Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Commissioner

26 B.T.A. 486, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1302
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJune 21, 1932
DocketDocket Nos. 48149, 57430.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 26 B.T.A. 486 (Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Commissioner, 26 B.T.A. 486, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1302 (bta 1932).

Opinion

[490]*490OPINION.

Van Fossan :

The petitioners’ first contention is that the distribution made by the trustees of the Wilder estate to the annuitants named in the sixth item of the Wilder will constituted deductions allowable under the provisions of section 219 of the Revenue Act of 1926.

The pertinent portions of that section follow:

(a) The tax imposed by Parts I and II of this title shall apply to the income of estates or of any kind of property held in trust, including—
* * * * * * *
(2) Income which is- to be distributed currently by the fiduciary to the beneficiaries, and income collected by a guardian of an infant which is to be held or distributed as the court may direct;
* * * * * ' * *
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (g) and (h), the tax shall be computed upon the net income of the estate or trust, and shall be paid by the fiduciary. 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, except that—
*******
(2) There shall be allowed as an additional deduction in computing the net income of the estate or trust the amount of the income of the estate or trust for its taxable year which is to be distributed currently by the fiduciary to the beneficiaries, and the amount of the income collected by a guardian of an infant which is to be held or distributed as the court may direct, but the amount so allowed as a deduction shall be included in computing the net income of the beneficiaries whether distributed to them or not. Any amount allowed as a deduction under this paragraph shall not be allowed as a deduction under paragraph (3) in the same or any succeeding taxable year;
(3) In the case of income received by estates of deceased persons during the period of administration or settlement of the estate, and in the case of income which, in the discretion of the fiduciary, may be either distributed to the beneficiary or accumulated there shall be allowed as an additional deduction in computing the net income of the estate or trust the amount of the income of the estate or trust for its taxable year which is properly paid or credited during such year to any legatee, heir, or beneficiary, but the amount so allowed as a deduction shall be included in computing the net income of the legatee, heir, or beneficiary.

It is stipulated that the funds from, which the annuities were paid were income to the petitioner. All such income is subject to taxation under section 219 (a) and its various subdivisions. It is obvious, therefore, that in order to obtain a deduction the petitioners must bring themselves strictly within the above provisions defining it— otherwise such income remains taxable. The petitioners contend that the deduction claimed in the instant case may be taken either under paragraph (b) (2) or paragraph (b) (S) of that section.

Section 219 (b) (8) establishes two conditions under which it becomes operative, (1) the income must be received by the estates of deceased persons during the period of administration or settlement [491]*491of the estate or (2) the income must be either distributed to the beneficiary or accumulated, in the discretion of the fiduciary. Neither condition exists in the case at bar. The executors have paid over current income to the trustees who, under the direction of the sixth item under the will, executed the trust therein created. The fiduciaries have no discretion in the matter. After having paid the specific legacies contained in the will (and such legacies have all been paid) together with the expenses of administration and the charges against the estate (and such payments have been made), the petitioners must pay to the trustees and they to the annuitants named in paragraph (c) the sums set forth therein. Thus, neither the first nor the second condition has been met and section 219 (b) (3) is not applicable.

Paragraph (b) (2) of section 219 permits a deduction from income of the amount of the income which is to be distributed “ currently by the fiduciary to the beneficiaries.” The petitioners assert that the annuities paid under the sixth item are such distributions. In Everett E. Kent, 26 B. T. A. 482, promulgated this day, we have held that the amount of the annuities paid to him as a beneficiary under the said sixth item and representative of all other annuitants thereto, constituted a gift or bequest payable in installments and was not taxable to him as income. Paragraph (b) (2) when read in connection with paragraph (a) (2) clearly contemplates that deductions may be allowed only when they constitute income to the recipients. Julia Butterworth, 23 B. T. A. 838; Frank Pardee et al., 23 B. T. A. 846; Estate of T. S. Martin, 24 B. T. A. 862; Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Co., 25 B. T. A. 1359. Hence, since the annuities paid to Kent and others were not income received by them as such they are not deductible under section 219 (b) (2). See Burnet v. Whitehouse, 283 U. S. 148.

The petitioners’ second contention is that all income received by them in excess of the amounts required to pay fixed charges and annuities may be taken as a deduction under the provisions of section 219 (b) (1) of the Revenue Act of 1926, which reads in part as follows:

(1) There shall be allowed as a deduction (in lieu of the deduction authorized by paragraph (10) of subdivision (a) of section 214) any part of the gross income without limitation, which pursuant to the terms of the will or deed creating the trust, is during the taxable year paid or permanently set aside for the purposes and in the manner specified in paragraph (10) of subdivision (a) of section 214, or is to be used exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, or for the establishment, acquisition, maintenance or operation of a public cemetery not operated for profit; * * *

Such part of the petitioners’ gross income, therefore, as is subject to deduction under this provision must be paid during the taxable [492]*492year or permanently set aside for the uses set forth in section 214 (a) (10) or for certain charitable purposes, pursuant to the terms of the will or deed creating the trust. It was stipulated that the fourteen institutions named in item six (g) of the Wilder will are such charitable institutions as are contemplated in that section. The petitioners do not claim that any portion of their income was paid to the charitable organizations named in the will during the taxable years, but they do assert that when they retained the surplus over the amounts paid for fixed charges and to annuitants, they accumulated ” such excess for the benefit of the charities named and thus permanently set it aside “ pursuant to the terms of the will or deed creating the trust.”

It is obvious that the intention of the testator and not the acts, judgment or interpretations of the trustees must determine this issue.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Langenbach v. Commissioner
46 B.T.A. 600 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1942)
Bonfils v. Commissioner
40 B.T.A. 1079 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1939)
Union Trust Co. v. Commissioner
34 B.T.A. 284 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1936)
Guaranty Trust Co. v. Commissioner
31 B.T.A. 19 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1934)
Tracy v. Commissioner
30 B.T.A. 1156 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1934)
Jaynes v. Commissioner
29 B.T.A. 259 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1933)
Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. v. Commissioner
26 B.T.A. 486 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1932)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 B.T.A. 486, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boston-safe-deposit-trust-co-v-commissioner-bta-1932.