Termination of Partnerships and of Partnership Interests

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College of William & Mary Law School William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository William & Mary Annual Tax Conference Conferences, Events, and Lectures 1988 Termination of Partnerships and of Partnership Interests Louis A. Mezzullo Copyright c 1988 by the authors. is article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. hps://scholarship.law.wm.edu/tax Repository Citation Mezzullo, Louis A., "Termination of Partnerships and of Partnership Interests" (1988). William & Mary Annual Tax Conference. 599. hps://scholarship.law.wm.edu/tax/599

Transcript of Termination of Partnerships and of Partnership Interests

College of William & Mary Law SchoolWilliam & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference Conferences, Events, and Lectures

1988

Termination of Partnerships and of PartnershipInterestsLouis A. Mezzullo

Copyright c 1988 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository.https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/tax

Repository CitationMezzullo, Louis A., "Termination of Partnerships and of Partnership Interests" (1988). William & Mary Annual Tax Conference. 599.https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/tax/599

TERMINATION OF PARTNERSHIPS AND OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Louis A. MezzulloMezzullo, McCandlish & Framme

Richmond, Virginia(September 30, 1988)

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Principles of Partnership Taxation

1. Partnership taxation is based on two opposingtheories of partnership law: the aggregate theoryand the entity theory.,

a. Under the aggregate theory, a partnership isviewed as a collection of individuals who arecommonly conducting a business.

b. Under the entity theory,' a partnership isviewed as a separate body that is conductingthe business and is owned by the partners.

2. The aggregate theory generally applies to theformation of a partnership, the taxation of theincome generated by the partnership's Activities,and the dissolution of a partnership.

3. The entity theory generally applies to transactionsbetween a partner and the partnership other than inhis capacity as a partner and to transfers ofpartnership interests to other partners or thirdparties.

4. In some situations where the entity theory normallyapplies, the Internal Revenue Code permits thepartnership and the partners to elect to have theaggregate theory apply; for example, in connectionwith the sale of a partnership interest, thepartnership may make an election under I.R.C. §754 to adjust the basis of the partnership assets.

5. Partnership taxation is a difficult subject becausethe Internal Revenue Code does not cover every typeof transaction that may arise in connection withthe formation, operation, and termination of apartnership.

a. In such a case, the practitioner must decidewhich theory will apply; i.e., the aggregatetheory or the entity theory-

b. The Code provisions and regulations have notbeen as carefully scrutinized by the courts asother areas, such as in the corporate taxarea, because of the relatively few cases in-volving partnership taxation, although thisphenomenon has been changing over the last tenor fifteen years as a result of litigationinvolving tax shelters.

6. Partnership taxation has become increasingly impor-tant, not only because of the use of limitedpartnerships for tax shelter vehicles, but also asa result of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

a. The repeal of the General Utilities doctrinemeans that corporate earnings and any appreci-ation in the value of property held in thecorporate form will be subject to doubletaxation upon dissolution unless an S electionhas been made and the built-in gain tax isavoided.

b. The inversion of the rates means that a cor-poration is now in a higher tax bracket thanan individual, thereby increasing the taxbenefits of using a pass-through entity suchas a partnership to conduct a business.

c. Although many of the same tax benefits can beachieved through an S corporation, the Scorporation is not as flexible as the partner-ship with respect to allocations of gain,income, losses, and deductions, and apartner's basis in the partnership includeshis share of the partnership liabilities whilethe basis of a shareholder in an S corporationdoes not include any share of the corpora-tion's liabilities.

B. Focus of Outline

I. This outline deals with issues involved in thetermination of partnerships and of partnershipinterests, including:

a. Sales or exchanges of partnership interests,specifically I.R.C. §§ 731, 732, 733, 734,735, 741, 742, and 743. See Parts II and V ofthis outline.

b. The tax consequences upon the death or retire-ment of a partner, specifically I.R.C. §§ 736and 753. See Part III of this outline.

C. The termination of a partnership, specifical-ly, I.R.C. § 708. See Part IV of this out-line.

d. The optional adjustment to the basis ofpartnership property permitted under I.R.C. §754. See Part V of this outline.

2. This outline does not cover:

a. The formation of a partnership, specifically,I.R.C. §§ 721, 722, 723, 724, and 709.

b. The taxation of partnership operations,specifically, I.R.C. §§ 701, 702, 703, 704,705, and 706.

c. Transactions between a partner and a partner-ship, specifically, I.R.C. § 707.

d. The treatment of certain assets under I.R.C.§ 751 (so-called "hot assets").

e. The effect of partnership liabilities,specifically, I.R.C. § 752.

f. Partnership audits, specifically, I.R.C. §§

6221 through 6233.

II. SALES AND EXCHANGES OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

A. General Rule

1. A partner generally recognizes capital gain or lossas a result of a sale or exchange of an interest ina partnership. I.R.C. § 741.

a. Any gain attributable to a partner's interestin unrealized receivables and substantiallyappreciated inventory items will be treated asordinary income. I.R.C. § 751(a).

2. The basis of the transferee is determined under theusual rules contained in Part II of Subchapter 0(I.R.C. §§ 1011 and following). I.R.C. § 742. SeePart V.A.3 of this outline for a more thoroughdiscussion of the basis of a partnership interestacquired by sale or exchange, by gift, or as aresult of the death of a partner.

3. The basis of the partnership in its assets is notadjusted as a result of a transfer of an interestin a partnership by sale or exchange, by gift, oron the death of a partner unless an election ismade under I.R.C. § 754. I.R.C. § 743. See Part Vof this outline for a discussion of I.R.C. § 754.

4. I.R.C. § 267(a) may disallow a deduction for a lossrealized on a sale or exchange of a partnershipinterest directly or indirectly to a related personas described in I.R.C. § 267(b).

5. The amount of any gain or loss to the partner isthe difference between the amount realized on thesale and the adjusted basis of the partner in thepartnership interest.

a. If less than the entire interest is sold, thebasis must be apportioned between the interestsold and the interest retained.

b. It is not clear how a partner allocates hisbasis where he has acquired interests inseveral transactions, although perhaps thesame rules will apply that apply with respectto shares of stock. See Treas. Reg. § 1.1012-1(c).

c. If a partner sells a profits interest and acapital interest, there may be no basis ac-tually allocated to the profits interest,since the partnership itself would have nobasis in the future profits of the partner-ship.

