§ 1.863-4 - Certain transportation services.

§ 1.863-4 Certain transportation services.

(a) General. A taxpayer carrying on the business of transportation service (other than an activity giving rise to transportation income described in section 863(c) or to income subject to other specific provisions of this title) between points in the United States and points outside the United States derives income partly from sources within and partly from sources without the United States.

(b) Gross income. The gross income from sources within the United States derived from such services shall be determined by taking such a portion of the total gross revenues therefrom as

(1) the sum of the costs or expenses of such transportation business carried on by the taxpayer within the United States and a reasonable return upon the property used in its transportation business while within the United States bears to

(2) the sum of the total costs or expenses of such transportation business carried on by the taxpayer and a reasonable return upon the total property used in such transportation business. Revenues from operations incidental to transportation services, such as the sale of money orders, shall be apportioned on the same basis as direct revenues from transportation services.

(c) Allocation of costs or expenses. In allocating the total costs or expenses incurred in such transportation business, costs or expenses incurred in connection with that part of the services which was wholly rendered in the United States shall be assigned to the cost of transportation business within the United States. For example, expenses of loading and unloading in the United States, rentals, office expenses, salaries, and wages wholly incurred for services rendered to the taxpayer in the United States belong to this class. Costs and expenses incurred in connection with services rendered partly within and partly without the United States may be prorated on a reasonable basis between such services. For example, ship wages, charter money, insurance, and supplies chargeable to voyage expenses shall ordinarily be prorated for each voyage on the basis of the proportion which the number of days the ship was within the territorial limits of the United States bears to the total number of days on the voyage; and fuel consumed on each voyage may be prorated on the basis of the proportion which the number of miles sailed within the territorial limits of the United States bears to the total number of miles sailed on the voyage. For other expenses entering into the cost of services, only such expenses as are allowable deductions under the internal revenue laws shall be taken into account.

(d) Items not included as costs or expenses -

(1) Taxes and interest. Income, war profits, and excess profits taxes shall not be regarded as costs or expenses for the purpose of determining the proportion of gross income from sources within the United States; and, for such purpose, interest and other expenses for the use of borrowed capital shall not be taken into the cost of services rendered, for the reason that the return upon the property used measures the extent to which such borrowed capital is the source of the income. See paragraph (f)(2) of this section.

(2) Other business activity and general expenses. If a taxpayer subject to this section is also engaged in a business other than that of providing transportation service between points in the United States and points outside the United States, the costs and expenses, including taxes, properly apportioned or allocated to such other business shall be excluded both from the deductions and from the apportionment process prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section; but, for the purpose of determining taxable income, a ratable part of any general expenses, losses, or deductions, which cannot definitely be allocated to some item or class of gross income, may be deducted from the gross income from sources within the United States after the amount of such gross income has been determined. Such ratable part shall ordinarily be based upon the ratio of gross income from sources within the United States to the total gross income. See paragraph (f)(3) of this section.

(3) Personal exemptions and special deductions. The deductions for the personal exemptions, and the special deductions described in paragraph (c) of § 1.861-8, shall not be taken into account for purposes of paragraph (c) of this section.

(e) Property used while within the United States -

(1) General. The value of the property used shall be determined upon the basis of cost less depreciation. Eight percent may ordinarily be taken as a reasonable rate of return to apply to such property. The property taken shall be the average property employed in the transportation service between points in the United States and points outside the United States during the taxable year.

(2) Average property. For ships, the average shall be determined upon a daily basis for each ship, and the amount to be apportioned for each ship as assets employed within the United States shall be computed upon the proportion which the number of days the ship was within the territorial limits of the United States bears to the total number of days the ship was in service during the taxable period. For other assets employed in the transportation business, the average of the assets at the beginning and end of the taxable period ordinarily may be taken, but if the average so obtained does not, by reason of material changes during the taxable year, fairly represent the average for such year either for the assets employed in the transportation business in the United States or in total, the average must be determined upon a monthly or daily basis.

(3) Current assets. Current assets shall be decreased by current liabilities and allocated to services between the United States and foreign countries and to other services. The part allocated to services between the United States and foreign countries shall be based on the proportion which the gross receipts from such services bear to the gross receipts from all services. The amount so allocated to services between the United States and foreign countries shall be further allocated to services rendered within the United States and to services rendered without the United States. The portion allocable to services rendered within the United States shall be based on the proportion which the expenses incurred within the territorial limits of the United States bear to the total expenses incurred in services between the United States and foreign countries.

(f) Taxable income -

(1) General. In computing taxable income from sources within the United States there shall be allowed as deductions from the gross income from such sources, determined in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, (i) the expenses of the transportation business carried on within the United States (as determined under paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section) and (ii) the expenses and deductions determined in accordance with this paragraph.

(2) Interest and taxes. Interest and income, war-profits, and excess profits taxes shall be excluded from the apportionment process, as indicated in paragraph (d) of this section; but, for the purpose of computing taxable income there may be deducted from the gross income from sources within the United States, after the amount of such gross income has been determined, a ratable part of all interest deductible under section 163 and of all income, war-profits, and excess profits taxes deductible under section 164, paid or accrued in respect of the business of transportation service between points in the United States and points outside the United States. The ratable part shall ordinarily be based upon the ratio of gross income from sources within the United States to the total gross income, from such transportation service.

(3) General expenses. General expenses, losses, or deductions shall be deducted under this paragraph to the extent indicated in paragraph (d)(2) of this section.

(4) Personal exemptions. The deductions for the personal exemptions shall be allowed under this paragraph to the same extent as provided by paragraph (b) of § 1.861-8.

(5) Special deductions. The special deductions allowed in the case of a corporation by sections 241, 922, and 941 shall be allowed under this paragraph to the same extent as provided by paragraph (c) of § 1.861-8.

(g) Allocation based on books of account. Application for permission to base the return upon the taxpayer's books of account will be considered by the district director (or, if applicable, the Director of International Operations) in the case of any taxpayer subject to this section, who, in good faith and unaffected by considerations of tax liability, regularly employs in his books of account a detailed allocation of receipts and expenditures which more clearly reflects the income derived from sources within the United States than does the process prescribed by paragraphs (b) to (f), inclusive, of this section.

[T.D. 6500, 25 FR 11910, Nov. 26, 1960, as amended by T.D. 8687, 61 FR 60550, Nov. 29, 1996]