Chesapeake received dividends from

the subsidiaries and made loans to the subsidiaries as

needed.

Chesapeake’s largest subsidiary was Wisconsin Tissue

Mills, Inc. (WISCO). Chesapeake purchased WISCO’s stock from

Philip Morris in 1985 in a leveraged buyout transaction.

WISCO manufactured commercial tissue paper products,

including napkins, table covers, towels, place mats, wipes,

and facial and bathroom tissue. WISCO sold its products to

commercial and industrial businesses such as restaurants,

hotels, schools, offices, hospitals, and airlines. WISCO

accounted for 46 percent of Chesapeake’s sales and 94 per-

cent of Chesapeake’s earnings before interest and tax for

1998. Chesapeake and WISCO shared most of the same execu-

tive officers.

WISCO incurred significant environmental liabilities during

the 1950s and 1960s. The Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) determined that a mill WISCO operated contaminated

the Fox River in Wisconsin with polychlorinated biphenyls

(PCBs). The EPA designated the Fox River area as a Super-

fund site and held five companies, including WISCO, involved

in the contamination jointly and severally liable for the

cleanup costs (Fox River liability). Philip Morris indemnified

Chesapeake for any Fox River liability costs up to the pur-

chase price of WISCO. Approximately $120 million of the

Phillip Morris indemnity remains. Chesapeake also pur-

chased $100 million of environmental remediation insurance

to pay costs beyond those covered by the indemnity. Chesa-

peake’s management estimated that WISCO’s remaining Fox

River liability costs varied between $60 million and $70 mil-

lion in 1999. In addition to the Fox River liability, WISCO and

other Chesapeake subsidiaries also guaranteed a $450 mil-

lion credit facility enabling Chesapeake to acquire another

company in 2000.

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202 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

Tissue Business

Tissue is a capital intensive commodities business, and

only the largest companies have the ability to make the

investment needed to compete in the industry. In the late

1990s, the tissue business experienced much consolidation.

Fort Howard Corporation merged with James River Corpora-

tion to form Fort James Corporation. Kimberly-Clark Cor-

poration purchased Scott Paper Company. These consolida-

tions put smaller tissue businesses at a strategic disadvan-

tage.

Chesapeake, through WISCO and Chesapeake’s Mexican

subsidiary, Wisconsin Tissue de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

(WISMEX), was a second tier player in the tissue industry.

Chesapeake sold its retail tissue business to the Fonda

Group, Inc. in 1995. WISCO and WISMEX serviced only

commercial accounts and lacked the large timber bases

needed to support a retail business. Chesapeake had only

two paper mills, one in Wisconsin and one in Arizona, and

thus was at a significant logistical disadvantage in servicing

the Southeast and Northeast.

Restructuring of Chesapeake

Chesapeake hired Tom Johnson as its chief executive

officer and chairman in 1997. Mr. Johnson sought to restruc-

ture Chesapeake. He wanted to move Chesapeake away from

its historic commodity products business and focus on spe-

cialty packaging and merchandising services. Chesapeake’s

speciality packaging business involved producing high-value

custom packaging for such goods as perfume, liquor and

pharmaceuticals. To that end, Chesapeake sold certain

assets, including a mill, corrugated box plants, a building

products business and substantial land. Chesapeake acquired

other businesses and assets to further its specialty packaging

business.

Commercial tissue did not fit the new specialty packaging

strategy. Chesapeake examined several options for the future

direction of WISCO’s tissue business. Chesapeake considered

maintaining the status quo. Management concluded, how-

ever, that WISCO would be too small to compete. Management

further determined that internal expansion would be too dif-

ficult and costly. Management also considered selling Chesa-

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 203

peake and all its subsidiaries. Management surmised that no

one would buy all the diverse subsidiary businesses for an

acceptable price.

Pete Correll, chief executive officer of Georgia Pacific (GP),

made overtures to Mr. Johnson regarding GP purchasing

WISCO. GP’s primary business was the manufacture and dis-

tribution of building products, timber, and paper products.

GP also had a small profitable tissue business that accounted

for 5 to 6 percent of its total sales. GP wanted to expand its

tissue business but questioned whether GP’s business could

grow internally. GP viewed the purchase of WISCO as a stra-

tegic piece in advancing its tissue business.

Chesapeake considered selling WISCO to generate capital

for Chesapeake’s new specialty packaging business. Given

Chesapeake’s low tax basis in WISCO, however, the after-tax

proceeds would have been low compared to the pre-tax pro-

ceeds. This tax differential caused Chesapeake to decide a

direct sale of WISCO would not be advantageous.

Chesapeake thereafter engaged Salomon Smith Barney

(Salomon) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to explore stra-

tegic alternatives for the tissue business. Salomon rec-

ommended to Chesapeake’s management that the best alter-

native for maximizing shareholder value would be a

leveraged partnership structure with GP. 4 The leveraged

partnership structure required WISCO to first transfer its

tissue business assets to a joint venture. GP would then

transfer its tissue business assets to the joint venture. Next,

the joint venture would borrow funds from a third party and

distribute the proceeds to Chesapeake (special distribution).

Chesapeake would guarantee the third-party debt through a

subsidiary. WISCO would hold a minority interest in the joint

venture after the distribution, and GP would hold a majority

interest. Salomon presented the leveraged partnership struc-

ture as tax advantageous to Chesapeake because it would

allow Chesapeake to get cash out of the business yet still

protect Chesapeake from recognizing a gain when the part-

nership distributed to Chesapeake the proceeds from the

third-party loan.

4 Salomon referred to the leveraged partnership deal as ‘‘Project Odyssey’’ after Homer’s ‘‘The

Odyssey’’ and identified Chesapeake as ‘‘Calypso’’ and GP as ‘‘Zeus.’’