6. The amount realized is the sum of the amount ofmoney and the fair market value of the propertyreceived by the selling partner, as well as thepartner's share of partnership liabilities which heis relieved of in connection with the transfer ofthe interest.

B. The Adjusted Basis of a Partnership Interest

1. The initial basis of an interest in a partnershipacquired by contribution of property, includingmoney, is the amount of such money and the adjustedbasis of such property to the contributing partnerat the time of the contribution, increased by theamount of any gain recognized to the contributingpartner at such time. I.R.C. § 722.

2. The initial basis of an interest acquired by pur-chase, gift, or on, account of the death of apartner, is determined under the usual basis rulesand is described in more detail in Part V.A.3 ofthis outline.

3. The initial adjusted basis of a partner's interestin a partnership is increased by:

a. The taxable income of the partnership;

b. The income of the partnership exempt from tax;

c. The excess of the deductions for depletionover the basis of the property subject todepletion;

d. Any additional contributions of money;

e. The adjusted basis of any property subsequent-ly contributed less any liabilities to whichthe property is subject at the time of thecontribution or which the partnership assumesin connection with the transfer of the proper-ty; and

f. Any increase in the partner's share ofpartnership liabilities.

4. A partner's initial adjusted basis in a partnershipis decreased by:

a. Losses of the partnership;

b. Expenditures of the partnership not deductiblein computing its taxable income and notproperly chargeable to capital account;

c. The amount of the partner's deduction fordepletion for any partnership oil or gasproperty to the extent such deduction does notexceed the proportionate share of the adjustedbasis of such property allocated to suchpartner under I.R.C. § 613A(c)(7)(D);

d. Any money distributed;

e. The adjusted basis of any property distributedless any liabilities to which the property issubject to or which the distributee assumes inconnection with the transfer of the property;and

f. Any reduction in the partner's share ofliabilities.

5. Liabilities of a partnership are generally sharedas follows:

a. A general partner shares recourse liabilitiesin proportion to his share of losses. Treas.Reg. § 1.752-1(e).

b. A limited partner shares recourse liabilitiesonly to the extent he is obligated to makeadditional contributions. Treas. Reg. §1.752-1(e).

c. General and limited partners share nonrecourseliabilities according to their share ofpartnership profits. Treas. Reg. § 1.752-1(e).

6. Regulations under I.R.C. § 705(b) permit thepartners to use an alternative method for determin-ing the adjusted basis of a partner's interest.

a. Under the alternate method, the adjusted basisof the partner's interest in the partnership

is equal to the partner's proportionate shareof the partnership's adjusted basis for theproperties which the partner would be entitledto receive if the partnership were to ter-minate.

b. The alternative method may be used only if thecircumstances are such that the partner cannotpractically apply the general rule for deter-mining basis or if he demonstrates to theInternal Revenue Service that the resultproduced by the use of the alternative methodwill not vary substantially from the resultobtainable under the general rule.

7. A partner who has both a general partnership inter-est and a limited partnership interest has aunified basis for both types of partnership inter-ests. See Rev. Rul. 84-53, 1984-1 C.B. 159.

C. Other Tax Consequences of a Sale or Exchange of a Part-nership Interest

1. The partner may recapture investment tax credit inthe event of a disposition of more than one-thirdof his original interest in the general partnershipprofits. Treas. Reg. § 1.47-6(a)(2)(ii).

2. Any losses suspended under I.R.C. § 704(d) are lostif the partner sells his interest.

3. Suspended losses under the at risk rules are deduc-tible to the extent the transferor recognizes gain.Prop. Regs. §§ 1.465-66(a) and 1.465-12.

4. Losses suspended as a result of the passive ac-tivity loss limitations with respect to passiveactivities of the partnership will offset any gainon the sale or exchange of the partnership interestprovided that it is a disposition of the partner'sentire interest in the partnership; any suspendedlosses in excess of the gain may offset any otherpassive income recognized in the year of sale, andto the extent not so used, can offset active incomeand portfolio income in the year of sale.

III. DEATH OR RETIREMENT OF A PARTNER

A. Alternatives Upon the Death or Retirement of a Partner.

1. There are five possible ways of disposing of adeceased or retiring partner's interest in apartnership:

a. The partnership may be liquidated.

b. The partner's interest may be liquidated.

C. The interest may be sold to other partners.

d. The interest may be sold to a third party.

e. The deceased partner's successor in interestmay continue as a partner.

2. Alternatives b and c (the liquidation of thepartner's interest and a sale to the otherpartners) are economically the same but have sub-stantially different tax consequences to thewithdrawing partner, the partnership, and the otherpartners.

3. Alternatives c and d, the sale of the withdrawingpartner's interest to another partner or a thirdparty, has no tax consequences to the partnershipitself unless an I.R.C. § 754 election is in ef-fect.

4. Alternative a is discussed in Part IV of this out-line.

5. Alternatives c and d are discussed in Part II ofthis outline.

6. Alternative b is discussed in this Part III.

B. Application of I.R.C. § 736.

1. I.R.C. § 736 applies to payments made to a retiredpartner or a deceased partner's successor in inter-est (referred to in the rest of this discussion asthe "withdrawing partner") in liquidation of suchpartner's interest. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(a) (1) (i).

a. I.R.C. § 736 only applies if the entire inter-est of the withdrawing partner is being li-quidated. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-l(a)(l)(i).

b. The withdrawing partner must have ceased to bea partner under state law at the time of thepayment. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-l(a)(i)(ii).

C. I.R.C. § 736 does not apply to the sale by apartner of his partnership interest to anotherpartner. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-i(a)(i)(i).

d. It is not clear whether I.R.C. § 736 appliesto in kind distributions.

e. I.R.C. § 736 may apply to a withdrawing part-ner who is relieved of partnership liabilitiesas a result of the operation of I.R.C. § 752,even though the withdrawing partner does notreceive any cash or other property.

2. Payments are classified under I.R.C. § 736 intothree categories:

a. As a payment for the withdrawing partner'sinterest in the partnership property;

b. As an allocation of a distributive share ofthe partnership's income if the amount of thepayment is determined with regard to theincome of the partnership; and

c. As a guaranteed payment described in I.R.C. §707(c) if the amount of the payment is deter-mined without regard to the income of thepartnership.

