1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*11
1.
2.
13 T.C. 952">*952 OPINION.
In Docket No. 12817 respondent determined, for the year 1943, a deficiency in income and victory tax of $ 11,320.66 against petitioner Lydia Hopkins, and in Docket No. 12818 he determined, for the year 1943, a deficiency in income and victory tax of $ 13,794.75 against petitioner Mary K. Hopkins Trust No. 5991, Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co., trustee. Each petitioner seeks redetermination of the deficiency determined against her or it. The proceedings have been consolidated.
The issue in Docket No. 12817 is whether the amount of $ 24,000, or any portion thereof, paid petitioner1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*14 Lydia Hopkins by the Mary K. Hopkins Trust in each of the years 1942 and 1943 is includible in her income for each of those years. The year 1942 is involved because of the forgiveness provisions of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. Another issue in Docket No. 12817, presented by amendment of his answer seeking an increased deficiency filed by respondent at a further 13 T.C. 952">*953 hearing of these proceedings on January 21, 1949, was abandoned by respondent on brief.
The issues originally presented in Docket No. 12818 are: (a) If it is determined that any of the amount so paid Lydia Hopkins in 1943 is includible in her taxable income for that year, whether such amount is deductible from petitioner trust's gross income for that year as income properly paid to a trust beneficiary under
The facts have been stipulated. Those of the stipulated facts not set out herein are included by reference.
Petitioners are residents of the State of California, and petitioner trust filed its income tax return for the taxable year with the collector of internal revenue for the first district of California. Petitioner Lydia Hopkins filed no income tax return for either 1942 or 1943 and paid no income tax, state or Federal, for either of those years.
On March 7, 1934, petitioner Mary K. Hopkins Trust was created by written declaration of trust and agreement between Mary K. Hopkins, mother of petitioner Lydia Hopkins, as grantor, and the Wells 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*16 Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co., a corporation duly organized to do and doing a trust business in California, as trustee, and since said date that institution has been the duly qualified and acting trustee of the trust. The Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. is an experienced trustee. The Union Trust Co., from the date of its incorporation in 1893 until it was merged with the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank in 1923, was engaged in the business of acting as a corporate trustee. Since this merger the Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. has continued to carry on the business of acting as corporate trustee. It maintains a large trust department, specializing in estate management, and maintains investment, analysis, and other specialized departments to advise on the choice of advantageous investments and proper management for funds entrusted to it.
13 T.C. 952">*954 The original trust instrument, in paragraph 7 thereof, provided,
On March 7, 1934, Timothy Hopkins, husband of Mary K. Hopkins, and father of petitioner Lydia Hopkins, conveyed certain property in trust. The instrument made no provision for his daughter Lydia. Timothy Hopkins died January 1, 1936, and in his will, which was duly probated on January 27, 1936, he made no provision for Lydia, stating therein: "I expressly omit making any provision herein for my daughter, Lydia K. Hopkins, for the reason that I know that her mother has made sufficient provision for her support and maintenance." By the terms of his will and trust together the net income from Timothy Hopkins' entire estate, after payment of certain annuities, was to go to his wife, Mary K. Hopkins, for life if she chose to receive same; and any income not paid her while living and all income after her death was to go to Leland Stanford Junior University.
After her father's death Lydia Hopkins threatened to institute suit to obtain a share of the property which her father had disposed of by his will and trust. She employed counsel and dealt with Mary K. Hopkins and the executor of Timothy Hopkins' 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*18 estate wholly at arm's length. As a result of negotiations, a written agreement was entered into between Lydia and Mary K. Hopkins on July 23, 1936. The agreement, after reciting that Timothy Hopkins had executed the above mentioned will and trust and that no provision was made in either for Lydia, further recited:
It is the intention of the parties hereto that the party of the first part [Mary K.] shall purchase from the party of the second part [Lydia], and the party of the second part shall grant and transfer to the party of the first part all her right, title and interest as an heir at law of Timothy Hopkins, deceased, in and to any property which he owned in his lifetime and which is now held by the trustee under said Trust No. 5998, or which constitutes a part of his estate, and also that the party of the second part shall waive, relinquish and release any and all claims which she now has or may hereafter have as the heir at law of the party of the first part to succeed to any property now owned or possessed or which may hereafter be owned or possessed by the party of the first part.
The agreement then provided, in consideration of the premises: That on the first day of each1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*19 month during the lifetime of Mary K. Hopkins she would pay Lydia $ 1,000; that after the death of Mary K. Hopkins and during the life of Lydia the latter should be paid $ 2,000 monthly, beginning the first day of the month next succeeding the death of Mary K.; that said installments of $ 2,000 should be net to Lydia; that taxes of every kind which might be levied upon or assessed 13 T.C. 952">*955 against the monthly payments, including inheritance taxes, Federal estate taxes, and Federal and state income taxes, should be paid out of the estate of Mary K. Hopkins; that provision for the payment of the monthly sums of $ 2,000 and the taxes should be made by Mary K. Hopkins either by will or by a trust instrument. If such provisions were made by a trust instrument, Mary K. agreed to transfer to the trustee properties of sufficient value to insure payment of the monthly sums provided for and taxes, if any, when due and payable.
In consideration of the above, and of some further considerations not material here, Lydia Hopkins agreed:
* * * that she will not in any manner question, dispute or contest the will of said Timothy Hopkins, deceased, or the probate thereof, or any disposition of any1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*20 property made by Timothy Hopkins during his lifetime by gift, deed or by the provisions of said Trust No. 5998, and that she will in no manner or to any extent claim any right, title or interest which she might have as an heir at law of said Timothy Hopkins, deceased, or otherwise, in or to any property or estate at any time owned or possessed by him, and she hereby grants, assigns and transfers to the party of the first part all her right, title and interest as an heir at law of said Timothy Hopkins, deceased, in and to his estate and in or to any property now held by the trustee under said Trust No. 5998.
Lydia also released all claims to any property then, theretofore, or thereafter owned by Mary K., except claims arising out of Lydia's rights under the agreement. She also relinquished all rights of inheritance to Mary K.'s property as her heir at law.