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204 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

Chesapeake’s board liked the leveraged partnership idea

and thought GP seemed like a good fit as a partner. Chesa-

peake made clear to PWC and Salomon that the asset transfer

and special distribution had to be nontaxable for it to

approve the transaction. Tax deferral enabled Chesapeake to

accept a lower price.

GP’s executives accepted the leveraged partnership struc-

ture to expand its tissue business. GP did not have any

interest in Chesapeake receiving a tax deferral. GP recog-

nized, however, that it was a necessary part of bridging the

purchase price gap. Chesapeake agreed to a lower up-front

valuation of WISCO, 5 $775 million, because of the tax deferral

benefit.

PWC assisted Salomon in negotiating and structuring the

joint venture. PWC examined the transaction from both an

accounting and a tax perspective. PWC had served as Chesa-

peake’s auditor and tax preparer for many years. Donald

Compton (Mr. Compton), a partner in PWC’s Richmond office,

managed the Chesapeake account and had given Chesapeake

advice on different tax matters in the past. David Miller (Mr.

Miller) 6 worked with Mr. Compton on the Chesapeake and

GP joint venture. PWC advised that Chesapeake did not need

to guarantee the debt but needed only to provide an indem-

nity to the guarantor to defer tax. PWC also determined that

the transaction should be treated as a sale for accounting

purposes. Mr. Miller helped structure the indemnity agree-

ment and aided in writing the partnership agreement.

Indemnity Agreement

GP agreed to guarantee the joint venture’s debt and did

not require Chesapeake to execute an indemnity. Mr. Miller

advised Chesapeake, however, that an indemnity was

required to defer tax on the transaction. Chesapeake’s execu-

tives wanted to make the indemnity an obligation of WISCO

rather than Chesapeake to limit the economic risk to WISCO’s

assets, not the assets of Chesapeake. The parties to the

transaction agreed that GP would guarantee the joint ven-

5 Salomon

had valued WISCO between $800 and $900 million in 1998.

6 Mr.

Miller is a licensed attorney. He practiced law with the law firm Jenkens & Gilchrist

before joining Coopers & Lybrand’s, now PWC’s, Washington National Tax practice in 1996. He

was not a practicing attorney at the time he gave the legal opinion here.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 205

ture’s debt and that WISCO would serve as the indemnitor of

GP’s guaranty.

WISCO attempted to limit the circumstances in which it

would be called upon to pay the indemnity. First, the indem-

nity obligation covered only the principal of the joint ven-

ture’s debt, due in 30 years, not interest. Next, Chesapeake

and GP agreed that GP had to first proceed against the joint

venture’s assets before demanding indemnification from

WISCO. The agreement also provided that WISCO would

receive a proportionately increased interest in the joint ven-

ture if WISCO had to make a payment under the indemnity

obligation.

No provision of the indemnity obligation mandated that

WISCO maintain a certain net worth. Mr. Miller determined

that WISCO had to maintain a net worth of $151 million to

avoid taxation on the transaction. GP was aware that

WISCO’s assets other than its interest in the joint venture

were limited. GP nonetheless accepted the deal and never

invoked the indemnity obligation.

Joint Venture Agreement

Chesapeake, WISCO, and GP executed the joint venture

agreement. The two members (partners) 7 of the joint venture

were WISCO and GP. The agreement provided that GP would

reimburse WISCO for any tax cost WISCO might incur if GP

were to buy out WISCO’s interest in the joint venture.

PWC Tax Opinion

Chesapeake hired PWC to issue an opinion on the trans-

action’s Federal tax implications. In fact, Chesapeake condi-

tioned the transaction’s closing upon PWC’s issuing a ‘‘should’’

tax opinion. Instead of Mr. Compton, the PWC partner with

the long-term relationship to Chesapeake, PWC assigned Mr.

Miller to write the opinion. In effect, Mr. Miller’s job was to

review the transaction he helped structure. Mr. Miller

considered three issues: (1) whether the joint venture quali-

fied as a partnership for tax purposes, (2) whether WISCO was

a partner in the joint venture, and (3) whether the distribu-

7 We use the terms ‘‘partners,’’ ‘‘partnership,’’ and ‘‘LLC’’ for narrative convenience only as

these are the terms used by the parties to the transaction. No inference should be drawn from

our use of such terms regarding any legal status or relationship.

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206 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

tion to Chesapeake should be treated as part of a sale or

qualifies under the debt-financed distribution exception.

Chesapeake agreed to pay PWC an $800,000 fixed fee for

issuing the opinion. The payment did not depend on time

spent or expenses incurred by PWC. A letter PWC sent to

Chesapeake stated that PWC would bill Chesapeake ‘‘at the

closing of the joint venture financing.’’ Chesapeake’s board

informed Mr. Miller that as a condition to closing the trans-

action PWC would need to issue the opinion that the special

distribution should not be currently taxable. A ‘‘should’’

opinion is the highest level of comfort PWC offers to a client

regarding whether the position taken by a taxpayer will suc-

ceed on the merits.

Mr. Miller and his PWC team reviewed the transaction’s

structure and approved each item that could affect the tax

consequences. Mr. Miller crafted an ‘‘all or nothing’’ test for

allocating the joint venture debt. Either all the liability

would be allocated to WISCO or none of it would. Mr. Miller

reasoned that the transaction would not be characterized as

a sale provided the entire liability was allocated to WISCO.

Mr. Miller found no legal authority for such a test. He cre-

ated the test using his own analysis of then existing rulings

and procedures.

Mr. Miller based his opinion on WISCO’s indemnification of

GP’s guaranty being respected. Mr. Miller assumed that

WISCO had the ultimate legal liability for the full amount of

the debt if the joint venture became wholly worthless. Mr.