3. The classification of a payment under I.R.C. § 736will determine:

a. Whether the withdrawing partner recognizescapital gain or loss, or ordinary income withrespect to such payments;

b. The timing of the gain or loss on incomerecognized by the withdrawing partner;

c. Whether the partnership is entitled to adeduction with respect to such payments;

d. Whether the partners are entitled to an ex-clusion from their own share of partnershipincome with respect to such payments; and

e. Whether the payments to a successor in inter-est constitute income in respect of a decedentunder I.R.C. §§ 691 and 753.

C. Payments for a Partner's Interest in PartnershipProperty.

1. Payments for a withdrawing partner's interest inpartnership property are not classified as dis-tributive shares or guaranteed payments (referredto in the rest of this discussion as 736(a) pay-ments) unless the payment is for:

a. Unrealized receivables as described in I.R.C.§ 751(c) (except in the unusual case in whichthe partnership has a basis in such receiv-ables); and

b. Goodwill, except to the extent that thepartnership agreement provides for paymentsfor goodwill or the partnership has a basisin the goodwill.

2. Generally the Internal Revenue Service willrespect a valuation of the partner's interest inpartnership property- Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b)(1).

a. Before the elimination of the long-term capi-tal gain deduction by the Tax Reform Act of1986 (TRA 86), the remaining partners andwithdrawing partner usually had adverse inter-ests with respect to the valuation of thewithdrawing partner's interest.

(1) 736(a) payments are either deductible tothe partnership or reduce the remainingpartners' distributive shares of partner-ship income, and are ordinary income tothe withdrawing partner.

(2) 736(b) payments (payments for thepartner's interest in partnership proper-ty) are treated as received in a sale orexchange subject to capital gaintreatment except to the extentattributable to I.R.C. § 751 assets, andare not deductible to the remainingpartners.

b. Even before TRA 86, an agreement betweenrelated parties was subject to closerscrutiny.

c. With the elimination (perhaps only temporary)of the long-term capital gain deduction, theInternal Revenue Service may be more likely toapply allocation principles similar to thoseunder I.R.C. § 1060 to the liquidation of apartner's interest.

d. If this were to become the practice of theInternal Revenue Service, the flexibilityprovided by I.R.C. § 736 would be restrictedto payments for goodwill.

(1) As will be discussed later, payments forgoodwill in excess of basis are treatedas 736(a) payments unless the partnershipagreement provides for payments forgoodwill, in which case the payments are736(b) payments.

3. In valuing the withdrawing partner's interest inpartnership property, there should be no reductionbecause of liabilities of the partnership. Treas.Reg. § 1.736-1(b) (1).

a. The withdrawing partner's basis (which willinclude his share of partnership liabilities)will be reduced by the share of partnershipliabilities he is relieved of as a result ofwithdrawing from the partnership.

4. I.R.C. § 731(a) will determine whether thewithdrawing partner recognizes gain or loss withrespect to payments for his interest in partnershipproperty.

a. Except as provided under I.R.C. § 751 inconnection with amounts attributable to sub-stantially appreciated inventory, such pay-ments will be treated as received in a sale orexchange under I.R.C. § 741. Treas. Reg. §1.736-1(b) (4).

(1) Inventory is considered to haveappreciated substantially if:

(a) The fair market value of all inven-tory of the partnership exceeds 120percent of the partnership's ad-justed basis in the inventory; and

(b) The value of the inventory exceeds10 percent of the fair market valueof all partnership property otherthan money.

I.R.C. § 751(d) (1).

(2) Inventory includes:

(a) Property of the partnership of thekind described in I.R.C. § 1221(1);

(b) Any other property of the partner-ship which, on sale or exchange bythe partnership, would be consideredproperty other than a capital assetand other than property described inI.R.C. § 1231;

(c) Any other property of the partner-ship which, if sold or exchanged bythe partnership, would result in again taxable under I.R.C. § 1246(a)(relating to gain on foreign invest-ment company stock); and

(d) Any other property held by thepartnership which, if held by theselling or distributee partner,would be considered property of thetype described in the previous threeitems.

I.R.C. § 751(d) (2).

b. The partnership recognizes no gain or loss inconnection with a payment in cash for awithdrawing partner's interest in the partner-ship property, but may be required to adjustthe basis of its assets because of I.R.C. §751 or because an I.R.C. § 754 election is ineffect.

5. If the payments are made over a period of more thanone year, the withdrawing partner recovers hisbasis before recognizing any income and will notrecognize any loss until the last payment, unlessthe partner elects to recognize gain or loss ratab-ly over the payments, which is only permitted ifthe total amount of payments is fixed. Treas. Reg.§ 1.736-1(b) (6).

a. If such an election is made, the recipientmaking the election must attach a statement tohis tax return for the first taxable year forwhich he receives such payments, indicatingthe election and showing the computation.

b. A recipient will want to make the election inthe case of a loss or to spread gain overseveral years to keep the payments taxable inlower brackets.

c. Any gain or loss attributable to substantiallyappreciated inventory will be recognizedimmediately, regardless of whether an electionis made.

D. Payments Other Than for Interest in PartnershipProperty-

1. I.R.C. § 736(a) payments are any payments made to awithdrawing partner that are not in exchange forhis interest in partnership property and alsoinclude:

a. Payments for goodwill not provided for in thepartnership agreement, in excess of the basisof the partnership in goodwill; and

b. Unrealized receivables in excess of thepartnership's basis.

2. I.R.C. § 736(a) payments are divided into twocategories:

a. Payments that are determined with regard topartnership income and are treated as a dis-tributive share of partnership income, whichare referred to as 736(a)(1) payments; and

b. Payments that are not determined with respectto partnership income and are treated asguaranteed payments under I.R.C. § 707(c),which are referred to as 736(a)(2) payments.

3. Usually determining the appropriate category is notdifficult, but if the payments are dependent uponthe partnership's gross receipts or gross income,there is authority that the payments may be treatedas distributive shares of partnership income ratherthan guaranteed payments. See Pratt v. Commis-sioner, 64 T.C. 203, aff'd, 550 F.2d 1023 (5th Cir.1977); and Rev. Rul. 81-300, 1981-2 C.B. 143.

