[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 4]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.341-2]

[Page 154-156]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1_INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.341-2  Definitions.

    (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.
    (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

[[Page 155]]

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

[[Page 156]]

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.