Black v. Commissioner

5 T.C. 759, 1945 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 81
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 19, 1945
DocketDocket No. 6190
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 5 T.C. 759 (Black v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Black v. Commissioner, 5 T.C. 759, 1945 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 81 (tax 1945).

Opinion

OPINION.

Smith, Judge:

This proceeding is for the redetermination of deficiencies in income tax for the years 1939,1940, and 1941 in the respective amounts of $893.92, $7,008.30, and $9,635.37. The question in issue is whether the petitioner is liable to income tax in respect of the income of a trust which he created in 1937 for the benefit of his son and after-born children.

The facts have all been stipulated.

The petitioner is a resident of Mansfield, Ohio. He filed his income tax returns for 1939, 1940, and 1941 on the cash basis with the collector of internal revenue for the eighteenth district of Ohio, at Cleveland.

On October 18,1937, the petitioner created an irrevocable trust for the benefit of his son and of any of his children who might be bom ‘ thereafter. His son, Joel S. Black, was born April 23,1937. A second son, Terrence C. Black, was born July 28, 1939. Petitioner’s family during the taxable years involved consisted of himself, his wife, and his two sons, all of whom resided together.

The trust indenture named the petitioner’s father, Frank B. Black, as the sole trustee, but provided that upon his death, resignation, or incapacity to act the petitioner himself should become trustee. It was further provided that in the event the petitioner became trustee and ceased to act as such by reason of his death, resignation, or incapacity, his two brothers, Roger A. Black and Robert B. Black, should become successor trustees.

Petitioner transferred to the trustee on October 19,1937,6,000 shares of class A common stock of the Ohio Brass Co. and $5,000 face amount of United States bonds. On the same date his father, Frank B. Black, and his mother, Jessie B. Black, each transferred to the trust 2,000 shares of such class A stock. The corpus of the trust has at all times consisted of such stock and bonds. Petitioner’s father continued to act as trustee of the trust until his death on December 19, 1937, whereupon he was succeeded by the petitioner as trustee.

With respect to the management of the trust estate by the trustee, the trust agreement contains the following provisions:

The Trustee shall have absolute control of the Trust Estate and of any parts into which it may be divided, and shall handle, manage, sell (subject to the limitation hereinafter imposed with respect to shares of Class “A” Common Stock of The Ohio Brass Company), invest and reinvest, lease for any term irrespective of the period of the Trust, and deal with the Trust Estate in such manner and form as to him shall seem wise, all statutory requirements or other limitations as to the investment of Trust Funds now or hereafter enacted or prescribed being hereby expressly waived, and in the execution of the Trust the Trustee is authorized and empowered to comply with all legal requirements as to the execution of all writings, deeds, leases and other documents and formalities without the order of any court. The Trustee may retain in the Trust Estate without liability for depreciation the bonds now deposited hereunder and any other property which may hereafter be placed in the Trust Estate as an additional deposit. It is understood that the Trustee does not guarantee investments hereunder but he shall be held responsible for the exercise of good faith and reasonable diligence in the execution of the Trust.
The Trustee shall at all times have power finally to determine what is income and what is principal of the Trust Estate and to apportion gains, expenses and losses to principal or income as to him shall seem equitable.
The Trustee shall have authority to designate a nominee to hold title to any part or all of the Trust Estate if he shall deem such action to be wise, but the Trustee shall be liable for any wrongful act of such nominee with reference to any property, the title to which shall be so placed in his name.
The Trustee shall keep true and correct books of account showing the condition of the Trust Estate, which books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection of the Donor or his duly appointed representative, and after the death of the Donor such books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to the inspection of any beneficiary entitled to receive net income or principal hereunder or the duly appointed representative of such beneficiary.
The Trustee shall also furnish annually to the Donor a detailed statement of all receipts and disbursements on account of the Trust Estate, and a statement showing the manner and form in which the Trust Estate is then invested, and following the death of the Donor such annual statement shall be rendered to each beneficiary entitled to receive net income or principal hereunder.
From the gross income derived from the Trust Estate the Trustee shall pay all charges and expenses necessary for the proper care, management and preservation thereof (excepting, however, such portion or portions as under the rights hereinbefore granted he shall determine should be paid from principal), including the compensation of the Trustee as hereinafter stated.
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The net income derived from the Trust Estate the Trustee shall pay on the first day of each month in equal shares to the children of the Donor living at the respective times when such payments of income shall be due, but counting and treating as one such child the living heirs of the body of any child of the Donor who may be deceased, provided, however, that while either the said Frank B. Black or Donald S. Black or Robert B. Black or Roger A. Black shall be acting as Trustee hereunder, then from the share of net income which would, but for this proviso, be payable to such child as above stated, such Trustee may pay to or for the benefit of any child of the Donor such amounts only from time to time as in the sole discretion of the Trustee shall be by him considered necessary or for the best interests of such child. Any amounts of a child’s share of net income which such Trustee shall consider unnecessary or inadvisable to pay over to such child, the Trustee shall accumulate in a Separate Fund for the benefit of such child, with all the rights and powers over such Accumulated Separate Fund as are hereinbefore given to the Trustee, and said Accumulated Separate Fund the said Frank B. Black, Donald S. Black, Robert B. Black or Roger A. Black while acting as Trustee hereunder, may pay over and deliver to such child, or to the heirs of the body of such child, at any time or from time to time as he deems for the best interests of such child or such heirs of the body; and provided further that if such Accumulated Separate Fund of any such child shall not have been paid to such child, or to the heirs of the body of such child, and neither the said Frank B. Black, Donald S. Black, Robert B. Black or Roger A.

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Fruehauf v. Commissioner
12 T.C. 681 (U.S. Tax Court, 1949)
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11 T.C. 928 (U.S. Tax Court, 1948)
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8 T.C. 104 (U.S. Tax Court, 1947)
Johnson v. Commissioner
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Jones v. Commissioner
6 T.C. 412 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)
Black v. Commissioner
5 T.C. 759 (U.S. Tax Court, 1945)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 T.C. 759, 1945 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 81, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/black-v-commissioner-tax-1945.