On July 24, 1936, the day after the execution of the above agreement, Mary K. Hopkins amended the trust which she had previously created on March 7, 1934, with Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co., as trustee. By this amendment, paragraph 7 of the original trust instrument setting forth the purposes for which the trust fund was1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*21 to be held and used was revoked, and in lieu thereof, it was provided by a paragraph likewise numbered 7 in the amendment,
Under an amendment of September 27, 1939, to the trust instrument the trustee had the power to sell any or all of the corpus, to credit the proceeds to corpus, and to reinvest the proceeds in such property, real or personal, as it might deem fit without being restricted to investments prescribed or authorized by law as trustee investments. 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*23 The trustee was also given broad powers of management and control of the trust property, among those powers being one "to purchase securities or property from and to make loans and advancements, secured or unsecured, to the executor or other representative of the Trustor's estate, without responsibility for any loss resulting therefrom."
The entire corpus of the trust consisted of separate and individual property of Mary K. Hopkins which she had transferred to the trust and none of which she had received from property owned by her deceased husband at the time of his death or as income from such property.
The Stanford Convalescent Home, sometimes hereinafter referred to as the home, remainderman of the petitioner trust, is a charitable organization within the meaning of
From July 24, 1936, until her death Mary K. Hopkins paid the sum of $ 1,000 per month to Lydia Hopkins. Mary K. Hopkins died October 14, 1941. Pursuant to the agreement between Lydia and Mary K. Hopkins as reflected in the July 24, 1936, amendment to the trust, the trustee, after the death of Mary K. Hopkins, made monthly payments of $ 2,000 to Lydia Hopkins and $ 200 to1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*24 Amaley Gustafson out of the net income of the trust as provided in the amendment to the trust. The decree of final distribution on the estate of Mary K. Hopkins was entered on January 22, 1945.
13 T.C. 952">*957 During the taxable year 1943 the trustee sold property from the corpus of the trust, resulting in capital gain in the amount of $ 55,173.34. No part of this capital gain was distributed during the taxable year 1943, but was added to the corpus of the trust, the entire net income from which was to be paid in perpetuity to the home after the deaths of Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson; from which net income there was to be paid during the lives of Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson to the home the excess of such income above what was to be paid them.
The value of the trust estate on certain respective dates was as follows:
Oct. 14, 1941, date of death of Mary K. Hopkins | $ 1,106,308.34 |
Oct. 14, 1942 | 1,269,499.96 |
Oct. 14, 1943 | 1,335,727.13 |
Oct. 14, 1944 | 1,411,410.93 |
Oct. 14, 1945 | 1,543,377.31 |
Oct. 14, 1946 | 1,558,826.71 |
Of the total increase in value reflected by the first three figures above, $ 174,000 was due to the increase in the appraised market value of the real 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*25 estate owned by the trust. Of the total increase in value reflected by the last three figures, $ 60,000 thereof was due to the increase in the appraised market value of the real estate owned by the trust.
After deducting from gross income (without including therein capital gains which were added to corpus) all Federal and state income and all other taxes and expenses, the net income of the trust "as per trust accounting," which the parties have treated as the proper method of accounting to be used, and the net income in excess of the $ 26,400 per annum to be paid Amaley Gustafson and Lydia, were as follows:
1942 | 1943 | 1944 | |
Net income | $ 33,763.96 | $ 50,141.37 | $ 48,364.75 |
Net income in excess of $ 26,400 | 7,363.96 | 23,741.37 | 21,964.75 |
1945 | 1946 | |
Net income | $ 52,440.82 | $ 51,176.31 |
Net income in excess of $ 26,400 | 26,040.82 | 24,776.31 |
The following is a list of assets constituting the corpus of the trust estate as of December 31, 1943:
BONDS: | |
1. $ 15,000 | County of Allegheny, Pa. 2 1/4% Road Bonds Series 46 |
DA. 5-1-40 Due 5-1-68 | |
2. $ 10,000 | California Door Company 6% First Mortgage SKG |
Fund Bonds Due 10-1-36 | |
3. $ 500 | City of Fresno 4 1/2% Municipal Impvt. Bond Due 7-1-50 |
4. $ 10,000 | Hotchkiss Redwood Co. 6% First Mtg. Gold Bonds |
Due 5-1-35 | |
5. $ 6,000 | City of Los Angeles 5% School Bonds Due 8-1-53 |
6. $ 20,000 | Market Street Railway Co. 5% First Mtg. SKG Fund |
Gold Bond Series A Due 4-1-40 (Extended to 4-1-45) | |
7. $ 5,000 | State of New York 4% Erie Oswego and Champlain |
1967 Loan for Canal Impvt. DA. 1-1-17 DUE 1-1-67 | |
8. $ 1,000 | City of Palo Alto 5% School District Bonds Due 4-1-49 |
9. $ 1,000 | Richmond School District 4 1/2% Gold Bond Due 12-1-44 |
10. $ 1,000 | Riverside County 5% Highway Bonds Due 5-1-50 |
11. $ 3,000 | City of Santa Cruz High School District 5% Bonds Due |
4-25-46 | |
12. $ 5,000 | City of Santa Rosa 5% High School District Bonds Due |
8-1-55 | |
13. $ 2,000 | Sonoma County 5% Highway Bonds Due 7-1-47 |
14. $ 3,000 | Sutter Buttes Land Company 6% Second Mtge. 20 Years |
Bonds Due 9-1-55 | |
15. $ 900 | U. S. of A. 2 7/8% Treasury Bonds 1955-60 Due 3-15-60 |
16. $ 5,000 | U. S. of A. 2 3/4% Treasury Bonds of 1960-65 Due 12-15- |
65 | |
17. $ 5,000 | U. S. of A. Series G Bonds Due 10-1-55 |
18. $ 75,000 | U. S. of A. Series G Bonds Due 11-1-55 |
19. $ 28,000 | Southern Pacific Co. 4% First Preferred Mortgage Gold |
Bonds Due 1-1-55 | |
PREFERRED STOCKS: | |
20. 300 shares | Coast Counties Gas & Electric Co. 5% Cum. First Pfd. |
21. 715 shares | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. 5 1/2% First Pfd. |
22. 372 shares | Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. Pfd. Stock |
23. 250 shares | San Diego Gas & Electric 5% Cum. Pfd. Stock |
COMMON STOCKS: | |
24. 40 shares | American Tel. & Tel. Capital Stock |
25. 15,000 shares | Cyprus [sic] Abbey Company Capital Stock |
26. 406 shares | Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. Common Stock |
27. 100 shares | Requa Timber Company Capital Stock |
28. 434 shares | Richfield Oil Co. Common Stock |
29. 3,171 shares | Union Ice Company Capital Stock |
30. 1,247 shares | Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. Capital Stock |
MISCELLANEOUS: | |
31 | Parking lot N. Ellis & E. Powell St. San Francisco |
32 | N. E. Corner University & Bryant, Palo Alto |
33 | 279.22 acres, Rancho De La Pulgas, Menlo Park, San |
Mateo County. | |
34 | N. E. Cor. Washington & Spruce, San Francisco |
35. $ 3,862.46 | Savings Account |
36. $ 455.30 | Cash on Ledger (Principal) |
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*26 13 T.C. 952">*958 The required amount of interest since the date of their issuance has been paid on all bonds held by the petitioner trust on December 31, 1943, with the following exceptions:
California Door Co. -- defaulted from April 1, 1933, to April 1, 1942. In 1943 paid $ 270 back interest and $ 500 principal.