Miller concluded that WISCO could defer gain until it sold its

remaining assets, paid off the debt, or sold its partnership

interest. Mr. Miller advised that WISCO maintain assets of at

least 20 percent of its maximum exposure under the indem-

nity. Mr. Miller did not have direct authority requiring this

percentage. He merely made this determination based on

Rev. Proc. 89–12, 1989–1 C.B. 798, which was declared obso-

lete by Rev. Rul. 2003–99, 2003–2 C.B. 388. 8 Moreover, Rev.

Proc. 89–12, supra, makes no reference to allocation of part-

nership liabilities.

8 Rev. Proc. 89–12, sec. 4.07, 1989–1 C.B. 798, 801, states that the Internal Revenue Service

will generally rule that an organization lacks limited liability if the net worth of the corporate

general partners equals at least 10 percent of the total contributions to the limited partnership

and is expected to continue to equal at least 10 percent throughout the life of the partnership.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 207

Chesapeake also sought to transfer the assets of WISMEX to

the joint venture. PWC informed Chesapeake that neither the

United States nor Mexico could tax (1) the transfer of

WISMEX’s assets to WISCO or (2) the asset transfer from WISCO

to the joint venture. Chesapeake caused WISMEX to transfer

its assets to WISCO as advised by PWC.

Mr. Miller wrote and signed the ‘‘should’’ opinion before

issuing it to Chesapeake. The parties effected the transaction

on the same day PWC issued the ‘‘should’’ opinion.

The Transaction

GP and WISCO formed Georgia-Pacific Tissue LLC (LLC) as

the vehicle for the joint venture. GP and WISCO treated the

LLC as a partnership for tax purposes. Both partners contrib-

uted the assets of their respective tissue businesses to the

LLC. GP transferred to the LLC its tissue business assets with

an agreed value of $376.4 million in exchange for a 95-per-

cent interest in the LLC. WISCO contributed to the LLC all of

the assets of its tissue business with an agreed value of $775

million in exchange for a 5-percent interest in the LLC. The

LLC borrowed $755.2 million from Bank of America (BOA) on

the same day it received the contributions from GP and

WISCO. The LLC immediately transferred the loan proceeds to

Chesapeake’s bank account 9 as a special cash distribution. 10

GP guaranteed payment of the BOA loan, and WISCO agreed

to indemnify GP for any principal payments GP might have

to make under its guaranty.

The LLC had approximately $400 million in net worth

based on the parties’ combined initial contribution of assets

($1.151 billion) less the BOA loan ($755.2 million), and it had

a debt to equity ratio of around 2 to 1. The LLC assumed

most of WISCO’s liabilities but did not assume WISCO’s Fox

River liability. Chesapeake and WISCO both indemnified GP

and held it harmless for any costs and claims that it might

incur with respect to any retained liabilities of WISCO,

including the Fox River liability.

WISCO used a portion of the funds from the special distribu-

tion to repay an intercompany loan to Cary Street, Chesa-

peake’s finance subsidiary. WISCO also used portions of the

9 Chesapeakemaintained the bank accounts for its subsidiaries.

10 The

value of WISCO’s assets contributed ($775 million) less the distribution ($755.2 million)

equals the initial value of WISCO’s 5-percent LLC interest ($19.8 million).

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208 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

funds to pay a dividend to Chesapeake, repay amounts owed

to Chesapeake and lend $151.05 million to Chesapeake in

exchange for a note (intercompany note). The intercompany

note was a 5-year note with an 8-percent interest rate.

Chesapeake used the loan proceeds to repay debt, repurchase

stock and purchase additional specialty packaging assets.

WISCO’s assets following the transaction included the inter-

company note with a face value of $151 million and a cor-

porate jet worth approximately $6 million. WISCO had a net

worth, excluding its LLC interest, of approximately $157 mil-

lion. This represented 21 percent of its maximum exposure

on the indemnity. WISCO remained subject to the Fox River

liability.

Refinancing the Debt

The LLC refinanced the BOA loan in two parts soon after

the transaction closed. First, the LLC borrowed approximately

$491 million from a GP subsidiary, Georgia-Pacific Finance

LLC (GP Finance) to partially retire the BOA loan. This trans-

action occurred about a month after the closing date. Then

the LLC borrowed $263 million from GP Finance the following

year to repay the balance on the BOA loan.

The GP Finance loans had terms similar to those of the

BOA loans. GP executed a substantially identical guaranty in

favor of the new lender, and WISCO executed a substantially

identical indemnity obligation. PWC issued another opinion

finding that the refinancing was tax free as well.

Characterization of the Transaction for Tax and Non-Tax

Purposes

Chesapeake timely filed a consolidated Federal tax return

for 1999. Chesapeake disclosed the transaction on Schedule

M of the return and reported $377,092,299 book gain but no

corresponding tax gain. Chesapeake treated the special dis-

tribution as non-taxable on the theory that it was a debt-

financed transfer of consideration, not the proceeds of a sale.

Unlike its treatment for tax purposes, Chesapeake treated

the transaction as a sale for financial accounting purposes.

Chesapeake did not treat the indemnity obligation as a

liability for accounting purposes because Chesapeake deter-

mined that there was no more than a remote chance the

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 209

indemnity would be triggered. Despite Chesapeake’s

characterization for tax purposes, PWC and Salomon each

referred to the transaction as a sale.

Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and stock analysts also treated

the transaction as a sale. Chesapeake executives represented

to Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s that the only risk associ-

ated with the transaction came not from WISCO’s agreement

to indemnify GP but from the tax risk. Moody’s downgraded

Chesapeake after the announced joint venture because of

Chesapeake’s readjusted focus, the monetization of WISCO,

and the resulting loss of operating income. Standard & Poor’s

kept its rating of Chesapeake the same because Chesapeake

generated significant cash by divesting itself of WISCO for

$755 million and of its timberlands for $186 million.

