(a) Determination of collapsible corporation. (1) A collapsible corporation is defined by section 341(b)(1) to be a corporation formed or availed of principally (i) for the manufacture, construction, or production of property, (ii) for the purchase of property which (in the hands of the corporation) is property described in section 341(b)(3), or (iii) for the holding of stock in a corporation so formed or availed of, with a view to (a) the sale or exchange of stock by its shareholders (whether in liquidation or otherwise), or a distribution to its shareholders, prior to the realization by the corporation manufacturing, constructing, producing, or purchasing the property of a substantial part of the taxable income to be derived from such property, and (b) the realization by such shareholders of gain attributable to such property. See Sec. 1.341-5 for a description of the facts which will ordinarily be considered sufficient to establish whether or not a corporation is a collapsible corporation under the rules of this section. See paragraph (d) of Sec. 1.341-5 for examples of the application of section 341.
(1) A collapsible corporation is defined by section 341(b)(1) to be a corporation formed or availed of principally (i) for the manufacture, construction, or production of property, (ii) for the purchase of property which (in the hands of the corporation) is property described in section 341(b)(3), or (iii) for the holding of stock in a corporation so formed or availed of, with a view to (a) the sale or exchange of stock by its shareholders (whether in liquidation or otherwise), or a distribution to its shareholders, prior to the realization by the corporation manufacturing, constructing, producing, or purchasing the property of a substantial part of the taxable income to be derived from such property, and (b) the realization by such shareholders of gain attributable to such property. See Sec. 1.341-5 for a description of the facts which will ordinarily be considered sufficient to establish whether or not a corporation is a collapsible corporation under the rules of this section. See paragraph (d) of Sec. 1.341-5 for examples of the application of section 341.
(2) Under section 341(b)(1) the corporation must be formed or availed of with a view to the action therein described, that is, the sale or exchange of its stock by its shareholders, or a distribution to them prior to the realization by the corporation manufacturing, constructing, producing, or purchasing the property of a substantial part of the taxable income to be derived from such property, and the realization by the shareholders of gain attributable to such property. This requirement is satisfied in any case in which such action was contemplated by those persons in a position to determine the policies of the corporation, whether by reason of their owning a majority of the voting stock of the corporation or otherwise. The requirement is satisfied whether such action was contemplated, unconditionally, conditionally, or as a recognized possibility. If the corporation was so formed or availed of, it is immaterial that a particular shareholder was not a shareholder at the time of the manufacture, construction, production, or purchase of the property, or if a shareholder at such time, did not share in such view. Any gain of such a shareholder on his stock in the corporation shall be treated in the same manner as gain of a shareholder who did share in such view. The existence of a bona fide business reason for doing business in the corporate form does not, by itself, negate the fact that the corporation may also have been formed or availed of with a view to the action described in section 341(b).
(3) A corporation is formed or availed of with a view to the action described in section 341(b) if the requisite view existed at any time during the manufacture, production, construction, or purchase referred to in that section. Thus, if the sale, exchange, or distribution is attributable solely to circumstances which arose after the manufacture, construction, production, or purchase (other than circumstances which reasonably could be anticipated at the time of such manufacture, construction, production, or purchase), the corporation shall, in the absence of compelling facts to the contrary, be considered not to have been so formed or availed of. However, if the sale, exchange or distribution is attributable to circumstances present at the time of the manufacture, construction, production, or purchase, the corporation shall, in the absence of compelling facts to the contrary, be considered to have been so formed or availed of.
(4) The property referred to in section 341(b) is that property or the aggregate of those properties with respect to which the requisite view existed. In order to ascertain the property or properties as to which the requisite view existed, reference shall be made to each property as to which, at the time of the sale, exchange, or distribution referred to in section 341(b) there has not been a realization by the corporation manufacturing, constructing, producing, or purchasing the property of a substantial part of the taxable income to be derived from such property. However, where any such property is a unit of an integrated project involving several properties similar in kind, the determination whether the requisite view existed shall be made only if a substantial part of the taxable income to be derived from the project has not been realized at the time of the sale, exchange, or distribution, and in such case the determination shall be made by reference to the aggregate of the properties constituting the single project.
(5) A corporation shall be deemed to have manufactured, constructed, produced, or purchased property if it (i) engaged in the manufacture, construction, or production of property to any extent, or (ii) holds property having a basis determined, in whole or in part, by reference to the cost of such property in the hands of a person who manufactured, constructed, produced, or purchased the property, or (iii) holds property having a basis determined, in whole or in part, by reference to the cost of property manufactured, constructed, produced, or purchased by the corporation. Thus, under subdivision (i) of this subparagraph, for example, a corporation need not have originated nor have completed the manufacture, construction, or production of the property. Under subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph, for example, if an individual were to transfer property constructed by him to a corporation in exchange for all of the capital stock of such corporation, and such transfer qualifies under section 351, then the corporation would be deemed to have constructed the property, since the basis of the property in the hands of the corporation would, under section 362 be determined by reference to the basis of the property in the hands of the individual. Under subdivision (iii) of this subparagraph, for example, if a corporation were to exchange property constructed by it for property of like kind constructed by another person, and such exchange qualifies under section 1031(a), then the corporation would be deemed to have constructed the property received by it in the exchange, since the basis of the property received by it in the exchange would, under section 1031(d), be determined by reference to the basis of the property constructed by the corporation.
(6) In determining whether a corporation is a collapsible corporation by reason of the purchase of property, it is immaterial whether the property is purchased from the shareholders of the corporation or from persons other than such shareholders. The property, however, must be property which, in the hands of the corporation, is property of a kind described in section 341(b)(3). The determination whether property is of a kind described in section 341(b)(3) shall be made without regard to the fact that the corporation is formed or availed of with a view to the action described in section 341(b)(1).
(7) Section 341 is applicable whether the shareholder is an individual, a trust, an estate, a partnership, a company, or a corporation.
(b) Section 341 assets. For the purposes of this section, the term ``section 341 assets'' means the following listed property if held for less than 3 years:
(1) Stock in trade of the corporation, or other property of a kind which would properly be included in the inventory of the corporation if on hand at the close of the taxable year.
(2) Property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.
(3) Property used in a trade or business as defined in section 1231(b) and held for less than 3 years, except property that is or has been used in connection with the manufacture, construction, production or sale of property described in subparagraphs (1) and (2) of this paragraph.
(4) Unrealized receivables or fees pertaining to property listed in this paragraph. The term unrealized receivables or fees means any rights (contractual or otherwise) to payment for property listed in subparagraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this paragraph which has been delivered or is to be delivered and rights to payments for services rendered or to be rendered, to the extent such rights have not been included in the income of the corporation under the method of accounting used by it. In determining whether the assets referred to in this paragraph have been held for 3 years, the time such assets were held by a transferor shall be taken into consideration (section 1223). However, no such period shall begin before the date the manufacture, construction, production, or purchase of such assets is completed.