Hotchkiss Redwood Co. -- defaulted from November 1, 1931, to December 31, 1943.
Sutter Buttes Land Co. -- defaulted from issuance in 1935 to December 31, 1943.
13 T.C. 952">*959 The total interest paid annually on the bonds amounted to $ 6,387.90.
All the preferred stocks held by petitioner trust on December 31, 1943, have, since their issuance, maintained their stated dividend rates. They are as follows:
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (noncallable) | $ 1.37 1/2 per share |
Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (noncallable) | $ 6.00 per share |
San Diego Gas & Electric Co | $ 1.00 per share |
Coast Counties Gas & Electric Co | $ 1.25 per share |
The annual dividends paid on the above stock amounted to $ 3,840.
The common stocks held by petitioner trust on December 31, 1943, the average annual rates of dividends per share paid on stocks of the kinds so held, the periods over which such rates are1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*27 averaged, the amounts of average annual dividends paid at such average rates on shares equal in number to those held by petitioner trust, and other facts as to dividends on the common stocks are as follows:
Amount of | |||
average annual | |||
Period over | dividends on | ||
Average annual | which rates | shares equal in | |
Common stock | dividend | averaged | number to |
rate per share | (both inclusive) | those held by | |
petitioner trust | |||
at average | |||
annual rate | |||
40 shares Am. Tel. & | |||
Tel. Co | $ 8.94 | 1920 to 1943 | $ 357.60 |
The lowest dividend | |||
rate paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 8 per | |||
share, in 1920. The | |||
average annual dividend | |||
rate paid during the | |||
1930's was $ 9 per | |||
share. | |||
15,000 shares Cypress | |||
Abbey Co | .052 | 1934 to 1943 | 780.00 |
The lowest dividend | |||
rate paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was 2 cents per | |||
share, in 1934, the year | |||
of its reorganization. | |||
During the other years | |||
of the 1930's it paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of 6 1/5 cents | |||
per share. | |||
406 shares Pac. Tel. & | |||
Tel. Co | 6.74 | 1925 to 1943 | 2,736.44 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 6 per share, | |||
in each of the years | |||
1925, 1933 to 1935, both | |||
inclusive, and 1942. | |||
During the 1930's it | |||
paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 6.75 per share. | |||
434 shares Richfield Oil Co | .48 | 1937 to 1943 | 208.32 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock during | |||
the specified years was | |||
25 cents per share, in | |||
1937, the year of its | |||
reorganization. During | |||
the remainder of the | |||
1930's it paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of 50 cents per | |||
share. | |||
3,171 shares Union Ice Co | 4.55 | 1935 to 1943 | 14,428.05 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 4 per share, | |||
in each of the years | |||
1940 to 1943, both | |||
inclusive. During the | |||
years 1935 to 1939, both | |||
inclusive, it paid | |||
dividends for each year | |||
of $ 5 per share. | |||
1,247 shares Wells Fargo | |||
Bank & Union Trust Co | 12 | 1920 to 1943 | 14,964.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 10 per | |||
share, in each of the | |||
years 1920 to 1925, both | |||
inclusive. During the | |||
1930's it paid each year | |||
a dividend of $ 13 per | |||
share. | |||
Total | 33,474.41 |
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*28 Each of the above common stocks paid a dividend in each and all of the years during the periods specified in the third column of the tabulation as applicable to such stock. In 1940 Union Ice Co. and Cypress Abbey each also paid a stock dividend of 25 per cent.
13 T.C. 952">*960 The parking lot on Ellis and East Powell Streets, San Francisco, was appraised for estate tax purposes at $ 60,000 and was leased by petitioner trust on May 24, 1941, for a period of 10 years, for $ 6,000 per year.
The property in Palo Alto at the northeast corner of University and Bryant Streets was a two-story business building in the center of the downtown business and shopping area in that community and was leased to various tenants during the period 1942 through 1946. On November 5, 1945, and by agreement thereafter, the petitioner trust leased the entire building to J. C. Penney Co. for a term commencing December 1, 1947, and extending to December 1, 1962. The annual rental from this lease was a minimum of $ 20,592 plus 2 1/2 per cent of annual net sales of over $ 900,000.
During 1942 and 1943 the acreage in the Menlo Park property was operated as a farm and the gross annual income therefrom was $ 2,328.311949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*29 and $ 3,968.99 in the respective years of 1942 and 1943. It was operated at a net loss for 1942 and 1943 in the respective amounts of $ 11,645.53 and $ 1,527.42.
The property located at the northeast corner of Washington and Spruce, San Francisco, was the former residence of Mary K. and Timothy Hopkins, was appraised for estate tax purposes at $ 60,000, and the portion thereof which was rented produced around $ 324 for each of the years 1942 and 1943. The cost of maintenance exceeded $ 6,000 for each of those years.
The total gross income to the trust from rentals for the above parcels of real estate was $ 26,149.18 in 1942, $ 27,992.92 in 1943, $ 25,709.84 in 1944, $ 18,647.39 in 1945 after sale of part of the real estate in 1944, and $ 19,167.82 in 1946 after sale of all the remaining real estate in 1945 except the two-story business building in Palo Alto.
During 1944 and 1945 the trustee sold all real estate owned by the trust, with the exception of the Palo Alto property. The proceeds from these sales were credited to corpus and have been invested in income-producing securities.