End of the Joint Venture

The joint venture operated for only a full year. It ended in

2001 when GP sought to acquire the Fort James Corporation.

The Department of Justice required GP to sell its LLC

interest for antitrust purposes. GP contacted Svenska

Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), a Swedish company, about pur-

chasing its LLC interest. SCA informed GP that it was

interested in purchasing only the entire LLC, not just

GP’s interest in the LLC. Therefore, GP needed to buy

WISCO’s interest in the joint venture. WISCO agreed to sell its

minority interest in the LLC to GP for $41 million, which rep-

resented a gain of $21.2 million from its initial valuation of

$19.8 million. GP also paid Chesapeake $196 million to com-

pensate Chesapeake for any loss of tax deferral. WISCO

declared a $166,080,510 dividend to Chesapeake payable by

cancelling Chesapeake’s promissory note in 2001.

Chesapeake reported a $524 million capital gain on its

consolidated Federal tax return for 2001. Chesapeake deter-

mined that the termination of the indemnity resulted in

WISCO receiving a deemed distribution under section 752.

Chesapeake also reported the $196 million tax cost payment

it received from GP as ordinary income on its consolidated

Federal tax return for 2001.

Respondent issued Chesapeake the deficiency notice for

1999. In the deficiency notice, respondent determined the

joint venture transaction to be a disguised sale that produced

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210 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

$524 million of capital gain includable in Chesapeake’s

consolidated income for 1999. Chesapeake timely filed a peti-

tion. Respondent asserted in an amended answer a

$36,691,796 accuracy-related penalty under section 6662 for

substantial understatement of income tax.

OPINION

We are asked to decide whether the joint venture trans-

action constituted a taxable sale. Respondent argues that

Chesapeake structured the transaction to defer $524 million

of capital gain for a period of 30 years or more. Specifically,

respondent contends that WISCO did not bear any economic

risk of loss when it entered the joint venture agreement

because the anti-abuse rule disregards WISCO’s obligation to

indemnify GP. See sec. 1.752–2(j), Income Tax Regs.

Respondent concludes that the transaction should be treated

as a taxable disguised sale.

Chesapeake asserts that the transaction should not be

recast as a sale. Instead, Chesapeake argues that the anti-

abuse rule does not disregard WISCO’s indemnity and that the

LLC’s distribution of cash to WISCO comes within the excep-

tion for debt-financed transfers. We disagree and begin with

the general rules on disguised sales.

I. Disguised Sale Transactions

The Code provides generally that partners may contribute

capital to a partnership tax free and may receive a tax free

return of previously taxed profits through distributions. See

secs. 721, 731. 11 These nonrecognition rules do not apply,

however, where the transaction is found to be a disguised

sale of property. See sec. 707(a)(2)(B). 12

A disguised sale may occur when a partner contributes

property to a partnership and soon thereafter receives a dis-

tribution of money or other consideration from the partner-

11 Sec. 731 concerns distributions to a partner acting in his capacity as a partner. Neither

party asserts that sec. 731 applies in this case. Moreover, sec. 731 does not apply if a partner

contributes property to a partnership and the partnership distributes property to the partner

within a short period to effect an exchange of property between two or more partners or between

the partnership and a partner. Sec. 1.731–1(c)(3), Income Tax Regs. We will not therefore con-

sider the effect of sec. 731 on the transaction. See sec. 1.707–1(a), Income Tax Regs.

12 Transfers described in sec. 707(a)(2)(B) are treated as occurring between a partnership and

a non-partner or partner acting outside his capacity as a member of the partnership. Sec.

707(a)(1), (2)(B).

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 211

ship. Id. A transaction may be deemed a sale if, based on all

the facts and circumstances, the partnership’s distribution of

money or other consideration to the partner would not have

been made but for the partner’s transfer of the property. Sec.

1.707–3(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. (emphasis added). Such con-

tribution and distribution transactions that occur within two

years of one another are presumed to effect a sale unless the

facts and circumstances clearly establish otherwise (the 2-

year presumption). Sec. 1.707–3(c)(1), Income Tax Regs.

Here, WISCO transferred its assets with an agreed value of

$775 million to the LLC and simultaneously received a cash

distribution of $755.2 million. After the transfer and distribu-

tion, WISCO had a 5-percent interest in the LLC. Its assets

included only its interest in the LLC, the intercompany note

and the jet. We therefore view the transactions together and

presume a sale under the disguised sale rules unless the

facts and circumstances dictate otherwise.

Chesapeake contends that the special distribution was not

part of a disguised sale. Instead, it was a debt-financed

transfer of consideration, an exception to the disguised sale

rules. See sec. 1.707–5(b), Income Tax Regs. Chesapeake

argues that the debt-financed transfer of consideration excep-

tion to the disguised sale rules limits the applicability of the

disguised sale rules and the 2-year presumption in this case.

A. Debt-Financed Transfer of Consideration

We now turn to the debt-financed transfer of consideration

exception to the disguised sale rules. The regulations except

certain debt-financed distributions in determining whether a

partner received ‘‘money or other consideration’’ for disguised

sale purposes. 13 See id. A distribution financed from the pro-

ceeds of a partnership liability may be taken into account for

disguised sale purposes to the extent the distribution exceeds

the distributee partner’s allocable share of the partnership

liability. See sec. 1.707–5(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. Respondent

argues that the entire distribution from the LLC to WISCO

should be taken into account for purposes of determining a

disguised sale because WISCO did not bear any of the allo-

cable share of the LLC’s liability to finance the distribution.

13 A distribution qualifies as a debt-financed transfer if it meets certain requirements. See sec.

1.707–5(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. We consider only the requirements at issue.

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212 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

We turn now to whether WISCO had any allocable share of

the LLC’s liability to determine whether the transaction fits

within the exception.

