FEBRUARY 10, 1939 Chapter 2 INTERNAL REVENUE CODE Intended to Include All General and Permanent Laws of the United States and Parts of Such Laws, Relating Exclusively to Internal Revenue, in Force on January 2, 1939, and All Internal Revenue Laws Relating to Temporary Internal Revenue Taxes the Occasion for Which Arises After the Effective Date of the Code FIRST SESSION OF THE SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AN ACT To consolidate and codify the internal revenue laws of the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the laws of the United States hereinafter codified and set forth as a part of this act under the heading "Internal Revenue Title" are hereby enacted into law. SEO. 2. CITATION.-This act and the internal revenue title incorporated herein shall be known as the Internal Revenue Code and may be cited as "I. R. C.". SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.-Except as otherwise provided herein, this act shall take effect on the day following the date of its enact ment. SEC. 4. REPEAL AND SAVINGS PROVISIONS.-(a) The Internal Revenue Title, as hereinafter set forth, is intended to include all general laws of the United States and parts of such laws, relating exclusively to internal revenue, in force on the 2d day of January 1939 (1) of a permanent nature and (2) of a temporary nature if embraced in said Internal Revenue Title. In furtherance of that purpose, all such laws and parts of laws codified herein, to the extent they relate exclusively to internal revenue, are repealed, effective, except as provided in section 5, on the day following the date of the enactment of this act. (b) Such repeal shall not affect any act done or any right accruing or accrued, or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil cause before the said repeal, but all rights and liabilities under said acts shall continue, and may be enforced in the same manner, as if said repeal had not been made; nor shall any office, position, employment, board, or committee, be abolished by such repeal, but the same shall continue under the pertinent provisions of the Internal Revenue Title. (c) All offenses committed, and all penalties or forfeitures incurred under any statute hereby repealed, may be prosecuted and punished in the same manner and with the same effect as if this act had not been passed. 1 (d) All acts of limitation, whether applicable to civil causes and proceedings, or to the prosecution of offenses, or for the recovery of penalties or forfeitures, hereby repealed shall not be affected thereby, but all suits, proceedings, or prosecutions, whether civil or criminal, for causes arising, or acts done or committed, prior to said repeal, may be commenced and prosecuted within the same time as if this act had not been passed. (e) The authority vested in the President of the United States, or in any officer or officers of the Treasury Department, by the law as it existed immediately prior to the enactment of this act, hereafter to give publicity to tax returns required under any internal revenue law in force immediately prior to the enactment of this act or any information therein contained, and to furnish copies thereof and to prescribe the terms and conditions upon which such publicity may be given or such copies furnished, and to make rules and regulations with respect to such publicity, is hereby preserved. And the provisions of law authorizing such publicity and prescribing the terms, conditions, limitations, and restrictions upon such publicity and upon the use of the information gained through such publicity and the provisions of law prescribing penalties for unlawful publicity of such returns and for unlawful use of such information are hereby preserved and continued in full force and effect. SEC. 5. CONTINUANCE OF EXISTING LAW.-Any provision of law in force on the 2d day of January 1939 corresponding to a provision contained in the Internal Revenue Title shall remain in force until the corresponding provision under such Title takes effect. SEO. 6. ARRANGEMENT, CLASSIFICATION, AND CROSS REFERENCES.— The arrangement and classification of the several provisions of the Internal Revenue Title have been made for the purpose of a more convenient and orderly arrangement of the same, and, therefore, no inference, implication or presumption of legislative construction shall be drawn or made by reason of the location or grouping of any particular section or provision or portion thereof, nor shall any outline, analysis, cross reference, or descriptive matter relating to the contents of said Title be given any legal effect. SEC. 7. EFFECT UPON SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION.-The enactment of this act shall not repeal nor affect any act of Congress passed since the 2d day of January 1939, and all acts passed since that date shall have full effect as if passed after the enactment of this act; but, so far as such acts vary from, or conflict with, any provision contained in this act, they are to have effect as subsequent statutes, and as repealing any portion of this act inconsistent therewith. SEC. 8. COPIES AS EVIDENCE OF ORIGINAL.-Copies of this act printed at the Government Printing Office and bearing its imprint shall be conclusive evidence of the original Internal Revenue Code in the custody of the Secretary of State. SEC. 9. PUBLICATION.-The said Internal Revenue Code shall be published as a separate part of a volume of the United States Statutes at Large, with an appendix and index, but without marginal references; the date of enactment, bill number, public and chapter number shall be printed as a headnote. SEC. 10. INTERNAL REVENUE TITLE.-The Internal Revenue Title, heretofore referred to, and hereby and herein enacted into law, is aś follows: |