4. If the payment is considered a distributive share,then:

a. The payment is included in the partner'sincome under I.R.C. § 702;

b. The remaining partners' distributive sharesare reduced accordingly;

c. The character of the withdrawing partner'sshare of partnership income depends upon thecharacter of the partnership's income, e.g.,capital gain, ordinary income, tax-exemptincome; and

d. Although not free from doubt, the recipientincludes the distributive share in his grossincome for his taxable year within or withwhich ends the partnership's taxable year forwhich the payment is a distributive sharerather than the year in which the payment isactually made.

5. If the payment is a guaranteed payment, then:

a. The payment is deductible by the partnershipnotwithstanding I.R.C. § 263;

b. The payment is ordinary income to therecipient; and

c. The payment is includible in the recipient'sgross income for the recipient's taxable yearwithin or with which ends the partnership'staxable year in which the partnership deductedthe payments as paid or accrued under itsaccounting method.

(1) For example, if a partnership on anaccrual basis, having a calendar yearfor its taxable year, pays and deducts apayment to a withdrawing partner in 1988,but actually makes the payment in 1989,the withdrawing partner must include thepayment in his 1988 gross income.

E. Allocation of Payments Between I.R.C. § 736(a) andI.R.C. § 736(b).

1. The regulations set forth rules for allocatingpayments made during a year between I.R.C. § 736(a)and (b). Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b)(5).

a. If the payments are fixed in amount and arepayable over a fixed number of years, then aportion of the total amount of agreed paymentsmade in each year will be treated as a 736(b)payment.

(1) The portion is a fraction of the totalamount of payments that are to be madeeach year, the numerator of which is thetotal amount of 736(b) payments to bemade under the agreement and thedenominator of which is the total of allpayments to be made under the agreement.

(2) If contingent payments are made in excessof the fixed amount, the contingentpayments will be 736(a) payments.

(3) If the amount of payments in a year areless than the amount of 736(b) paymentsthat were to be made in the year asdetermined above, the deficit is carriedover to succeeding years, so that apayment in a future year will be treatedas 736(b) payments to the extent of theportion determined above plus any car-ryovers from prior years.

b. If the amount of payments are not fixed, thenthe payments are treated first as 736(b)payments to the full extent of the value ofthe withdrawing partner's interest inpartnership property, and the remaining pay-ments are treated as 736(a) payments.

c. If the payments are both fixed and contingent,and the total amount of fixed payments exceedsthe value of the withdrawing partner's inter-est in partnership property, the fixed pay-ments will be allocated as described above,and the contingent payments will all be 736(a)payments.

d. If the amount of the fixed payments is lessthan the value of the withdrawing partner'sinterest in partnership property, all thefixed payments will be treated as 736(b)payments, and the contingent payments willalso be treated as 736(b) payments until theamount of the contingent payments received,plus the amount of all fixed payments eitheralready received or to be made, equal thevalue of the withdrawing partner's interest inpartnership property.

2. The partners may agree to use another method forallocating the payments between 736(a) payments and736(b) payments, as long as the amount allocated to736(b) payments does not exceed the fair marketvalue of the withdrawing partner's interest inpartnership property. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b) (5) (iii) .

3. The treatment of payments for goodwill dependsupon the partnership agreement.

a. Any payments attributable to the partnership'sbasis in goodwill will be a 736(b) payment.Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b)(3).

b. If the partnership agreement provides forpayments for goodwill, such payments willalso be 736(b) payments. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b) (3).

C. All other payments for goodwill are 736(a)

payments. Treas. Reg. § 1.736-1(b)(3).

4. The provision concerning goodwill may be:

a. Contained in the original partnership agree-ment;

b. Agreed to at the time of a partner'swithdrawal; or

c. Contained in an amendment to the partnershipagreement before the due date for the partner-ship's return for the year in which thepartner withdrew (but not including exten-sions). I.R.C. § 761(c).

(1) While the amendment may be oral or writ-ten, it should be written to avoidproblems of proof.

5. The tax consequences involved when the distributionto a withdrawing partner consists partly of proper-ty are not certain. For a discussion of the issuesinvolved, see McKee, Nelson & Whitmire, FederalTaxation of Partnerships and Partners, Warren,Gorham & Lamont, 1977, pages 22-28 through 22-36,and Kemp, 236 T.M. Death or Retirement of aPartner; Termination of a Partnership, pages A-32through A-34.

F. Examples.

1. The following examples, taken directly from Treas.Reg. § 1.736-1(b)(7), illustrate the operation ofI.R.C. § 736.

Example (1). Partnership ABC is a personal servicepartnership and its balance sheet is as follows:

AssetsAdjusted Basis Market

Per Books ValueCash $13,000 $13,000Unrealized receivables 0 30,000Capital and sec.1231 assets 20.000 23,000

Total 33,000 66,000

Liabilities and capitalPer Books Value

Liabilities $ 3,000 $ 3,000Capital:

A 10,000 21,000B 10,000 21,000C 10,000 21,000

Total 33,000 66,000

Partner A retires from the partnership in accordancewith an agreement whereby his share of liabilities($1,000) is assumed. In addition he is to receive$9,000 in the year of retirement plus $10,000 in each ofthe two succeeding years. Thus, the total that Areceives for his partnership interest is $30,000($29,000 in cash and $1,000 in liabilities assumed).Under the agreement terminating A's interest, the valueof A's interest in § 736(b) partnership property is$12,000 (one-third of $36,000, the sum of $13,000 cashand $23,000, the fair market value of capital and § 1231assets). A's share in unrealized receivables is notincluded in his interest in partnership propertydescribed in § 736(b). Since the basis of A's interestis $11,000 ($10,000 plus $1,000, his share of partner-ship liabilities), he will realize a capital gain of$1,000 ($12,000 minus $11,000) from the disposition ofhis interest in partnership property. The remaining$18,000 ($30,000 minus $12,000) will constitute paymentsunder § 736(a) (2) which are taxable to A as guaranteedpayments under § 707(c). The payment for the first yearis $10,000, consisting of $9,000 in cash, plus $1,000 inliability assumed (§ 752(b)). Thus, unless the partnersagree otherwise under subparagraph (5) (iii) of thisparagraph, each annual payment of $10,000 will be allo-cated as follows: $6,000 (18,000/30,000 of $10,000) is a§ 736(a)(2) payment and $4,000 (12,000/30,000 of$10,000) is a payment for an interest in § 736(b)partnership property. (The partnership may deduct the

$6,000 guaranteed payment made to A in each of the 3years.) The gain on the payments for partnershipproperty will be determined under § 731, as provided insubparagraph (6) of this paragraph. A will treat only$4,000 of each payment as a distribution in a series inliquidation of his entire interest and, under § 731,will have a capital gain of $1,000 when the last paymentis made. However, if A so elects, as provided in sub-paragraph (6) of this paragraph, he may treat such gainas follows: Of each $4,000 payment attributable to A'sinterest in partnership property, $333 is capital gain(one-third of the total capital gain of $1,000), and$3,667 is a return of capital.