B. Partner’s Allocable Share of Liability 14

In general a partner’s share of a recourse partnership

liability equals the portion of that liability, if any, for which

the partner bears the economic risk of loss. See sec. 1.752–

1(a)(1), Income Tax Regs. A partner bears the economic risk

of loss to the extent that the partner would be obligated to

make an unreimbursable payment to any person (or con-

tribute to the partnership) if the partnership were construc-

tively liquidated and the liability became due and payable.

Sec. 1.752–2(b)(1), Income Tax Regs.; see IPO II v. Commis-

sioner, 122 T.C. 295, 300–301 (2004). Chesapeake contends

that WISCO’s indemnity of GP’s guaranty imposes on WISCO

the economic risk of loss for the LLC debt. Respondent con-

cedes that an indemnity agreement generally is recognized as

an obligation under the regulations. Respondent asserts,

however, that WISCO’s agreement should be disregarded

under the anti-abuse rule for allocation of partnership debt.

C. Anti-Abuse Rule

Chesapeake counters that WISCO was legally obligated to

indemnify GP under the indemnity agreement and therefore

WISCO should be allocated the entire economic risk of loss of

the LLC’s liability. We assume that all partners having an

obligation to make payments on a recourse debt actually per-

form those obligations, irrespective of net worth, to ascertain

the economic risk of loss unless the facts and circumstances

indicate a plan to circumvent or avoid the obligation. Sec.

1.752–2(b)(6), Income Tax Regs. The anti-abuse rule provides

that a partner’s obligation to make a payment may be dis-

regarded if (1) the facts and circumstances indicate that a

principal purpose of the arrangement between the parties is

14 A partner’s allocable share of a partnership’s recourse liability equals the partner’s share

of liability pursuant to sec. 752 and its regulations, multiplied by a fraction of which the numer-

ator is the portion of the liability that is allocable to the distribution under sec. 1.163–8T, Tem-

porary Income Tax Regs., 52 Fed. Reg. 24999 (July 2, 1987), and the denominator is the total

amount of the liability. See secs. 1.707–5(b)(2)(i), 1.752–1(a)(1), 1.752–2, Income Tax Regs. The

parties agree that the LLC’s liability to BOA was recourse. The parties do not dispute that the

special distribution to WISCO and the BOA loan were both $755.2 million. We need only deter-

mine WISCO’s share of the LLC’s liability under sec. 752 and its regulations.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 213

to eliminate the partner’s risk of loss or to create a facade

of the partner’s bearing the economic risk of loss with respect

to the obligation, or (2) the facts and circumstances of the

transaction evidence a plan to circumvent or avoid the

obligation. See sec. 1.752–2(j)(1), (3), Income Tax Regs. Given

these two tests, we must review the facts and circumstances

to determine whether WISCO’s indemnity agreement may be

disregarded as a guise to cloak WISCO with an obligation for

which it bore no actual economic risk of loss. See IPO II v.

Commissioner, supra at 300–301.

1. Purpose of the Indemnity Agreement

We first consider the indemnity agreement. The parties

agreed that WISCO would indemnify GP in the event GP

made payment on its guaranty of the LLC’s $755.2 million

debt. GP did not require the indemnity, and no provision of

the indemnity mandated that WISCO maintain a certain net

worth. WISCO was chosen as the indemnitor, rather than

Chesapeake, after PWC advised Chesapeake’s executives that

WISCO’s indemnity would not only allow Chesapeake to defer

tax on the transaction, but would also cause the economic

risk of loss to be borne only by WISCO’s assets, not Chesa-

peake’s. Moreover, the contractual provisions reduced the

likelihood of GP invoking the indemnity against WISCO. The

indemnity covered only the loan’s principal, not interest. In

addition, GP would first have to proceed against the LLC’s

assets before demanding indemnification from WISCO. In the

unlikely event WISCO had to pay on the indemnity, WISCO

would receive an increased interest in the LLC proportionate

to any payment made under the indemnity. We find compel-

ling that a Chesapeake executive represented to Moody’s and

Standard & Poor’s that the only risk associated with the

transaction was the tax risk. We are left with no other

conclusion than that Chesapeake crafted the indemnity

agreement to limit any potential liability to WISCO’s assets.

2. WISCO’s Assets and Liabilities

We now focus on whether WISCO had sufficient assets to

cover the indemnity regardless of how remote the possibility

it would have to pay. Chesapeake maintains that WISCO had

sufficient assets to cover the indemnity agreement. WISCO

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214 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

contributed almost all of its assets to the LLC and received

a special distribution and a 5-percent interest in the LLC.

Moreover, Chesapeake contends that WISCO did not need to

have a net worth covering the full amount of its obligations

with respect to the LLC’s debt. See sec. 1.752–2(b)(6), Income

Tax Regs. WISCO’s assets after the transfer to the LLC

included the $151.05 million intercompany note and the $6

million jet. WISCO had a net worth, excluding its LLC interest,

of approximately $157 million or 21 percent of the maximum

exposure on the indemnity. The value of WISCO’s LLC interest

would have been zero if the indemnity were exercised

because the agreement required GP to proceed and exhaust

its remedies against the LLC’s assets before seeking indem-

nification from WISCO.

We may agree with Chesapeake that no Code or regulation

provision requires WISCO to have assets covering the full

indemnity amount. We note, however, that a partner’s obliga-

tion may be disregarded if undertaken in an arrangement to

create the appearance of the partner’s bearing the economic

risk of loss when the substance of the arrangement is in fact

otherwise. See sec. 1.752–2(j)(1), Income Tax Regs. WISCO’s

principal asset after the transfer was the intercompany note.

The indemnity agreement did not require WISCO to retain

this note or any other asset. Further, Chesapeake and its

management had full and absolute control of WISCO. Nothing

restricted Chesapeake from canceling the note at its discre-

tion at any time to reduce the asset level of WISCO to zero.