The following is a list of assets constituting the corpus of the trust estate as of October 14, 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*30 1947:
BONDS: | |
1. $ 7,000 | City of Baltimore 3% Fourth Water Serial Loan Bonds |
1937-81 DA. 11-1-37 Due 11-1-53 | |
2. $ 6,000 | City of Los Angeles 5% School Bonds, Due 8-1-53 |
3. $ 5,000 | State of New York 3% Elimination of RR Grade |
Crossings Bonds LSS. Mar. 1937 Da. 3-25-37 Due | |
3-25-54 | |
4. $ 1,000 | Riverside County 5% Highway Bonds Due 5-1-50 |
5. $ 5,000 | City of Santa Rosa 5% High School District Bonds Due |
8-1-55 | |
6. $ 50,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G DA. 5-1-44 Due |
5-1-56 | |
7. $ 15,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G DA. 3-1-44 Due |
3-1-56 | |
8. $ 75,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G DA. 11-1-43 Due |
11-1-55 | |
9. $ 5,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G Da. 10-1-43 Due |
10-1-55 | |
10. $ 10,000 | U. S. of A. 2% Treasury Bonds of 1950-52 Due 9-15-52 |
11. $ 35,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G. Da. 8-1-44 Due |
8-1-56 | |
12. $ 56,000 | U. S. of A. 2% Treasury Bonds of 1950-52 Due 9-15-52 |
13. $ 100,000 | U. S. of A. Savings Bonds Ser. G Da. 1-1-45 Due 1-1-57 |
14. $ 25,000 | U. S. of A. 2% Treasury Bonds of 1951-53 Due 9-15-53 |
15. $ 70,000 | U. S. of A. 2% Treasury Bonds of 1952-54 Due 6-15-54 |
16. 50,000 | American Telephone & Telegraph Company, 2 3/4% |
Due 1961 | |
PREFERRED STOCKS: | |
17. 715 shares | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. 5 1/2% 1st |
18. 372 shares | Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. |
19. 250 shares | San Diego Gas & Electric Co. 5% Cum. |
20. 40 shares | Dow Chemical Company, 3 1/4% Cum. Convertible 2d |
COMMON STOCKS: | |
21. 15,000 shares | Cypress Abbey Company |
22. 100 shares | Requa Timber Company |
23. 500 shares | Standard Oil Co. of California |
24. 150 shares | Sutter Buttes Land Company |
25. 3,171 shares | Union Ice Company |
26. 700 shares | Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. |
27. 185 shares | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co. |
28. 300 shares | International Harvester Co. |
29. 483 shares | Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. |
30. 400 shares | Procter & Gamble Co. |
31. 434 shares | Richfield Oil Corporation |
32. 200 shares | Union Pacific Railroad Co. |
33. 300 shares | United Shoe Machinery Corp. |
34. | 310-14 University Avenue, Being on NE corner University |
Ave. & Bryant 100 x 125, Palo Alto | |
35. $ 9,950.20 | Principal Balance, 10-14-47 |
36. $ 310.85 | Savings |
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*31 13 T.C. 952">*961 All bonds held by the petitioner trust on October 14, 1947, have paid the required amount of interest since the date of their issuance. For the year 1946 these bonds produced an annual interest income of $ 12,725.02, of which $ 10,592.30 was from United States Government bonds.
The preferred stocks held by petitioner trust on October 14, 1947, have, since their issuance, maintained their stated dividend rates. They are as follows: 13 T.C. 952">*962
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (noncallable) | $ 1.37 1/2 per share |
Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (noncallable) | 6.00 per share |
San Diego Gas & Electric Co | 1.00 per share |
Dow Chemical Co. (current issue; first dividend date | |
has not been reached; declared rate $ 3.25 per year) |
The annual dividends paid on the preferred stock amounted to $ 3,595.12.
The common stocks held by petitioner trust on October 14, 1947, the average annual rates of dividends per share paid on stocks of the kinds so held, the periods over which such rates are averaged, the amounts of average annual dividends paid at such average rates on shares equal in number to those held by petitioner trust, and other facts as to dividends on the common stocks are1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*32 as follows:
Amounts of | |||
average annual | |||
Periods over | dividends on | ||
Average annual | which rates | shares equal | |
Common stock | dividend | averaged | in number to |
rate | (both inclusive) | those held by | |
per share | petitioner trust | ||
at average | |||
annual rate | |||
15,000 shares Cypress Abbey | |||
Co | $ 0.054 | 1934 to 1946 | $ 810.00 |
The lowest dividends rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was 2 cents per | |||
share, in 1934, the year | |||
of its reorganization. | |||
During the other years in | |||
the 1930's it paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of 6 1/5 | |||
cents per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid dividends | |||
at the average annual rate | |||
of 5 2/7 cents per share. | |||
500 shares Standard Oil Co. | |||
of Calif | 1.82 | 1926 to 1946 | 910.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 1 per share, | |||
for each of the years | |||
1934, 1935, and 1940. | |||
During the 1930's it | |||
paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 1.60 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of $ 1.75 | |||
per share. | |||
3,171 shares Union Ice Co | 4.58 | 1935 to 1946 | 14,523.18 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 4 per share, | |||
for each of the years | |||
1940 to 1943, both | |||
inclusive, and in 1946. | |||
During the years 1935 | |||
to 1939, both inclusive, | |||
it paid dividends for | |||
each year of $ 5 per | |||
share. From 1940 to | |||
1946, inclusive, this | |||
stock paid dividends at | |||
the average annual rate | |||
of $ 4.29 per share. | |||
700 shares Wells Fargo Bank | |||
& Union Trust Co | 12.11 | 1920 t0 1946 | 8,477.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 10 per | |||
share, for each of the | |||
years 1920 to 1925, both | |||
inclusive. During each | |||
of the 1930's it paid | |||
$ 13 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of $ 13 per share. | |||
185 shares E. I. Du Pont | |||
de Nemours & Co | 4.85 | 1929 to 1946 | 897.25 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 2.75 per | |||
share, for each of the | |||
years 1932 and 1933. | |||
During the 1930's it | |||
paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 4.29 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of $ 5.11 | |||
per share. | |||
300 shares International | |||
Harvester | 2.26 | 1929 to 1946 | 678.00 |
The lowest dividend | |||
rate paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 2.50 per | |||
share, for each of the | |||
years 1929, 1930, 1931, | |||
1936, 1942, and 1943. | |||
During the 1930's it | |||
paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 1.90 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusve, | |||
this stock paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of $ 2.75 | |||
per share. | |||
83 shares Pacific Tel. & | |||
Tel. Co | 6.68 | 1925 to 1946 | 3,226.44 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 6 per share, | |||
