(a) In general. The Dealer Reserve Income Adjustment Act of 1960 (74 Stat. 124) contains transitional provisions relating to adjustments to income resulting from a change in the income tax treatment of dealer reserve income. The purpose of the Act is to provide eligible taxpayers who elect to have its provisions apply with two alternatives for accounting for the adjustments to income resulting from a change to a proper method of reporting dealer reserve income. The Act also provides certain taxpayers with an election to pay in installments any net increase in tax. Eligible taxpayers must make any election under the provisions of the Act prior to September 1, 1960. If any election is made, then the applicable provisions of the Act and §§1.9002-1 to 1.9002-8, inclusive, shall apply.

(b) Eligibility to elect. In order to be eligible to make any of the elections provided by the Act, a taxpayer must have, for his most recent taxable year ending on or before June 22, 1959, (1) computed, or been required to compute, taxable income under an accrual method of accounting, and (2) treated dealer reserve income (or portions thereof) which should have been taken into account (under the accrual method of accounting) for such most recent taxable year as accruable for a subsequent taxable year. Thus, the elections provided by the Act are not available to a person who, for his most recent taxable year ending on or before June 22, 1959, reported dealer reserve income under a method proper under the accrual method of accounting or who was not required to compute taxable income under the accrual method of accounting. An election may be made even though the taxpayer is litigating his liability for income tax based upon his treatment of dealer reserve income, whether in The Tax Court of the United States or any other court, and an election filed by a taxpayer who is litigating his liability for income tax based upon his treatment of dealer reserve income does not constitute a waiver of his right to continue pending litigation until final judicial determination. He must, however, comply with the provisions of the Act and the regulations thereunder.

(c) Definitions. For purposes of the Act and §§1.9002-1 to 1.9002-8, inclusive:

(1) The Act. The term the Act means the Dealer Reserve Income Adjustment Act of 1960 (74 Stat. 124).

(2) Dealer reserve income. The term dealer reserve income means:

(i) That part of the consideration derived by any person from the sale or other disposition of customers' sales contracts, notes, and other evidences of indebtedness (or derived from customers' finance charges connected with such sales or other dispositions) which is:

(a) Attributable to the sale by such person to such customers, in the ordinary course of his trade or business, of real property or tangible personal property, and

(b) Held in a reserve account, by the financial institution to which such person disposed of such evidences of indebtedness, for the purpose of securing obligations of such person or of such customers, or both; and

(ii) That part of the consideration:

(a) Derived by any person from a sale described in subdivision (i)(a) of this subparagraph in respect of which part or all of the purchase price of the property sold is provided by a financial institution to or for the customer to whom such property is sold, or

(b) Derived by such person from finance charges connected with the financing of such sale, which is held in a reserve account by such financial institution for the purpose of securing obligations of such person or of such customer, or both. Thus, the term includes amounts held in a reserve account by a financial institution in transactions in which the customer becomes obligated to the institution as well as such amounts so held by a financial institution in transactions in which the taxpayer is the obligee on the contract, note, or other evidence of indebtedness. For purposes of the definition of the term “dealer reserve income” it is immaterial whether or not the taxpayer guarantees the customer's obligation in excess of the reserve retained by the financial institution. The term does not include the consideration derived from transactions relating to the sale of intangible property such as stocks, bonds, copyrights, patents, etc. Further, the term does not include consideration derived by the taxpayer from transactions relating to the sale of property by a person not the taxpayer or to casual sales of property not in the ordinary course of the taxpayer's trade or business.

(3) Financial institution. The term financial institution means any person regularly engaged in the business of acquiring evidences of indebtedness of the kind described in section 5(a)(1) of the Act, or of financing sales of the kind described in section 5(a)(2) of the Act, or both. It thus includes banking institutions, finance companies, building and loan associations, and other similar type organizations, as well as an individual or partnership regularly engaged in the described business.

(4) Taxpayer. The term taxpayer means any person to whom the Act applies.

(5) Other terms. All other terms which are not specifically defined shall have the same meaning as when used in the Code except where otherwise distinctly expressed or manifestly intended.

[T.D. 6490, 25 FR 8371, Sept. 1, 1960]