1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*87
By trust agreements, two sisters created reciprocal revocable inter vivos trusts. According to the terms of decedent's trust, the income was payable to herself for life, and after her death, the income was payable to her sister for life. Upon the death of both sisters, the trust was to terminate. After certain dispositions, the remaining principal of decedent's trust was to pour over to her sister's trust. This latter trust provided that upon the death of both sisters, the trust would terminate. After certain dispositions, the trust provided that from its net income the trust would pay, monthly, during each of their lives to four beneficiaries, $ 75, $ 100, $ 150, and $ 50, respectively. The remaining income was to be distributed to qualifying charitable organizations. Decedent's sister predeceased her. Decedent in her will bequeathed the remainder of her estate to her sister's trust.
74 T.C. 983">*983 OPINION
Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioner's estate tax of $ 28,074.21. Due to concessions, the only issue remaining for our consideration is whether petitioner is entitled to a charitable deduction for the value of the remainder interest of a trust which was bequeathed to qualifying institutions (within the meaning of
All of the facts have been stipulated, and the stipulation of facts is incorporated1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*90 herein by this reference. At the time the 74 T.C. 983">*984 petition was filed herein, Century National Bank & Trust Co., Executor of the Estate of Clara E. Edgar (hereafter estate), was a national banking corporation, organized under the laws of the United States and having its principal place of business at New Brighton, Pa.
By trust agreements dated August 29, 1961, Clara E. Edgar (hereafter sometimes referred to as decedent) and her sister, Jean Edgar Vaughan, created reciprocal revocable inter vivos trusts.
Pursuant to the terms of her trust agreement, decedent transferred stocks, bonds, notes, and other assets to the Union National Bank, as trustee.
According to the terms of decedent's trust agreement, the income of the trust was to be paid to her during her life. After her death, the income was to be paid to Jean Edgar Vaughan. The agreement provided that the trustee had the power, in its discretion, to "distribute to or apply for the benefit of the Donor, Clara E. Edgar, and her sister, Jean Edgar Vaughan, such amounts out of the principal of the trust estate held for said beneficiaries, as shall in the judgment of the trustee be necessitated by reason of illness or other emergency1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*91 or inadequacy of the income, for the adequate support and the necessities of such beneficiaries." Upon the death of the survivor of the two sisters, the trust was to terminate. Several specific dispositions from the trust's principal were required, but the residue of the principal, and any accrued income, were to be poured over into Jean Edgar Vaughan's trust fund and be distributed "in accordance with the terms and conditions as in said Trust Agreement."
According to the terms of the Jean Edgar Vaughan Trust Agreement, the income of said trust was to be paid to Jean Edgar Vaughan. After her death, the income was to be paid to Clara E. Edgar. This trust agreement also contained the following provision:
The Trustee named may, from time to time, in its discretion distribute to or apply for the benefit of any beneficiary, from time to time, entitled to the receipt or application for his or her benefit of income hereunder, such amounts out of the principal of the trust estate held for such beneficiary, as shall in the judgment of the Trustee be necessitated by reason of illness or other emergency, or inadequacy of income, for the adequate support and the necessities of such beneficiary.
1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*92 74 T.C. 983">*985 Upon the death of the survivor of the two sisters, the trust was to terminate. Several specific dispositions from the trust's principal were required, but the residue of the principal was placed in trust with the Union National Bank as trustee. The agreement further provided that from the net income of the latter trust, these would be paid during each of their lives: $ 75 per month to Harriet T. Norris; $ 100 per month to Anna M. Ott; $ 150 per month to Virginia I. Reinehr; and, by means of the supplement to the agreement of August 29, 1961, $ 50 per month to Martha Powers. The remaining income was to be distributed equally among several religious, educational, or charitable institutions, all of which qualified within the meaning of
1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*93 Jean Edgar Vaughan died on December 9, 1965.
Clara E. Edgar died testate on March 22, 1973. By decedent's last will and testament, dated April 21, 1966, she bequeathed the residue of her testamentary estate to the Jean Edgar Vaughan trust created by agreement of August 29, 1961, "for the uses and purposes set forth herein." 2 At the time of Clara Edgar's death, the Jean Vaughan trust fund's principal was valued at approximately $ 249,000. During 1973, the trust generated income of $ 13,149. The property previously transferred by decedent to the Clara E. Edgar trust had a value of $ 138,170.24 at the time of her death.
On December 30, 1975, petitioner applied to the Orphans Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Beaver County, Pa., seeking to obtain a construction of the Clara E. Edgar Will and Trust1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*94 Agreement and the Jean Edgar Vaughan Trust Agreement. The court decreed, in pertinent part, as follows:
2. That paragraph of the Jean Edgar Vaughan trust created August 29, 1961, reading as follows, and thus incorporated by reference in the decedent's trust as set forth above:
"The Trustee named may, from time to time, in its discretion distribute to or 74 T.C. 983">*986 apply for the benefit of any beneficiary, from time to time, entitled to the receipt or application for his or her benefit of income hereunder, such amounts out of the principal of the trust estate held for such beneficiary, as shall in the judgment of the Trustee be necessitated by reason of illness or other emergency, for inadequacy of the income, for the adequate support and the necessities of such beneficiary."
is hereby construed to apply only to the life estates reserved and/or granted to or for the benefit of Jean Edgar Vaughan and Clara E. Edgar, such reservation and/or grant being contained in the two paragraphs immediately preceding the principal invasion clause quoted above in full.
3. Following the deaths of Jean Edgar Vaughan on December 19, 3 1965 and Clara Edgar on March 22, 1973 no beneficiaries of the1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*95 decedent's trust had any interest in the principal thereof except the five named charitable beneficiaries, viz: Passavant Homes (Rochester), First Presbyterian Church (New Brighton), The Lighthouse (New Brighton), Hillsdale College and The Salvation Army (Beaver Falls Barracks).
4. Following the deaths of the above-named life tenants, the trustee neither had nor has any power to invade principal for the benefit of any beneficiary, specifically including the following annuitants or income beneficiaries: Hariett [sic] Townsend North, Anna M. Ott, Virginia Inman Reinehr and Martha Powers.
In its estate tax return, petitioner claimed as a charitable deduction under
Respondent1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*96 contends that the transfer in question is a split interest and subject to the provisions of
Petitioner argues to the contrary that the nonqualifying beneficiaries have no interest in the income of the trust and, therefore,
The essence of petitioner's argument, thus, is that where the economic facts concerning a transfer which provides for nonqualifying beneficiaries to receive a part interest in property are such that those beneficiaries will never receive any portion of that part interest,
1980 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 87">*99 Petitioner apparently concedes that the trust fails to meet the statutory requirements set forth in
In the alternative, petitioner contends that because the value of the annuitants' interests in the trust can be definitely ascertained and valued using the standard tables for valuing annuities, the trust qualifies under
Prior to the enactment of
1. All statutory references are to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 as in effect during the years in issue.↩
2. Anna M. Ott predeceased Clara E. Edgar. However, Harriet T. Norris, Virginia I. Reinehr, and Martha Powers, named as income beneficiaries in the Jean Edgar Vaughan Trust Agreement, survived Clara E. Edgar.↩
3. The parties stipulated that the date is Dec. 9, 1965.↩
4. Net amount passing from decedent's estate less the value of the nonqualifying individuals' life estates in the trust income.↩
5. The discretionary authority of the trustee to invade principal was held, in a county court proceeding, inapplicable after the death of decedent and her sister.↩
6. We note, however, that the annual distribution from such a charitable remainder trust must be an amount equal to at least 5 percent of the value of the trust's assets in order to qualify as either a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust.
7.
(a)