for each 1925 and | |||
1942. During the 1930's | |||
it paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 7.38 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of $ 6.46 per share. | |||
400 shares Procter & | |||
Gamble Co | 3.22 | 1920 to 1946 | 1,288.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 2 per share, | |||
in 1936, 1938, 1942, | |||
1943, 1945, and 1946. | |||
During the 1930's it | |||
paid dividends at the | |||
average annual rate of | |||
$ 2.08 per share. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of $ 2.29 per share. | |||
434 shares Richfield Oil | |||
Corp | .55 | 1937 to 1946 | 238.70 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was 25 cents per | |||
share, in 1937, the year | |||
of its reorganization. | |||
During the remaining | |||
1930's it paid dividends | |||
of 50 cents per share | |||
for each year. From | |||
1940 to 1946, inclusive, | |||
this stock paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of 61 cents per | |||
share. | |||
200 shares Union Pacific RR | 7.85 | 1920 to 1946 | 1,570.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 6 per share, | |||
in each of the years | |||
1933 to 1946, both | |||
inclusive. During the | |||
1930's it paid dividends | |||
at the average annual | |||
rate of $ 7.30 per | |||
share. From 1940 to | |||
1946, inclusive, this | |||
stock paid dividends at | |||
the average annual rate | |||
of $ 6 per share. | |||
300 shares United Shoe | |||
Machinery | 3.40 | 1920 to 1946 | 1,020.00 |
The lowest dividend rate | |||
paid on this stock | |||
during the specified | |||
years was $ 2 per share, | |||
in each of the years | |||
1921 and 1922. During | |||
the 1930's it paid | |||
dividends at the average | |||
annual rate of $ 3.43 | |||
per share. From 1940 to | |||
1946, inclusive, this | |||
stock paid dividends at | |||
the average annual rate | |||
of $ 3.43 per share. | |||
Total | 33,638.57 |
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*33 13 T.C. 952">*963 Each of the above common stocks paid a dividend in each and all of the years during the periods specified in the third column of the tabulation as applicable to such stock. In 1920 and 1924 Procter & Gamble also paid a stock dividend of 4 per cent. In 1930 and 1931 the Standard Oil Co. of California also paid a stock dividend of 2 per cent. In 1928 United Shoe Machinery also paid a 20 per cent stock dividend.
On July 23, 1936, Mary K. Hopkins was 74 years old and her life expectancy was 6.68 years. On July 23, 1936, Lydia Hopkins was 49 years old and her life expectancy was 21.63 years. The present value of the monthly installment payments to be made Lydia Hopkins was $ 254,000 as of July 23, 1936. On December 31, 1943, Lydia's life expectancy was 15.75 years and Amaley Gustafson's life expectancy on that date was 10.46 years.
Lydia Hopkins filed no Federal or State of California income tax returns for any of the years 1942 to 1946, inclusive, and paid no income tax for those years. In his computation of a deficiency against Lydia Hopkins for 1943, in Docket No. 12817, respondent included in Lydia's income the amount of $ 24,000 as having been received by her from1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*34 the Mary K. Hopkins Trust in each of the years 1942 and 1943, less in each case a portion of the $ 24,000 attributable to interest on tax-exempt 13 T.C. 952">*964 securities, resulting in a total deficiency of $ 11,320.66, of which $ 2,066.04 was attributed to the unforgiven portion of tax for 1942 and the balance of $ 9,254.62 was attributed to the tax for 1943. Lydia received the $ 24,000 in each of the years 1942 and 1943.
In its income tax return for 1943 petitioner trust in Docket No. 12818 claimed a deduction of $ 27,586.67 as an amount permanently set aside for the benefit of a charitable organization, being 50 per cent of the $ 55,173.34 capital gain realized in that year from the sale of real estate. In the deficiency notice respondent denied the deduction and added the amount claimed to the taxable income of petitioner trust, also stating that the gain constituted addition to the corpus.
In its income tax return for 1943 the trust claimed another deduction of $ 30,629.81 as an amount distributable to the Stanford Convalescent Home, and the respondent allowed same in his notice of deficiency.
The net income of the trust (representing ordinary income and exclusive of capital gain) 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*35 in excess of the trust's disbursements has at all times been segregated from corpus by the trustee, both on its books and in its bank accounts.
The income of the trust for 1943 that was available for distribution to the Stanford Convalescent Home in that year under the terms of the trust instrument did not exceed $ 23,741.37. In 1943 the trust actually distributed only $ 4,000 to the Stanford Convalescent Home.
The petitioner trust was at all times on a cash receipts and disbursements, calendar year basis for Federal income tax purposes.
From the time Lydia began receiving installment payments up to the end of 1943 she received $ 115,000 under the provisions of her agreement with her mother and of the trust.
As to the issue in Docket No. 12817, petitioner Lydia Hopkins contends that the $ 24,000 she received from the trust is not includible in her gross income, for the reason (1) that "It is far from illogical to say that Lydia Hopkins is the recipient of an annuity under an endowment contract" and that "If this is so, then she is governed by
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*37 As to this issue the main contention of respondent is that the $ 24,000 received by Lydia from the trust was, for Federal income tax purposes, acquired by her through inheritance from her father's estate, by reason of the compromise settlement agreement, as "income from property" under
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*38 There is no merit in petitioner's contention that "It is far from illogical to say that Lydia Hopkins is the recipient of an annuity under an endowment contract" and that "If this is so, then she is governed by
Was the $ 24,000 received by Lydia from the trust acquired by her, for Federal income tax purposes, through inheritance from her father as "income from property" under
In
In the
Do these differences in the facts here and those in the
13 T.C. 952">*967 Under the first part of the second sentence in
Having reached the conclusion that no part of the $ 24,000 was acquired by Lydia as income under those provisions of subparagraph (3) above adverted to, we now inquire as to whether any part of that amount was acquired by her as income under the further provisions of subparagraph (3), 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*42 one of which is that "in case the gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance is of income from property" the amount of such income shall be included in gross income.