Example (2). Assume the same facts as in example (1) ofthis subparagraph except that the agreement between thepartners provides for payments to A for three years of apercentage of annual income instead of a fixed amount.Unless the partners agree otherwise under subparagraph(5) (iii) of this paragraph, all payments received by Aup to $12,000 shall be treated under § 736(b) as pay-ments for A's interest in partnership property. Hisgain of $1,000 will be taxed only after he has receivedhis full basis under § 731. Since the payments are notfixed in amount, the election provided in subparagraph(6) of this paragraph is not available. Any payments inexcess of $12,000 shall be treated as a distributiveshare of partnership income to A under § 736(a) (1).

Example (3). Assume the same facts as in example (1) ofthis subparagraph except that the partnership agreementprovides that the payment for A's interest in partner-ship property shall include payment for his interest inthe good will of the partnership. At the time of A'sretirement, the partners determine the value of partner-ship good will to be $9,000. The value of A's interestin partnership property described in § 736(b) is thus$15,000 (one-third of $45,000, the sum of $13,000 cash,plus $23,000, the value of capital and § 1231 assets,plus $9,000 good will). From the disposition of hisinterest in partnership property, A will realize acapital gain of $4,000 ($15,000 minus $11,000, the basisof his interest). The remaining $15,000 ($30,000 minus$15,000) will constitute payments under § 736(a) (2)which are taxable to A as guaranteed payments under §707 (c).

Example (4). Assume the same facts as in example (1) ofthis subparagraph except that the capital and § 1231assets consist of an item of § 1245 property (as definedin § 1245(a) (3)). Assume further that under paragraph(c)(4) of § 1.751-1 the § 1245 property is an unrealizedreceivable to the extent of $2,000. Therefore, thevalue of A's interest in § 736(b) partnership propertyis only $11,333 (one-third of $34,000, the sum of$13,000 cash and $21,000, the fair market value of §1245 property to the extent not an unrealized receiv-able). From the disposition of his interest in partner-ship property, A will realize a capital gain of $333($11,333 minus $11,000, the basis of his interest). Theremaining $18,667 ($30,000 minus $11,333) willconstitute payments under § 736(a) (2) which are taxableto A as guaranteed payments under § 707(c).

IV. TERMINATION OF A PARTNERSHIP

A. General Rule.

1. An existing partnership is considered as continuingif it is not deemed to be terminated under I.R.C. §708(b).

2. A partnership is considered to be terminated if:

a. No part of any business, financial operation,or venture of the partnership continues to becarried on by any of its partners in apartnership; or

b. Within a 12-month period there is a sale orexchange of 50 percent or more of the totalinterest in the partnership capital orprofits.

Example (1): On November 20, 1988, A and B, each ofwhom owns a 20 percent interest in partnership ABC, selltheir interests to C, who owns a 60 percent interest.The partnership is terminated on November 20, 1988.Even though the business is carried on, it is not car-ried on by any of its partners in a partnership.

Example (2): On April 30, 1988, partners D, E, and Fagree to dissolve their partnership, but the business isnot wound up until September 30, 1988, when all remain-

ing assets are distributed to the partners. Thepartnership is terminated on September 30, 1988.

3. Upon the death of one partner in a two-memberpartnership, the partnership is not terminated ifthe estate or other successor in interest of thedeceased partner continues to share in the profitsor losses of the partnership.

4. A retiring partner or a deceased partner's suc-cessor in interest receiving payments under I.R.C.§ 736 is regarded as a partner until the entireinterest of the retiring or deceased partner isliquidated.

5. The partnership taxable year closes with respect toall partners on the date on which the partnershipterminates, which is either:

a. The date on which the winding up of itspartnership affairs is completed; or

b. The date of the sale or exchange of a partner-ship interest which, when aggregated withsales or exchanges in the preceding 12-monthperiod, transfers an interest of 50 percent ormore in both partnership capital and profits.

B. Partnership Termination through Sales and Exchanges.

1. There must be a sale or exchange of 50 percent ormore of the total interest in partnership capitaland 50 percent or more of the total interest inpartnership profits within a period of 12 consecu-tive months.

a. A sale or exchange includes a sale or exchangeto or with another partner.

b. A disposition by gift (including assignment toa successor in interest), bequest, or inheri-tance, or a liquidation of a partnershipinterest, is not a sale or exchange.

c. A contribution of property does not constitutea sale or exchange unless the contribution ischaracterized as a sale or exchange betweenthe contributing partner and another partner.

2. The 50-percent requirement means that 50 percent ormore of the total interest in partnership capitalplus 50 percent or more of the total interest inthe profits must be sold or exchanged during the12-month period.

a. A sale of a 30-percent interest in partnershipcapital and a 60-percent interest in partner-ship profits will not cause a termination.

b. Sales and exchanges by one or more partnersare aggregated, as well as sales and exchangesduring a consecutive 12-month period.

c. The partnership is terminated (and thepartnership's taxable year closes) on thedate of the sale or exchange of a partnershipinterest in capital or profits which, whenaggregated with all other sales or exchangesof partnership interests during the preceding12 months, equals or exceeds 50 percent ofboth the capital interest and the profitsinterest of the partnership.

Example (3): With respect to ABC partnership, A sellsa 30-percent interest in capital and profits to D on May12, 1988, and B sells a 30-percent interest in capitaland profits to E on March 27, 1989. The partnership isterminated on March 27, 1989.

Example (4): Assume the same facts as in Example (3),except D, instead of B, sells his 30-percent interest toE on March 27, 1989. The partnership is not terminatedon that date since only one 30-percent interest has beensold or exchanged during a 12-month period.

