then such taxpayer may treat the cost of any used section 38 property (regardless of its estimated useful life) which was not originally selected, under paragraph (c)(4) of § 1.48-3 , to be taken into account in computing qualified investment for such taxable year (or previously reselected under this subparagraph) as having been selected (in accordance with the principles of paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of § 1.48-3 ) in place of the cost of the used section 38 property described in subdivision (i) of this subparagraph. Hereinafter such reselected property is referred to as "newly selected used section 38 property". For purposes of this subparagraph, the cost of used section 38 property apportioned to a taxpayer means the sum of the cost of used section 38 property apportioned to him by a trust, estate, or electing small business corporation (as defined in section 1371(b)), and his share of the cost of partnership used section 38 property, with respect to the taxable year of such trust, estate, corporation or partnership ending with or within such taxpayer's taxable year. In the case of a taxpayer to whom paragraph (c)(2) of § 1.48-3 applied for the taxable year in which the property described in subdivision (i) of this subparagraph was placed in service, a $25,000 amount shall be substituted for the $50,000 amount referred to in subdivision (ii)(b) of this subparagraph, and in the case of a member of an affiliated group (as defined in subparagraph (6) of § 1.48-3(e) ) the amount apportioned to such member under paragraph (e) of § 1.48-3 shall be substituted for such $50,000 amount.
Thus, where a taxpayer owns a 5-percent interest in a partnership, and, after the incorporation of that partnership, the taxpayer retains at least a 5-percent interest in the corporation, the taxpayer will be considered as having retained a substantial interest in the trade or business as of the date of the change in form.
Example. On January 1, 1967, A, a calendar year taxpayer, acquired and placed in service a new machine with a basis of $100 and an estimated useful life of 8 years. A's qualified investment was $100 and his credit earned was $7, which was allowed as a credit against tax for 1967. On January 15, 1971. A disposed of the machine and replaced it with a similar new machine costing $75 and having an estimated useful life of 8 years. The new machine would be section 38 property but for section 49. Since the actual useful life of the original machine was at least 4 but less than 6 years, the recomputed qualified investment of the machine is $33.33 (331/3 percent of $100) and under paragraph (a) of § 1.47-1 the amount of recapture tax would be $4.67 ($7, the original credit earned, minus $2.33, the recomputed credit earned). However, under the provisions of this paragraph, the recapture tax is reduced (but not below zero) by the credit that would be allowed for the replacement property (determined as if such property were section 38 property). Under these facts the recapture tax is zero ($4.67, the recapture tax with respect to the original machine, minus $5.25, the credit that would be allowed on the new machine).
26 C.F.R. §1.47-3