The last above quoted provision represents that part of the amendment of
Under the existing law, the value of property acquired by gift, devise, or inheritance, but not the income therefrom, is excluded from gross income by the provisions of
13 T.C. 952">*968 The conference report made no change with respect to what was stated by both the House and Senate committees. From these committee reports it is apparent that what was "written into"
The further provision of the amendment of
For the purposes of this paragraph, if, under the terms of the gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance, payment, crediting, or distribution thereof is to be made
Explanation of the reason for this amendment made in the same committee reports referred to above and on the same pages of these respective reports shows that it was to incorporate into
We conclude that the $ 24,000 annual income received by Lydia was not acquired by her from the character of ownership of property covered by
On the question presented by the main contention of respondent, our conclusion is based on the principle that a requisite to including the $ 24,000 in Lydia Hopkins' income under any of the provisions of
13 T.C. 952">*969 Respondent argues that "The fact that such amounts [the annual $ 24,000 payments] are not paid to Lydia Hopkins by her father's estate or a testamentary trust established by his will is not significant in applying the principles of
Having concluded that no part of the $ 24,000 is includible in Lydia Hopkins' income within any of the provisions of
Did the $ 24,000 paid Lydia Hopkins constitute payment of an annuity which would be taxable to her on the 3 per cent basis provided for in the second sentence of
In
One of the questions presented was, as stated by the court, "whether each of the monthly payments represented in part a capital expenditure and in part interest." On this question it was the position of the taxpayer-corporation that only a part of the monthly payments made by it to the widow could be regarded as a capital expenditure, and that the remainder constituted interest and, therefore, was deductible. To support this position the taxpayer urged that the correct method of ascertaining the deductible interest was to discount the indefinite number of monthly payments to be made at a future date by the use of a reasonable interest rate, "just as an annuity writer may by a like formula deduct a portion of the annual payment made to the annuitant as interest accrued during the tax year." The court in disapproving this position of the taxpayer and denying the claimed deduction, said:
What the widow surrendered was
In
In the instant case the
See also
* * * We do not understand that the trustor's brother-in-law paid a consideration when he relinquished his right to an annuity under the will of his sister, Mrs. Mason, in consideration1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*53 of the receipt of a larger annuity from the trust created by her husband, Frank H. Mason; for, in
In the instant case Lydia Hopkins, in partial consideration for the $ 24,000 annual payments, merely transferred to her mother such rights in her father's estate as Lydia might have realized as his heir had her threatened suit been brought and the will of her father set aside, and relinquished such rights in her mother's estate as she might have acquired as her mother's heir were her mother to die possessed of property which would have descended to Lydia or been bequeathed or devised to her by her mother. Neither of those rights constituted property to which Lydia had title and the probability of realization on those rights was much more contingent than was the probability of realizations on the rights considered in the
13 T.C. 952">*972 The rule applied here is distinguished from that applied in certain other cases in that here we hold that receipt of installment payments under a contract for the transfer of
* * * In the Corbett case and in the Citizens National Bank case, the alleged annuitant, instead of
Respondent contends that, if we reach conclusions such as those reached above, nevertheless, "Since no value has been established1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*56 as to the rights which Lydia Hopkins parted with, her basis is zero and the total sum of $ 24,000 is taxable to her." No argument showing reasons in support of this contention is made by respondent. There is no merit in the contention. The rule applicable under the facts here is aptly stated in 3 Mertens, par. 21.16, citing many supporting authorities, as follows:
* * * Normally a sale or exchange of
Indeed, that is the best and orthodox method for determining the value of property. It presumes a willing buyer and a willing seller and that equals are traded for equals. * * * the consideration for property received in an exchange is the value of the property surrendered therein.
It has been stipulated that the total present value of the periodical installment payments of $ 24,000 at the time of the transactions reflected in her agreement with Mary K. Hopkins of July 23, 1936, and 13 T.C. 952">*973 the resultant amendment to the trust on July 24, 1936, was $ 254,000. The fair market1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*57 value of the rights relinquished by Lydia not being otherwise shown in the record, we conclude that, under the above rule, the fair market value of those rights at the time of the exchange was in the identical amount of $ 254,000, cf.
Having concluded that the amounts paid Lydia by the trust were paid on a simple indebtedness and that no part thereof is includible in her income, the question presented by issue (a) in Docket No. 12818 becomes moot.
Under issue (b) in Docket No. 12818, the question presented is whether $ 27,586.67 of the capital gain realized by the trust in 1943 was permanently set aside for a charitable institution under the provisions1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*58 of
1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*60 Was the $ 27,586.67 permanently set aside for the benefit of the home pursuant to the terms of the trust instrument? This presents a question of fact.
The facts show that the value of assets of the trust estate uninterruptedly increased annually from $ 1,106,308.34 on October 14, 1941, the date of the death of Mary K. Hopkins, to $ 1,558,826.71 on October 14, 1946; that the average annual net income of the trust for the five-year period 1942 to 1946, was $ 47,177.40, or 1.79 times the $ 26,400 required to be and actually paid annually to Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson throughout those years; that the average annual net income of the trust for the four-year period 1943 to 1946 was $ 50,530.80, or 1.91 times the $ 26,400 required to be paid annually to Lydia and Amaley. It is thus demonstrated by events which had actually transpired that up to and throughout 1946 (at which latter time Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson had remaining life expectancies of approximately 12.75 and 7.46 years, respectively) the average annual net income of the trust, whether calculated on either the five-year or the four-year basis, was not far from double the amount required to be paid Lydia and Amaley1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*61 in each of those years and that consequently there had been no occasion in any of the years 1942 through 1946 to invade the corpus of the trust to make the required payments to Lydia and Amaley. If these facts would not of themselves be sufficient to show that there was no probability, except one so remote as to be negligible, that the corpus, which included the $ 27,586.67 capital gain, would be invaded to pay the required annual amounts to Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson (cf.