3. If a partnership is terminated because of a sale orexchange of an interest, the following occurs or isdeemed to occur:

a. The partnership's taxable year closes as ofthe date of the sale or exchange causing thetermination;

b. The partnership distributes its properties tothe purchaser and the remaining partners in

proportion to their respective interests inthe partnership properties; and

c. Immediately thereafter the purchaser and theother remaining partners contribute theproperties to a new partnership, either forthe continuation of the business or for itsdissolution and winding up, causing anothertermination under I.R.C. § 708(b) (1) (B).

4. I.R.C. §§ 731 and 732 will apply to determine thebasis of the property in the partners' hands andany gain or loss recognized by the partners on thedeemed distribution.

5. I.R.C. §§ 721, 722 and 723 will apply to determinethe income tax treatment, the partners' bases inthe new partnership, and the new partnership'sbasis in the contributed assets.

6. I.R.C. § 752 will apply to determine the effect ofany decrease in a partner's share of liabilities.

7. The purchaser may elect under I.R.C. § 732(d) toadjust his basis in the property deemed to bedistributed to him, even though an I.R.C. § 754election is not in effect with respect to thepartnership itself.

C. Mergers and Consolidations of Partnerships.

1. If two or more partnerships merge or consolidateinto one partnership, the resulting partnershipwill be considered a continuation of the merging orconsolidating partnership the members of which ownan interest of more than 50 percent in the capitalor profits of the resulting partnership.

a. If more than one of the merging or consolidat-ing partnerships has members who own an inter-est of more than 50 percent in the capital orprofits of the resulting partnership, theresulting partnership will be considered thecontinuation of the partnership which iscredited with the contribution of the greatestdollar value of assets to the resultingpartnership, unless the Internal Revenue Ser-vice permits otherwise.

b. The other merging or consolidating partner-ships will be considered as terminated on thedate of the merger or consolidation.

c. A partnership that terminates as a result of amerger is treated as contributing its assetsto the resulting partnership and thendistributing interests in the continuingpartnership to its partners in liquidation.Rev. Rul. 68-289, 1968-1 C.B. 314.

(1) This treatment differs from the treatmentin the case of a termination of apartnership as the result of a sale orexchange of a more-than-50-percent inter-est in capital and profits within a 12-month period, since in that case theassets of the terminated partnership aredeemed to be distributed to the partnersand then recontributed to the newpartnership.

(2) The bases of the assets in the resultingpartnership are not recomputed underI.R.C. § 732(b) and 732(c), but remainthe same as in the hands of the mergingor consolidating partnerships.

(3) Since no cash or receivables are treatedas being distributed, there is lesslikelihood of any gain or loss beingrecognized, except to the extent thatthere is a constructive distributionunder I.R.C. § 752(b). See McKee, Nel-son & Whitmire, Federal Taxation ofPartnership and Partners, Warren, Gorham& Lamont, 1977, page 12-19.

2. If the members of none of the merging orconsolidating partnerships have an interest of morethan 50 percent in the capital or interest of theresulting partnership, all the merged and con-solidating partnerships will be deemed to have ter-minated and a new partnership results.

3. Returns.

a. The merging or consolidating partnershipsthat are considered terminated must file theirreturns for the taxable year ending on thedate of the merger or consolidation.

b. The resulting partnership must file a returnfor the taxable year of the merging or con-solidating partnership that is considered ascontinuing, with the following information:

(1) A statement that it is the continuationof the merging or consolidating partner-ship;

(2) The names and addresses of the merged orconsolidated partnerships; and

(3) The respective distributive shares of thepartners for the periods before and afterthe date of the merger or consolidation.

Example (5): Partnership AB has two 50 percentpartners, A and B, and Partnership CD has two 50 percentpartners, C and D. Partners A, B, C, and D and partner-ship AB are on a calendar year, and partnership CD has aJune 30 year end. AB and CD are merged into ABCD, withpartners A and B each owning 30 percent of the capitaland profits and C and D each owning 20 percent of thecapital and profits. Consequently, since A and B ownmore than 50 percent of the interest in capital andprofits of partnership ABCD, partnership ABCD is treatedas the continuation of partnership AB and must file areturn for the year January 1, 1988 to December 31,1988. Partnership CD is terminated on September 30,1988 and must file a return for the short year July 1,1988 through September 30, 1988.

D. Division of a Partnership.

1. Upon the division of a partnership into two or morepartnerships, any resulting partnership or partner-ships are considered continuations of the priorpartnership if its members had an interest of morethan 50 percent in the capital and profits of theprior partnership.

2. Any other resulting partnership will be considereda new partnership.

3. If the members of none of the resulting partner-ships owned an interest of more than 50 percent inthe capital and profits of the divided partnership,the divided partnership is also terminated.

4. Members of the divided partnership who do notbecome members of a resulting partnership that isconsidered to be a continuation of the dividedpartnership will be considered to have liquidatedtheir interests as of the date of division.

5. Any resulting partnership treated as continuingmust file a return for the taxable year of thedivided partnership with the following information:

a. A statement that it is a continuation of thedivided partnership; and

b. The respective shares of the partners for theperiods before and after the date of division.

Example (6): Partnership ABCD has four partners. A whoowns 40 percent in the profits and capital of thepartnership, and B, C, and D, each of whom owns 20 per-cent of the profits and capital of the partnership. Thepartnership conducts two businesses, an insurance busi-ness and a real estate business. The partnership isdivided on November 1, 1988 into AB partnership and CDpartnership, with partners A and B owning 50 percenteach of partnership AB, and partners C and D owning 50percent each of partnership CD. AB is treated as acontinuation of partnership ABCD, since its partnersowned more than 50 percent of the divided partnership,and partnership AB must file a return for the taxableyear beginning January 1, 1988 and ending on December31, 1988. CD is treated as a new partnership and mustfile a return for the taxable year it adopts underI.R.C. § 706(b).