In fact WISCO’s board, which included many Chesapeake

executives, did cancel the note and issued an intercompany

dividend to Chesapeake in 2001. We find WISCO’s intercom-

pany note served to create merely the appearance, rather

than the reality, of economic risk for a portion of the LLC

debt.

In addition, WISCO remained subject to the Fox River

liability, and WISCO and other Chesapeake subsidiaries

guaranteed a $450 million credit line obtained by Chesa-

peake in 2000. This guaranty and the Fox River liability fur-

ther reduced WISCO’s net worth. GP neither asked for nor

received any assurances that WISCO would not further

encumber its assets. We find that WISCO’s agreement to

indemnify GP’s guaranty lacked economic substance and

afforded no real protection to GP.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 215

3. Anti-Abuse Rule Illustration

Chesapeake seeks to distinguish the transaction in this

case from the transaction illustrated in the anti-abuse rule.

See sec. 1.752–2(j)(4), Income Tax Regs. (illustrating when

payment obligations may be disregarded). The illustration

considers a consolidated group of corporations that use a

thinly capitalized subsidiary as a partner in a general part-

nership with a recourse debt payment guaranteed by the

other partner. The circumstances are deemed indicative of a

plan enabling the corporate group to enjoy the losses gen-

erated by the partnership’s property while avoiding the

subsidiary’s obligation to restore any deficit in its capital

account. Chesapeake argues WISCO was not a newly-created

entity, as was the subsidiary in the illustration, but had been

in business before the transaction. We find WISCO’s preexis-

tence insufficient to distinguish this transaction from the

illustration.

A thinly capitalized subsidiary with no business operations

and no real assets cannot be used to shield a parent corpora-

tion with significant assets from being taxed on a deemed

sale. Chesapeake intentionally used WISCO, rather than itself,

to limit its exposure under the indemnity agreement. It fur-

ther limited its exposure only to the assets of WISCO. We

refuse to interpret the illustration to provide additional

protection. Moreover, this appears to be a concerted plan to

drain WISCO of assets and leave WISCO incapable, as a prac-

tical matter, of covering more than a small fraction of its

obligation to indemnify GP. We find this analogous to the

illustration because in both cases the true economic burden

of the partnership debt is borne by the other partner as guar-

antor. Accordingly, we do not find that the anti-abuse rule

illustration extricates Chesapeake, but rather it dem-

onstrates what Chesapeake strove to accomplish.

4. Rev. Proc. 89–12 Does Not Apply to Anti-Abuse Rule

Chesapeake also argues that it would be found to bear the

economic risk of loss if the Court would apply a 10-percent

net worth requirement. In so arguing, Chesapeake relies on

Rev. Proc. 89–12, 1989–1 C.B. 798, which stated that a lim-

ited partnership would be deemed to lack limited liability for

advance ruling purposes if a corporate general partner of the

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216 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

partnership had a net worth equaling 10 percent or more of

the total contributions to the partnership. We decline Chesa-

peake’s invitation to extend the 10-percent net worth test.

Requirements for advance ruling purposes have no bearing

on whether a partner will be treated as bearing the economic

risk of loss for a partnership’s liability. There are no mechan-

ical tests. The anti-abuse rule mandates that we consider the

facts and circumstances. We decline to establish a bright-line

percentage test to determine whether WISCO bore the eco-

nomic risk of loss with respect to the LLC’s liability.

5. Speculative Fraudulent Conveyance Claims

Chesapeake argues alternatively that WISCO bore the eco-

nomic risk of loss because GP had a right to make fraudulent

conveyance claims against Chesapeake and Chesapeake’s

financial subsidiary Cary Street. Chesapeake contends that

such potential claims exposed WISCO to a risk of loss in

excess of WISCO’s net worth. This argument is flawed on

many points. First, a fraudulent conveyance is simply a

cause of action, not an obligation. See La Rue v. Commis-

sioner, 90 T.C. 465, 478–480 (1988); see also Long v.

Commissioner, 71 T.C. 1, 7–8 (1978), supplemented by 71

T.C. 724 (1979), affd. in part and remanded on other grounds

660 F.2d 416 (10th Cir. 1981). The Court may consider

obligations only in allocating recourse liabilities of a partner-

ship. See sec. 1.752–2(b)(3), Income Tax Regs. Next, Chesa-

peake’s fraudulent conveyance argument connotes that

Chesapeake engaged in a plan to circumvent or avoid the

obligation. This argument completely undercuts and over-

rides Chesapeake’s attempt to create an obligation on behalf

of Chesapeake and Cary Street. Finally, we would render the

anti-abuse rule meaningless by creating an automatic excep-

tion for speculative fraudulent conveyance claims. Accord-

ingly, we reject this argument.

We have carefully considered the facts and circumstances

and find that the indemnity agreement should be dis-

regarded because it created no more than a remote possi-

bility that WISCO would actually be liable for payment.

Chesapeake used the indemnity to create the appearance

that WISCO bore the economic risk of loss for the LLC debt

when in substance the risk was borne by GP. We find that

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 217

WISCO had no economic risk of loss and should not be allo-

cated any part of the debt incurred by the LLC.

Consequently, the distribution of cash to WISCO does not fit

within the debt-financed transfer exception to the disguised

sale rules. Instead, we find Chesapeake has failed to rebut

the 2-year presumption. The facts and circumstances evince

a disguised sale. Accordingly, we conclude that WISCO sold its

business assets to GP in 1999, the year it contributed the

assets to the LLC, not the year it liquidated its LLC interest.