The petitioner trust's income was derived solely from interest on bonds, dividends on preferred and common stocks, and rentals from real estate. The required amount of interest since the dates of their issuance has been paid on all bonds held by petitioner on October 1947 and also on the bonds held by it on December 31, 1943, except those of the Hotchkiss Redwood Co., and Sutter Buttes Land Co., comprising only a small fraction in value1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*62 of the bonds held by petitioner trust on the latter date. All the preferred stocks held by petitioner trust on December 31, 1943, and on October 14, 1947, have 13 T.C. 952">*975 paid their stated dividend rates since their issuance. As shown by the tabulations above, common stocks of the kinds held by petitioner trust on December 31, 1943, and October 14, 1947, have never failed in any one of long periods of years to pay a dividend, the periods of years as to the kinds of stocks held on December 31, 1943, varying from 7 to 24 years, and the periods of years as to the kinds of stocks held on October 14, 1947, varying from 9 to 27 years. In the 1930's, embracing the depression period, common stocks of the kinds held by petitioner trust in 1943 paid dividends at an average annual rate per share which were not less than the average annual rate per share paid during the period including the 1930's and other years; and the same is true with regard to the common stocks held on October 14, 1947, except as to six kinds of such stocks, which produced only $ 5,343.25 of the total annual income of $ 33,638.57 produced by all the common stocks. By the tabulations above as to the average annual rates1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*63 of dividends paid on common stocks of the kinds held by petitioner trust on October 14, 1947, it is shown that there are but small variations, with one or two exceptions minor in so far as their effect on petitioner trust's income is concerned, in the average annual dividend rates paid in the 1930's, embracing the period of depression, those paid in the 1940's, embracing years of war economic prosperity, and those paid in the longer periods shown in the tabulation, which latter periods embrace the 1930's and 1940's periods or parts thereof. The average annual gross income from all the trust's rentals from its real estate in the years 1942 to 1946, inclusive, was approximately $ 23,535; and after the sale of part of its real estate in 1944 and the remainder in 1945, except the business building in Palo Alto, the gross income received on that building for 1946 was approximately $ 19,000. Commencing with December 1, 1947, and extending through 1962, the property was leased at an annual minimum rental of $ 20,592 to the J. C. Penney Co., a nationally known business enterprise. The parking lot on Ellis and East Powell Streets was leased at $ 6,000 per annum for ten years from May 24, 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*64 1941. All these facts with regard to the income-producing capacity of the assets of the petitioner trust, when considered with the further facts of the large value of those assets and the relative proportions of the average annual amounts of net income therefrom during the 1942-1946 period to the amounts to be annually paid Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson, lead convincingly to the conclusion that it would be reasonable to expect and predict that for as long as Lydia and Amaley would be entitled to receive the annual amounts from the net income of the trust the annual net income would be greatly in excess of such amounts, and consequently there would be no probability more than a negligible one that the trust corpus to which the capital gain was added will 13 T.C. 952">*976 ever be invaded for payment of any of the required amounts to Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson. And in this connection it is not to be ignored that the administration of the trust is, and has been from the beginning of its operations, in the hands of an institution which has had long and varied experience in the management of trust estates. We conclude that the capital gain in question added to the trust corpus 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*65 in 1943 was, pursuant to the terms of the trust instrument, permanently set aside for the benefit of the Stanford Convalescent Home.
Respondent contends that, because the trust instrument provided that the trustee should pay such Federal and state income taxes "as may be assessed or levied" on Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson by reason of the annual payments made them, there would, in effect, be a much larger annual amount to be paid them than the $ 26,400, and that such larger amount rather than the $ 26,400 should be considered as so payable in deciding the question as to whether the capital gain involved was permanently set aside for the benefit of the home. As to this contention, it is unnecessary to say more than that, with reference to the Federal income taxes of Lydia Hopkins, we have decided in Docket No. 12817 that the amounts paid and to be paid her are payments on an indebtedness and consequently she is not liable for income tax thereon. The same thing would be true as to California income tax. With reference to Amaley Gustafson's Federal income tax on the amounts of $ 2,400 to be annually paid her, they, if becoming due, would be obviously of such small amount as to1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*66 have only negligible effect on the question involved. It is stipulated that Amaley Gustafson during the years 1942 through 1944 paid the State of California less than $ 10 for each of these years and that her income for each of the years 1941, 1945, 1946, and 1947 was less than the exemptions allowed in those years by the State of California. This contention of respondent is without merit.
Respondent advances a further contention, that the taxable capital gain of $ 27,586.67 (one-half of the entire capital gain of $ 55,173.34) realized by petitioner trust in 1943 and added to the corpus of that trust was not permanently set aside in that year for the benefit of the Stanford Convalescent Home, because there was a possibility at the end of that year (at which time the administration of Mary K. Hopkins' estate had not been closed) that the trustee might use part of the corpus to make loans to and purchases from the Mary K. Hopkins Trust under the provision of the trust instrument that the trustee should have the power "to purchase securities or property from and to make loans and advancements, secured or unsecured, to the executor or other representatives of the Trustor's estate," 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*67 and thereby impair the corpus of the trust by reducing the annual income therefrom 13 T.C. 952">*977 to an amount less than that required for the annual payments to Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson. Under this contention the question is not merely whether at the end of 1943 the trustee might or could, under the quoted provision, by making such loans and purchases up to January 22, 1945, impair the corpus of the trust to the extent that its net income would thereafter be insufficient to pay Lydia Hopkins and Amaley Gustafson the annual amounts as they become due them, and that consequently the capital gain added to the corpus in 1943 should not be held to have been permanently set aside for the benefit of the home. The question is narrower than the one stated; it is, Would the probability at the end of 1943 that the trustee would make such loans and purchases be so remote as to be negligible? And this question leads to the further question of what probably would or would not be done by the trustee under the quoted provision during the period when he could exercise the power granted thereby and the effect of such action or inaction on the corpus, that period ending on January 22, 1945, 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*68 the date of the closing of the Mary K. Hopkins estate.
It is stipulated that the trustee did not during that period, or ever, make any such loans or purchases. This fact, taken in connection with the further fact that the administration of the trust estate was in the hands of an institution, as trustee, which had long and varied experience in the management of trust estates and which would, during that period, in all reasonable probability, not make any such loans or purchases as would impair the corpus, leads to the logical conclusion that at the end of 1943 there was no probability, except one so remote as to be negligible, that in the ensuing period ending January 22, 1945, the corpus of the trust would be used to make loans to or purchases from Mary K. Hopkins' estate which would deplete the value of the trust corpus. The quoted provision of the trust instrument does not therefore militate against our conclusion that the capital gain in question was permanently set aside for the benefit of the home.
As to the last issue in Docket No. 12818 presented by the affirmative allegations of respondent's amendment to his answer, he contends (1) that petitioner trust is entitled, under1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*69
As to this issue petitioner contends (1) that the entire $ 30,629.81 is deductible as claimed in its return and allowed by the respondent 13 T.C. 952">*978 in his deficiency notice, and (2) that in any event the $ 23,741.37 is deductible under the cited statute.
We think the first contention of petitioner is without merit, since it is stipulated that not in excess of $ 23,741.37 was available in 1943 under the terms of the trust instrument for distribution to the Convalescent Home. We likewise think the first contention of respondent is without merit, as will appear from our discussion immediately following.