V. BASIS ADJUSTMENTS UNDER I.R.C. § 754.

A. In General.

1. Generally, the basis of partnership property (in-side basis) is not adjusted as a result of a dis-tribution of property to a partner unless an elec-

tion under I.R.C. § 754 is in effect. I.R.C. §734 (a) .

a. In the case of a distribution by a partnershipto a partner other than in liquidation of hisinterest, the basis of his interest in thepartnership is reduced (but not below zero)by:

(1) The amount of money distributed to him,and

(2) His basis in distributed property otherthan money. I.R.C. § 733.

b. A partner's basis in distributed propertyother than money, in a distribution other thanin liquidation of the partner's interest, isthe basis of the property to the partnershipimmediately before the distribution, afterreducing his basis by any money distributed inthe same transaction. I.R.C. § 732(a) (1).

(1) However, the basis of the partner in thedistributed property cannot exceed hisbasis in the partnership. I.R.C. §732(a) (2).

Example (1): A's basis in the partnership beforethe distribution to him is $1,000. The partner-ship, in a nonliquidating distribution, distributesBlackacre to A having a basis to the partnership of$800, plus cash of $100. A's basis in Blackacre is$800, and his basis in the partnership is reducedto $100. If Blackacre had a basis to the partner-ship of $1,100, A's basis in Blackacre would be$900, and his basis in the partnership would bereduced to zero.

c. If the distribution completely liquidates thepartner's interest, his basis in thedistributed property is equal to his basis inthe partnership, after reducing his basis byany money distributed in the same transaction.I.R.C. § 732(b).

d. The basis of any distributed property isallocated first to unrealized receivables and

inventory items (as defined in I.R.C. §751(d)(1) and (2)) in proportion to the basesof such properties to the partnership and thenis allocated to other distributed property,again in proportion to their bases to thepartnership. I.R.C. § 732(c).

e. A partner who acquired all or a part of hisinterest by a transfer with respect to which asection 754 election was not in effect, and towhom a distribution of property (other thanmoney) is made with respect to the transferredinterest within two years after the transfer,may elect to treat as the partnership basis ofsuch property the basis that the propertywould have had if the adjustment under §743(b) were in effect with respect to thepartnership property. I.R.C. § 732(d).

f. Under I.R.C. § 732(d) and Treas. Reg. § 1.732-1(d) (4), a partner receiving a distributionmay be required to make the special adjustmentto basis, whether or not the property wasdistributed to him within two years after theacquisition of his interest, if the followingconditions existed when the partner acquiredhis interest in the partnership:

(1) The fair market value of all partnershipproperty (other than money) exceeded 110percent of its adjusted basis to thepartnership;

(2) An allocation of basis under I.R.C. §732(c) upon a liquidation of his interestimmediately after the transfer of theinterest would have resulted in a shiftof basis from property not subject to anallowance for depreciation, depletion, oramortization, to property subject to suchallowance; and

(3) A special basis adjustment under I.R.C. §743(b) would change the basis to thetransferee partner of the property ac-tually distributed.

g. These rules with respect to basis do not applyin the case of a deemed sale or exchange ofsubstantially appreciated inventory and un-realized receivables under I.R.C. § 751(b).I.R.C. § 732(e).

2. Generally, neither the partners nor the partnershiprecognize gain or loss with respect to distribu-tions. I.R.C. § 731.

a. A partner recognizes gain in the case of adistribution by a partnership to him of cashif the amount of cash exceeds his basis in thepartnership. I.R.C. § 731(a)(1).

(1) The gain is the excess of the amount ofcash over his basis.

b. In a nonliquidating distribution, no loss isrecognized by the partner. I.R.C. §731(a) (2).

C. In a complete liquidation, a partner recog-nizes loss only if the only propertydistributed is cash and unrealized receivablesand inventory, and the amount of the loss isthe excess of the adjusted basis of thepartner's interest in the partnership over theamount of cash and the basis to the partner-ship of the receivables and inventory dis-tributed. I.R.C. § 731(a) (2).

d. The partnership does not recognize gain orloss in a distribution to a partner of proper-ty, including cash. I.R.C. § 731(b).

e. I.R.C. § 736 (relating to payments to a retir-ing partner) and § 751 (relating to unrealizedreceivables and inventory items) overridethese rules. I.R.C. § 731(c).

3. Generally, the basis of partnership property (in-side basis) is not adjusted as a result of a trans-fer of an interest in a partnership by sale orexchange or on the death of a partner unless anelection under I.R.C. § 754 is in effect. I.R.C. §743 (a).

a. The basis of a partnership interest (outsidebasis) acquired by purchase or exchange is theamount of cash paid, plus the basis of anyproperty transferred to the selling partner,plus the purchasing partner's share of theliabilities of the partnership, if any.I.R.C. §§ 742 and 752.

(1) A general partner's share of recourseliabilities is equal to his share oflosses. Treas. Reg. § 1.752-1(e).

(2) A limited partner's share of recourseliabilities is limited to any additionalcontributions he is obligated to make.Treas. Reg § 1.752-1(e).

(3) General and limited partners share non-recourse liabilities according to theirshares of partnership profits. Treas.Reg. § 1.752-1(e).

b. The basis of a partnership interest (outsidebasis) acquired by a gift is equal to thebasis of the donor plus any gift tax paid withrespect to the gift, unless the fair marketvalue is less than such amount. In suchevent, for loss purposes, the basis is equalto the fair market value of the interest atthe time of the gift. I.R.C. § 1015.

c. The basis of a partnership interest (outsidebasis) acquired from a decedent will be itsvalue as reported on the federal estate taxreturn, which is the fair market value ateither the date of death or at the alternatevaluation date (the earlier of the date ofdisposition by the estate or six months afterthe date of death) increased by the succes-sor's share of liabilities and decreased byitems of income in respect of a decedent (IRD)under I.R.C. § 691. I.R.C. § 1014.

4. An I.R.C. § 754 election permits a partnership toadjust the basis of partnership property (insidebasis) in cases in which property is distributed toa partner or a partnership interest is transferred.

a. The election applies with respect to alldistributions of property by the partnershipand to all transfers of interests in thepartnership during the taxable year withrespect to which the election is filed and allsubsequent years. I.R.C. § 754.

(1) The election must be made in a writtenstatement filed with the partnershipreturn for the taxable year during whichthe distribution is made. Treas. Reg. §1.754-1(b) (1).

(2) The return must be filed in a timelymanner (including extensions).

(3) If an election has been made for apreceding year, a new election is notrequired.

