Among the sections added to the revised version of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 was section 306, designed to close a gaping loophole which might have permitted many taxpayers to withdraw earnings and profits from a corporation through the distribution and sale of preferred stock and to receive capital gains treatment at the shareholder level rather than the dividend treatment ordinarily applicable to such distributions. In this article, Professor Gagnon argues that, as applied to corporate reorganizations, section 306 falls far from its mark. After discussing the purpose and operation of section 306 and related sections, the author suggests a number of problem areas involved in the application of section 306 to the use of preferred stock in acquisition type corporate reorganizations