II. Whether Chesapeake Is Liable for an Accuracy-Related

Penalty Under Section 6662(a)

We now turn to respondent’s determination that Chesa-

peake is liable for the accuracy-related penalty under section

6662(a) and (b)(2) for a substantial understatement of income

tax. Respondent bears the burden of proof for a penalty

asserted in an amended answer. See Rule 142(a).

A substantial understatement of income tax exists for a

corporation if the amount of the understatement exceeds the

greater of 10 percent of the tax required to be shown on the

return, or $10,000. Sec. 6662(d)(1); sec. 1.6662–4(b)(1),

Income Tax Regs. Chesapeake’s correct tax for 1999 is

$217,576,519, which includes the $183,458,981 deficiency

determined in the deficiency notice. Respondent has estab-

lished the understatement of income tax is substantial as it

exceeds both 10 percent of the correct tax ($21,757,651) and

$10,000.

The accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a) does

not apply, however, to any portion of an underpayment if a

taxpayer shows that there was reasonable cause for, and that

the taxpayer acted in good faith with respect to, that portion.

Sec. 6664(c)(1); sec. 1.6664–4(a), Income Tax Regs. We con-

sider the pertinent facts and circumstances, including the

taxpayer’s efforts to assess his or her proper tax liability, the

taxpayer’s knowledge and experience and the reliance on the

advice of a professional in determining whether the taxpayer

acted with reasonable cause and in good faith. Sec. 1.6664–

4(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. Generally, the most important

factor is the extent of the taxpayer’s effort to assess the

proper tax liability. Id.

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218 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

Reasonable cause has been found when a taxpayer selects

a competent tax adviser, supplies the adviser with all rel-

evant information and, in a manner consistent with ordinary

business care and prudence, relies on the adviser’s profes-

sional judgment as to the taxpayer’s tax obligations. Sec.

6664(c); United States v. Boyle, 469 U.S. 241, 250–251 (1985);

sec. 1.6664–4(b)(1), Income Tax Regs. A taxpayer may rely on

the advice of any tax adviser, lawyer or accountant. United

States v. Boyle, supra at 251.

The right to rely on professional tax advice, however, is not

unlimited. Neither reliance on the advice of a professional

tax adviser nor reliance on facts that, unknown to the tax-

payer, are incorrect necessarily demonstrates or indicates

reasonable cause or good faith. See Long Term Capital

Holdings v. United States, 330 F. Supp. 2d 122, 205–206 (D.

Conn. 2004), affd. 150 Fed. Appx. 40 (2d Cir. 2005). The

advice must not be based on unreasonable factual or legal

assumptions and must not unreasonably rely on representa-

tions, statements, findings, or agreements of the taxpayer or

any other person. Sec. 1.6664–4(c)(1)(ii), Income Tax Regs.

Courts have repeatedly held that it is unreasonable for a tax-

payer to rely on a tax adviser actively involved in planning

the transaction and tainted by an inherent conflict of

interest. See, e.g., Mortensen v. Commissioner, 440 F.3d 375,

387 (6th Cir. 2006), affg. T.C. Memo. 2004–279; Pasternak v.

Commissioner, 990 F.2d 893 (6th Cir. 1993), affg. Donahue v.

Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1991–181; Neonatology Associates,

P.A. v. Commissioner, 115 T.C. 43 (2000), affd. 299 F.2d 221

(3d Cir. 2002). A professional tax adviser with a stake in the

outcome has such a conflict of interest. See Pasternak v.

Commissioner, supra at 903.

Chesapeake claims it reasonably relied in good faith on

PWC’s tax advice and ‘‘should’’ opinion and therefore no pen-

alty should be imposed. Respondent contends that Chesa-

peake unreasonably relied on an opinion riddled with

improper assumptions written by a tax adviser with a con-

flict of interest. We look to whether PWC’s advice was reason-

able and inquire whether PWC’s advice was based on all

pertinent facts and circumstances and not on unreasonable

factual or legal assumptions. See Long Term Capital

Holdings v. United States, supra at 205–206.

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 219

A. PWC Based Its Advice on Unreasonable Assumptions.

We now focus on whether PWC’s advice was reasonable.

Chesapeake contends that it relied on legal analysis pre-

scribed in PWC’s ‘‘should’’ opinion. Chesapeake submitted a

draft, not the original, of the ‘‘should’’ opinion into evidence.

We therefore look to the draft opinion to determine whether

PWC’s advice was reasonable.

Chesapeake paid PWC an $800,000 flat fee for the opinion,

not based on time devoted to preparing the opinion. Mr.

Miller testified that he and his team spent hours on the

opinion. We find this testimony inconsistent with the opinion

that was admitted into evidence. The Court questions how

much time could have been devoted to the draft opinion

because it is littered with typographical errors, disorganized

and incomplete. Moreover, Mr. Miller failed to recognize sev-

eral parts of the opinion. The Court doubts that any firm

would have had such a cavalier approach if the firm was

being compensated solely for time devoted to rendering the

opinion.

In addition, the opinion was riddled with questionable

conclusions and unreasonable assumptions. Mr. Miller based

his opinion on WISCO maintaining 20 percent of the LLC debt.

Mr. Miller had no case law or Code authority to support this

percentage, however. He instead relied on an irrelevant rev-

enue procedure as the basis for issuing the ‘‘should’’ opinion.

A ‘‘should’’ opinion is the highest level of comfort PWC offers

to a client regarding whether the position taken by the client

will succeed on the merits. 15 We find it unreasonable that

anyone, let alone an attorney, would issue the highest level

opinion a firm offers on such dubious legal reasoning.

