Dravo v. Commissioner

34 B.T.A. 190, 1936 BTA LEXIS 735
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedMarch 24, 1936
DocketDocket No. 78375.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 34 B.T.A. 190 (Dravo 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
Dravo v. Commissioner, 34 B.T.A. 190, 1936 BTA LEXIS 735 (bta 1936).

Opinions

OPINION.

Leech:

The respondent determined a deficiency of $4,694.16 in income tax of Francis R. Dravo, for the calendar year 1931. The taxpayer died February 26, 1934. The petitioners are the executors of his estate. The only issue is the propriety of the action of respondent in including in the income of petitioners’ decedent the sum of $23,007.66. This amount was income received in 1931 by a trust, created by. the decedent, which was not distributed to the primary beneficiary but was retained by the trustees as an addition to corpus under the provisions of the trust.

We find the facts as formally stipulated. Briefly stated, these facts are that petitioners’ decedent, a resident of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, by deed dated January 17, 1931, transferred irrevocably to himself, his brother, Ralph M. Dravo, and the Bank of Pittsburgh National Association, as trustees, certain property, consisting of com[191]*191mon and preferred stock and bonds of the Dravo Corporation. By the terms of the trust deed the trustees were given broad powers to sell, reinvest, and otherwise deal with the trust property. It was provided that all or so much of the trust income as the trustees, in the exercise of their discretion, might determine, should be paid to Danny M. Dravo, wife of the settlor, during her lifetime, with further power in the trustees to advance portions of the principal to this beneficiary as they might determine. All income of the trust, which the trustees in each year during the lifetime of Fanny M. Dravo had, in the exercise of their discretion, not distributed to the latter but had accumulated, was to be added to the corpus of the trust.

The trust deed further provided that upon the death of Fanny M. Dravo the corpus of the trust, as it then existed, including such additions of income accumulated by the trustees, as had been made, was to be divided into three equal shares designated as “A”, “B”, and “C.” The income from a portion of share “A” was to be paid to the settlor during his life and, upon his death, the principal of such portion was to be paid to certain designated charities. Other portions of share “A” were to be distributed to certain individuals under conditions not material here, since the settlor had no vested or contingent interest in such portions.

The trustees were directed to pay the income from share “B” to the settlor during his lifetime, upon his death, the principal to go to such charities as he might designate in writing. The designation was formally filed by him under the trust, prior to the close of the calendar year 1931, directing payment of the remainder interest in this share to Lehigh University, Valley Hospital, and St. Barnabas Free Home.

The trust deed further directed the trustees, at the death of the wife, to distribute 75 percent of the principal of “C” among such employees of the Dravo Corporation and, in such individual percentages, as the settlor or his brother and cotrustee, Ralph M. Dravo, should direct, by filing a written list with the trustees. It was specifically provided that the settlor and/or Ralph M. Dravo might, at any time prior to the death of the primary beneficiary, Fanny M. Dravo, change the list of employee beneficiaries and “revise said certified list so as to divest any certified officer or employee or his estate from the right to participate herein.” It was further directed that no list of officers or employees of the Dravo Corporation, certified to the trustees as beneficiaries of this part of share “C”, should include the name of the settlor.

The remaining 25 percent of share “C” was to be paid to the Dravo Management Co. to be distributed by it among employees of the Dravo Corporation in such proportions and upon such terms as the [192]*192directors of the Dravo Management Co. or, under certain conditions, the Dravo Corporation, should determine.

Before the close of the calendar year 1931, the Bank of Pittsburgh National Association resigned as trustee and no new trustee was thereafter appointed in its place. The net income received by the trustees during the calendar year 1931 was $31,507.66, consisting of $13,500 dividends and $18,017.66 interest. Of this amount, $8,500 was distributed by the trustees to Fanny M. Dravo, the primary beneficiary, and included by her in her individual income tax return for that year. The balance of the income, or $23,007.66, was accumulated by the trustees and added to the corpus of the trust, as directed by the trust instrument. This amount was reported by the trustees in their return for the calendar year 1931 and the tax thereon was paid. Respondent has taxed it to the decedent.

The respondent did not question the legality of the trust. He contends that the powers granted the trustees to accumulate income, in their discretion, coupled with the control given the settlor as trustee, were such as to make trust income accumulated during the year here in question taxable to the settlor, under section 167 of the Revenue Act of 1928. This section provides:

SEO. 167. INCOME POR BENEFIT OF GRANTOR.

Where any part of the income of a trust may, in the discretion of the grantor of the trust, either alone or in conjunction with any person not a beneficiary of the trust, be distributed to the grantor or be held or accumulated for future distribution to him, or where any part of the income of a trust is or may be applied to the payment of premiums upon policies of insurance on the life of the grantor (except policies of insurance irrevocably payable for the purposes and in the manner specified in section 23 (n), relating to the so-called “charitable contribution” deduction), such part of the income of the trust shall be included in computing the net income of the grantor.

It is not disputed that before the close of the first year of the existence of the trust, which is the year here in controversy, one of the three trustees resigned, the vacancy was not filled and that the discretion granted to the trustees, thereafter was subject to exercise by the settlor, one of the trustees, and his brother, who was not a beneficiary of the trust. Respondent apparently argues that the power granted to accumulate income, where such power could be exercised by the settlor, as trustee, coupled with broad powers of control and administration of the trust estate, is sufficient to include the accumulations by the trustees within the scope of the above quoted section. He further contends that the interest of the settlor in the trust, represented by his right to enjoy certain portions of the trust income after the death of the primary beneficiary, since the trust corpus could be augmented by accumulations of income during the life of the primary [193]*193beneficiary, which would result in the settlor receiving a larger income because of the accumulations, necessarily characterizes such accumulations as made “for the benefit of the grantor” and thus within the purview of the quoted section.

The petitioners, on the other hand, insist that, although the set-tlor, as trustee, had the right, in his discretion and that of his fellow trustee, admittedly not a beneficiary of the trust, to accumulate income, the trust instrument expressly directed that such accumulations should be added to corpus. Petitioners urge that the settlor had no power, as trustee, to distribute to himself any portion of such corpus nor had he any interest in this corpus other than his right to receive the income produced from a portion of it, after the death of his wife, the primary beneficiary.

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

Related

Willson v. Commissioner
44 B.T.A. 583 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1941)
Mills v. Commissioner
39 B.T.A. 798 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1939)
Corning v. Commissioner
36 B.T.A. 301 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1937)
Dravo v. Commissioner
34 B.T.A. 190 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 B.T.A. 190, 1936 BTA LEXIS 735, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dravo-v-commissioner-bta-1936.