1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*149
On June 8, 1922, decedent transferred property in trust, in all of which he retained a possibility of reverter until his death. He died on November 16, 1937.
2 T.C. 21">*21 OPINION.
Respondent determined a deficiency of $ 4,782.82 in estate tax by,
The facts were stipulated and are so found.
2 T.C. 21">*22 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*150 Decedent died on November 16, 1937, at the age of 52 years. On June 8, 1922, he transferred to Bankers Trust Co., as trustee, certain assets valued at the date of his death at the sum of $ 307,452.82, which value was included by respondent in decedent's estate in computing the present deficiency.
Summarized, the terms of this trust were:
A. The trust is to continue for the joint lives of two nieces and the life of the survivor of them unless terminated earlier under F,
B. The income is to be paid to decedent for his life unless the trust terminates before his death.
D. The aforesaid trusts are subject to decedent's right to reduce or cancel the amounts of the gifts by will or instrument in writing and the amounts by which any gifts are reduced or canceled are to be added to the gifts for the issue which are not reduced 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*151 (no restoration being permitted of any gift reduced).
E. If the decedent cancels all of the gifts or reduces gifts so that there remains a balance undisposed of, then all of the balance undisposed of is to go to his brother or sister surviving or their issue.
F. During the continuance of the trusts the income is to be paid to the beneficiary named and upon the death of the beneficiary during the continuance of the trust the corpus is to be paid to the beneficiary's issue surviving, but if there be none, to the issue of the decedent surviving, if none, then the decedent's brother or sister or their issue.
G. Upon the death of the widow, the corpus of the trust created for her benefit is to go to the issue of decedent surviving, but if none, then to the brother or sister or their issue.
H. Upon termination of the trust before the death of the decedent the corpus is to be paid over to decedent.
The decedent at no time had any issue. At the time of his death decedent was survived by his two nieces, whose lives were to measure the maximum 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*152 life of the trust, and they were then of the age of 18 and 25 years, respectively. He was also survived by his widow, Blanche Field, by his sister, Ruth Rosenfield Hollander, and by John R. Field and Warren R. Field, issue of a deceased brother, Hugo Rosenfield.
The transfer in trust was not made in contemplation of death, nor 2 T.C. 21">*23 did deceased at any time relinquish any power to alter, amend, or revoke the transfer or to change the enjoyment of the property transferred in contemplation of death.
It is conceded by the petitioner that the value of the corpus of the trust to the extent of $ 150,000, directed to be set aside for the decedent's widow, was properly includable in decedent's gross estate at his death, since decedent, to the extent of that value, retained until his demise the power to change the disposition of the widow's fund in that maximum amount by reducing or canceling it in its entirety. The value of a remainder in the sum of $ 157,452.82, payable at all events upon the death of the survivor of two females, aged 18 and 25 years, respectively, was, at the time of decedent's death, $ 24,930.76. The value at the date of decedent's death to a man aged 52 years of 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*153 the right to receive a remainder in the sum of $ 157,452.82, payable upon the death of the survivor of two females, aged 18 and 25, respectively, contingent upon his survival of both of such females, was $ 891.18.
Petitioner concedes that the value of the trust remainder, to the amount of the $ 150,000 allocable by decedent to the trust for the widow, was properly included for estate tax purposes under section 302 (d) of the Revenue Act of 1926, as amended. The issue here therefore is whether respondent was correct when he included the balance of that remainder for those purposes. Respondent supports his action of including the entire value of the remainder upon three grounds: (1) under section 302 (c) of the Revenue Act of 1926, as amended by section 803 (a) of the Revenue Act of 1932, as construed by , and other cases; (2) under section 302 (d) of the Revenue Act of 1926, as amended by section 401 of the Revenue Act of 1934; and (3) decedent died owning outright that part of the trust corpus which exceeded the $ 150,000 allocable therein to the trust for the widow.
In opposing the first above contention, petitioner1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*154 concedes that decedent, by the trust deed, reserved a possibility of reverter in the trust remainder until his death, in that, if he survived his two nieces whose lives measured the maximum life of the trust, its entire corpus would revert to him. Its position, however, is that only the value of that possibility of reverter, which is here stipulated, can be included in the value of decedent's estate at his death for estate tax purposes. It also cites the
Whatever may have been said 1 about the uncertainty of the law on the point thus raised prior to the decision of the Supreme Court in (see also ), we think the decision in the
2 T.C. 21">*24 It is true that case involved only gift tax. The sole controversy, however, 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*155 there as here was whether the measure of such tax included the value of the remainder of an
This view, we think, misunderstands our position in the
We conclude that under the present statute, Congress has provided as its plan for integrating the estate and gift taxes this system of secured payment on gifts which will later be subject to the estate tax.
Unencumbered by any notion of policy against subjecting this transaction to both estate and gift taxes, we turn to the basic question of whether there was a gift of the remainder. * * *
We think it is inherent in this expression of the Supreme Court that the remainder of such a trust may be not only subject to gift tax, as was there decided, but is also subject to the estate tax contested here. It may be that the amount of 1943 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 149">*157 a gift tax paid upon an
The question of whether the measure of the value of the remainder includable here at decedent's death for estate tax purposes should exclude the value of any life estate to his issue is moot, since decedent 2 T.C. 21">*25 died without ever having had issue and thus no life estate, following his own, arose. Respondent is therefore affirmed on the submitted issue.
This decision renders unnecessary any consideration of respondent's second and third positions.