Was the $ 23,741.37 deductible by the trust as having been permanently set aside for the home within the purview of
In
* * * The net income of the estate or trust shall be computed in the same manner and on the same basis as provided in section 212, except1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*71 that there shall also be allowed as a deduction (in lieu of the deduction authorized by paragraph (11) of subdivision (a) of section 214), any part of the gross income which pursuant to the terms of the will or deed creating the trust, is during the taxable year paid to or permanently set aside for * * * any corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, or educational purposes, * * *
The provisions of section 219 (b) quoted above are in substance the same as the provisions of
In the case at bar the testatrix took the most effective method of setting aside the income in question for the residuary legatees,
The salient facts in the instant case on this question are that the amount of $ 23,741.37 was available for distribution to the home in 1943, and that, under paragraph 7 (g) of the amended trust instrument, after paying from the net income of the trust the installments due each year to Amaley and Lydia, by way of monthly payments on the first day of each month, the trustee was to make payment of the balance of the net income (here the amount available) to the home.
There are no other provisions of the trust instrument circumscribing the operation of paragraph 7 (g). At the end of each year (the amounts due Amaley and Lydia having been paid them on the first day of each month in such years) the excess of the net income, payable to the home, would, it is reasonable to assume, be known to the trustee or ascertainable by it. But, however this may be, such excess was, at any rate, on hand at the end of each year, and in the taxable year here involved1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*73 in the amount of $ 23,741.37. If this excess was not mandatorily payable to the home under the terms of the cited section, at the end of each year, a question we need not decide, we are nevertheless of the opinion, and so hold on authority of
While it is stipulated that not in excess of $ 23,741.37 was available for distribution in 1943 to the Canvalescent Home, we take that amount as having been available, since the respondent has not shown that a lesser amount was so available -- the burden being upon him to do so under the affirmative allegations of the amendment to his answer. Moreover, respondent says on brief: "If 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*74 the Court interprets the trust instrument as directing the trustee to pay the residue of the income to the Convalescent Home in each year, $ 23,741.37 is the correct deduction for amounts distributable to the Stanford Convalescent Home in 1943."
13 T.C. 952">*980 Murdock,
Turner,
While I do not find the reasoning as to nonapplicability of
As for the1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*76 contract itself, there can be no question that it was in fact an annuity contract. There is no claim that it was not valid and binding. It was not for a fixed sum, but called for payments of specified amounts so long as Lydia should live and, as in the case of a recognized "annuity contract" with a "reputable insurance company," the ultimate amount to be paid to Lydia was dependent solely upon the length of her life. Furthermore, the consideration which she paid for the contract was found to have been the "present value" of the total of the annual payments she was to receive, computed on the basis of her life expectancy. In other words, on the basis of that finding of value, the consideration paid for the contract is certainly within reasonable range of what she might have been required 13 T.C. 952">*981 to pay for an admitted "annuity contract" by a company regularly engaged in the business of writing such contracts.
Just what the decisive factors were in reaching the conclusion that the payments in question are not annuity payments and, therefore, not within
As to
After consideration of the cases referred to and which, as noted, in no way involve the provision of the statute here under consideration, the majority opinion states what appears to be its controlling reason for the conclusion reached, which is, that here the consideration for the payments for life was "the transfer of
13 T.C. 952">*983 Under the general scheme of the statute, a taxpayer in a taxable transaction is normally permitted to recover his cost before being 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*82 required to report as income any part of payments received. But in the case of amounts received as annuities under annuity or endowment contracts, Congress has seen fit to legislate specifically and to require the reporting as income of so much of each annual payment as is not in excess of 3 per cent of the aggregate premiums or consideration, leaving any excess to be treated as recovery of costs. It appears that in so legislating, Congress recognized that as a general proposition there is an element of profit to the recipient in such deferred and periodic payments and decided, as it had previously done with respect to installment sales of property, that the reporting of such profit should be spread over the life of the payments, as against the prior method of applying all payments as a return of cost until the full amount of cost has been recovered, and of thereafter reporting the entire sums received as income. In so providing, Congress has, of course, adopted an arbitrary formula, in that it is inescapable that the profit ultimately realized is, in some instances, greater than the 3 per cent of the consideration and, in some instances, less than 3 per cent, and it is further 1949 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11">*83 inescapable that the only way in which the recognition of gain and the amount thereof can be determined with certainty is by the previous treatment, namely, by considering all payments as a return of capital until the full amount of consideration paid has been returned. In so legislating, however, Congress fixed the amount to be reported at 3 per cent of the aggregate premiums or consideration paid, because, as a general proposition, that return fairly approximated the profit involved. Because of its arbitrary character, however, the constitutionality of the present provision has been attacked, but in all such cases the statute has been declared to be constitutional,
I accordingly note my dissent.
1.
* * * *
(b) Exclusions from Gross Income. -- The following items shall not be included in gross income and shall be exempt from taxation under this chapter:
* * * *
(2) Annuities, etc. --
(A) In General. -- Amounts received (other than amounts paid by reason of the death of the insured and interest payments on such amounts and other than amounts received as annuities) under a life insurance or endowment contract, but if such amounts (when added to amounts received before the taxable year under such contract) exceed the aggregate premiums or consideration paid (whether or not paid during the taxable year) then the excess shall be included in gross income. Amounts received as an annuity under an annuity or endowment contract shall be included in gross income; except that there shall be excluded from gross income the excess of the amount received in the taxable year over an amount equal to 3 per centum of the aggregate premiums or consideration paid for such annuity (whether or not paid during such year), until the aggregate amount excluded from gross income under this chapter or prior income tax laws in respect of such annuity equals the aggregate premiums or consideration paid for such annuity. * * *↩
2. (3) Gifts, bequests, devises, and inheritances. -- The value of the property acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance. There shall not be excluded from gross income under this paragraph, the income from such property, or, in case the gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance is of income from property, the amount of such income. For the purposes of this paragraph, if, under the terms of the gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance, payment, crediting, or distribution thereof is to be made at intervals, to the extent that it is paid or credited or to be distributed out of income from property, it shall be considered a gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance of income from property.↩
3.
The net income of the estate or trust shall be computed in the same manner and on the same basis as in the case of an individual, except that --
(a) There shall be allowed as a deduction (in lieu of the deduction for charitable, etc., contributions authorized by
1. For a case in which a sale of securities was recognized, but in which it was held that such part of the selling price as was paid as annuities was subject to the 3 per cent provision of