Tax Matters: Does Bankruptcy Terminate S Corp Status?

摘要

Abusiness that elects to be an S corpo-n continues to be taxed as such until the election is terminated It can be terminated in any of three ways: (1) The shareholders revoke the election, (2) the corporation no longer satisfies the eligibility requirements or (3) the corporation has too much passive income during the three previous tax years. Alphonse Mourad was the sole shareholder of V&M Management, an S corporation that owned and operated a 275-unit apartment complex. In 1996 V&M petitioned for reorganization under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. To administer the reorganization, the bankruptcy court appointed an independent trustee who, in 1997, sold the apartment complex. The sale resulted in a gain of $2.1 million, which was reported on V&M's 1997 form 1120S and Mourad's 1997 schedule K-1. Mourad did not file a tax return for 1997, the IRS issued him a notice of deficiency for that year and he, in turn, petitioned the Tax Court for relief.