(4) The statement must be signed by any oneof the partners and must contain thefollowing information:

(a) The name and address of the partner-ship making the election; and

(b) A declaration that the partnershipelects under I.R.C. § 754 to applythe provisions of I.R.C. §§ 734(b)and 743(b).

b. The election may be revoked only with theapproval of the district director for theinternal revenue district in which thepartnership return is required to be filed.I.R.C. § 754.

(1) The application to revoke the electionmust be filed within 30 days after theclose of the partnership taxable yearwith respect to which the election isintended to take effect. Treas. Reg. §1.754-1(c).

(2) Reasons for approving the revocationinclude a change in the nature of thepartnership business, a substantial

increase in the assets of the partner-ship, a change in the character of thepartnership assets, or an increasedfrequency of retirements or shifts ofpartnership interests, so that an in-creased burden would result to thepartnership from the election. Treas.Reg. § 1.754-1(c).

(3) A revocation will not be approved if thepurpose of the revocation is primarily toavoid stepping down the basis of partner-ship assets upon a transfer or distribu-tion. Treas. Reg. § 1.754-1(c).

B. Effect of an I.R.C. 4 754 Election.

1. In the case of a distribution of property to apartner when a 754 election is in effect, thepartnership must:

a. Increase the basis of partnership property by:

(1) The amount of any gain recognized to thedistributee partner as a result of thedistribution; and

(2) The excess of the basis of thedistributed property to the partnershipover the basis of the distributed proper-ty to the partner (which will only occurif his basis in the partnership (afterreducing it by the amount of any cashreceived) is less than the basis of thedistributed property immediately beforethe distribution); or

b. Decrease the basis by:

(1) The amount of any loss recognized to thedistributee partner as a result of thedistribution (only possible in a completeliquidation); and

(2) The excess of the basis of thedistributed property to the distributeeover the basis of the distributed proper-ty to the partnership immediately before

the distribution (which will only occurif the distributee's basis in thepartnership (after reducing it by theamount of any cash received) is greaterthan the basis of the distributed proper-ty immediately before distribution;again, only possible in a complete li-quidation).

I.R.C. § 734(b).

2. In the case of a transfer of an interest in apartnership by sale or exchange or upon the deathof a partner when a 754 election is in effect, thepartnership must:

a. Increase the basis of the partnership proper-ty, with respect to the transferee partneronly, by the excess of the basis to the trans-feree partner of his interest in the partner-ship over his proportionate share of the basisof the partnership property, determined inaccordance with his interest in the partner-ship capital (including any required alloca-tion under I.R.C. § 704(c) with respect tocontributed property); and

b. Decrease the basis of the partnership proper-ty, with respect to the transferee partneronly, by the excess of the transfereepartner's proportionate share of the basis ofthe partnership property over the basis of hisinterest in the property.

I.R.C. § 743(b).

3. Any increase or decrease in the adjusted basis ofthe partnership property under I.R.C. § 734(b) or743(b) must be allocated according to I.R.C. § 755and the regulations thereunder as follows:

a. The amount of the increase or decrease isfirst divided between the capital assets andsection 1231 assets (property used in a tradeor business) and any other property (ordinaryincome property). Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1(a)-(1) (i).

(1) In the case of a distribution in whichthe distributee's basis in thedistributed property is different fromthe adjusted basis of the partnership inthe property immediately before thedistribution, the adjustment must beallocated to the remaining partnershipproperty of a character similar to thatof the distributed property with respectto which the adjustment arose. Treas.Reg. § 1.755-1(b) (1) (i).

(2) If the distribution results in the dis-tributee recognizing gain or loss, theadjustment must be allocated only tocapital assets or section 1231 property.Treas. Reg. § 1.755-I(b)(1)(ii).

(3) In the case of a transfer, the adjustmentis allocated between the two classes ofproperty in proportion to the differencebetween the fair market value and thebasis of the assets in each class.Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1(b)(2).

(4) If the amount of decrease exceeds thebasis of the property of the requiredcharacter, the balance of the decreasewill be made when the partnership subse-quently acquires property of a likecharacter. Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1(b)(3).

(5) Likewise, if an adjustment cannot be madebecause the partnership does not haveproperty of the character required to beadjusted, the adjustment will be madewhen the partnership acquires suchproperty. Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1(b)(4).

b. The portion of the increase or decrease allo-cated to each class is then allocated to thebases of the property within the class in amanner which will reduce the difference in thefair market value and the basis of thepartnership properties, or in any other mannerapproved by the district director. Treas.Reg. § 1.755-1(a)(i)(i).

(1) If there is an increase in basis to beallocated, the increase must be allocatedonly to those assets whose values exceedtheir bases and in proportion to thedifference between the value and thebasis of each such asset. Treas. Reg. §1. 755-1i(a) (1) (ii) .

(2) If there is a decrease in basis to beallocated, the decrease must be allocatedonly to those assets whose values areless than their bases and in proportionto the difference between the value andthe basis of each such asset. Treas.Reg. § 1.755-1(a) (1) (iii).

(3) No adjustment may increase the basis ofany asset above its fair market value nordecrease the basis of any asset below itsfair market value. Treas. Reg. § 1.755-l(a) (i)(ii) and (iii).

(4) A portion of any adjustment must beallocated to goodwill to the extentgoodwill exists and is reflected in thevalue of the property distributed to thepartner, the price at which the partner-ship interest is sold, or the basis ofthe partnership interest determined underI.R.C. § 1014. Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1 (a) (1) (iv) .

C. A partnership or partner electing under I.R.C.§ 732(d) may request approval of an alternatemanner of allocating the adjustment to basis.Treas. Reg. § 1.755-1(a)(2).

(1) The application for permission to useanother method must be filed with thedistrict director no later than 30 daysafter the close of the partnership tax-able year in which the proposed adjust-ment is to be made.

(2) The regulations indicate that the mannerof allocation may permit the adjustmentto be made to the basis of assets withoutregard to whether the assets have ap-

preciated in value or depreciated invalue, so as to reflect more accuratelythe increase or decrease in the fairmarket value of the various assets of thepartnership in relation to the basis ofsuch assets.

(3) The regulations do not indicate whetherit is possible to allocate the adjustmentto all of the assets of the partnership,or whether such adjustment can only bemade within a class of assets, that is,capital assets and section 1231 property,or other property (ordinary incomeproperty).