We are also nonplused by Mr. Miller’s failure to give an

understandable response when asked at trial how PWC could

issue a ‘‘should’’ opinion if no authority on point existed. He

demurred that it was what Chesapeake requested. The only

15 Mr. Miller testified that tax practitioners render different levels of opinion based on their

comfort that the legal conclusions contained in the opinion are correct as a matter of law assum-

ing the factual representations and assumptions set forth in the opinion are also correct. A ‘‘rea-

sonable basis’’ opinion has a 33-percent chance of success on the merits. See sec. 1.6662–3(b)(3),

Income Tax Regs. A ‘‘substantial authority’’ opinion has a 40-percent chance of success on the

merits. See sec. 1.6662–4(d)(2), Income Tax Regs. A ‘‘more likely than not’’ opinion has a 51-

percent chance of success on the merits. See id. Mr. Miller did not give an exact percentage

regarding a ‘‘should’’ opinion, but he testified that it is materially higher than that of a ‘‘more

likely than not’’ opinion.

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220 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

explanation that makes sense to the Court is that no lesser

level of comfort would have commanded the $800,000 fixed

fee that Chesapeake paid for the opinion.

We are also troubled by the number of times the draft

opinion uses ‘‘it appears.’’ For example, it states: ‘‘[i]n

focusing on the language of the 752 regs, it appears that

such regulation adopts an all or nothing approach.’’ Mr.

Miller had no basis for that position other than his

interpretation of the regulations. Further, Mr. Miller

assumed that the indemnity would be effective and that

WISCO would hold assets sufficient to avoid the anti-abuse

rule. PWC assumed away the very crux of whether the trans-

action would qualify as a nontaxable contribution of assets to

a partnership. In so doing PWC failed to consider that the

indemnity lacked substance. Neither the joint venture agree-

ment nor the indemnity agreement included provisions

requiring WISCO to maintain any minimum level of capital or

assets. WISCO and Chesapeake could also remove WISCO’s

main asset, the intercompany note, from WISCO’s books at

any time and for any reason. This possibility gutted any sub-

stance for the indemnity.

We find that Chesapeake’s tax position did not warrant a

‘‘should’’ opinion because of the numerous assumptions and

dubious legal conclusions in the haphazard draft opinion that

has been admitted into the record. Further, we find it inher-

ently unreasonable for Chesapeake to have relied on an anal-

ysis based on the specious legal assumptions.

B. Chesapeake Lacked Good Faith

Moreover, Chesapeake did not act with reasonable cause or

in good faith as it relied on Mr. Miller’s advice. Chesapeake

argues that it had every reason to trust PWC’s judgment

because of its long-term relationship with the firm. PWC

crossed over the line from trusted adviser for prior

accounting purposes to advocate for a position with no

authority that was based on an opinion with a high price

tag—$800,000.

Any advice Chesapeake received was tainted by an

inherent conflict of interest. We would be hard pressed to

identify which of his hats Mr. Miller was wearing in ren-

dering that tax opinion. There were too many. Mr. Miller not

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(199) CANAL CORP. & SUBS. v. COMMISSIONER 221

only researched and drafted the tax opinion, but he also

‘‘audited’’ WISCO’s and the LLC’s assets to make the assump-

tions in the tax opinion. He made legal assumptions separate

from the tax assumptions in the opinion. He reviewed State

law to make sure the assumptions were valid regarding

whether a partnership was formed. In addition, he was intri-

cately involved in drafting the joint venture agreement, the

operating agreement and the indemnity agreement. In

essence, Mr. Miller issued an opinion on a transaction he

helped plan without the normal give-and-take in negotiating

terms with an outside party. We are aware of no terms or

conditions that GP required before it would close the trans-

action. We are aware only of the condition that Chesapeake’s

board would not close unless it received the ‘‘should’’ opinion.

Chesapeake acted unreasonably in relying on the advice of

PWC given the inherent and obvious conflict of interest. See

New Phoenix Sunrise Corp. & Subs. v. Commissioner, 132

T.C. 161, 192–194 (2009) (reliance on opinion by law firm

actively involved in developing, structuring and promoting

transaction was unreasonable in face of conflict of interest);

see also CMA Consol., Inc. v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo.

2005–16 (reliance not reasonable as advice not furnished by

disinterested, objective advisers); Stobie Creek Invs., LLC v.

United States, 82 Fed. Cl. 636, 714–715 (2008), affd. 608 Fed.

3d 1366 (Fed. Cir. 2010).

We also find suspect the exorbitant price tag associated

with the sole condition of closing. Chesapeake essentially

bought an insurance policy as to the taxability of the trans-

action. PWC received an $800,000 fixed fee for its tax opinion.

PWC did not base its fee on an hourly rate plus expenses. The

fee was payable and contingent on the closing of the joint

venture transaction. PWC would receive payment only if it

issued Chesapeake a ‘‘should’’ opinion on the joint venture

transaction. PWC therefore had a large stake in making sure

the closing occurred.

Considering all the facts and circumstances, PWC’s opinion

looks more like a quid pro quo arrangement than a true tax

advisory opinion. If we were to bless the closeness of the

relationship, we would be providing carte blanche to pro-

moters to provide a tax opinion as part and parcel of a pro-

motion. Independence of advisers is sacrosanct to good faith

reliance. We find that PWC lacked the independence nec-

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222 135 UNITED STATES TAX COURT REPORTS (199)

essary for Chesapeake to establish good faith reliance. We

further find that Chesapeake did not act with reasonable

cause or in good faith in relying on PWC’s opinion. We sustain

respondent’s determination that Chesapeake is liable for the

accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(b)(2) for 1999. 16

We have considered all remaining arguments the parties

made and, to the extent not addressed, we find them to be

irrelevant, moot, or meritless.

To reflect the foregoing,

Decision will be entered for respondent.

f

16 This holding should not be interpreted as requiring taxpayers to obtain a second tax opinion

to qualify for the reasonable reliance exception under sec. 6664(c). Rather, we hold that tax-

payers may not reasonably rely on an adviser tainted by an inherent conflict of interest the tax-

payer had reason to know of.

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