Estate of Bell v. Commissioner

66 T.C. 729, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 73
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 22, 1976
DocketDocket No. 7973-74
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 66 T.C. 729 (Estate of Bell 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
Estate of Bell v. Commissioner, 66 T.C. 729, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 73 (tax 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

Featherston, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency of $31,609.69 in the Federal estate tax of the Estate of Nathalie F. Bell. Two issues are presented for decision:

(1) Whether the value of assets transferred by decedent to a trust of which she was a cotrustee are includable in her gross estate pursuant to section 2036(a)(2)1 or 2038.

(2) If such assets are includable in decedent’s gross estate, what was their fair market value as of August 24, 1971, the alternate valuation date elected pursuant to section 2032?

All the facts are stipulated.

Nathalie F. Bell (hereinafter decedent) died on February 24, 1971, a resident of the State of Illinois. Gilbert H. Osgood, a resident of Illinois, and the Chicago Title & Trust Co., whose principal place of business was in that State when the petition was filed, were appointed and, at all times pertinent to this proceeding, have served as the executors of decedent’s estate. In such capacity, they timely filed the Federal estate tax return for decedent’s estate with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Chicago, Ill., electing therein the alternate valuation date prescribed by section 2032.

Decedent was married to Laird Bell who died on October 21, 1965. On November 1,1941, Laird Bell created a trust known as the Helen de Freitas Trust (hereinafter the trust) for the benefit of one of his and decedent’s daughters. Decedent was named as a cotrustee of the trust, and she served in that capacity until the date of her death. The provisions of the trust instrument defining the powers of the trustees over the trust’s income and corpus include the following:

ARTICLE I
Section 1. During the life of the Grantor’s daughter, Helen de Freitas, the Trustees shall pay to her the net income of the Trust Estate. The Trustees may, however, withhold so much of such income in any year as they do not believe to be necessary for her well-being and maintenance in health and comfort.
Section 2. * * *
(a) During the life of any daughter of the Grantor for whom a fund has been set aside, the Trustees shall pay to her the net income of such fund. The Trustees may, however, withhold so much of such income in any year as they do not believe to be necessary for her well-being and maintenance in health and comfort. * * *
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Section 3. In addition to the power given to the Trustees in Section 1. (c) of Article II hereof, the Trustees may, in their sole discretion, at any time and from time to time during the life of the Grantor’s daughter, Helen de Freitas, or after her death during the life of any other daughter of the Grantor for whom a fund has been set aside hereunder, distribute to such daughter, for the purpose of providing her with funds for a home, business, or for any other purpose believed by the Trustees to be for her benefit, all or any part of the principal of the Trust Estate or of the fund set aside for such daughter.

In November 1941, Laird Bell transferred to the trust 2,000 shares of stock in Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (hereinafter Weyerhaeuser), and subsequently transferred to the trust another 2,400 shares of such stock. On December 30, 1950, the trust received 4,400 additional shares of Weyerhaeuser stock as the result of a 2-for-l stock split payable to stockholders of record on December 1,1950. Sometime after November 1,1941, Laird Bell transferred to the trust 150 shares of stock in Chicago Title & Trust Co. (hereinafter C.T. & T.). On January 14, 1946, the trust received 600 additional C.T. & T. shares as the result of a 5-for-1 stock split. On December 26,1950, decedent transferred by gift to the trust cash in the amount of $1,500 and a $5,000 United States Series C Treasury Note (hereinafter the note), bearing 1.2 5-percent interest and due July 1,1951.

The total value of the corpus of the trust on December 26, 1950, when decedent made her transfers, was $666,384.11. Of such value, $659,884.11, or 99.02 percent, was attributable to transfers by Laird Bell, and $6,500, or 0.98 percent, being attributable to transfers by decedent, as follows:

Value 12/26/50
Transferred by or attributable to Laird Bell:
8,800 shares Weyerhaeuser_ $536,800.00
100 shares Montana Power_ 2,187.50
50 shares Pfizer_ 3,993.75
750 shares C.T. &T._. 37,687.50
580,668.75 (87.13%)
Other securities and cash. 79,215,36 (11.89%)
659.884.11
Transferred by decedent:
$5,000 note_ 5,000.00 (.75%)
Cash_ 1,500.00 (.23%)
Total-666.384.11 (100.00%)

Laird Bell was the only person who made transfers to the trust before December 26, 1950. Decedent was the only person who made any transfers to the trust on that date, and no one made transfers to the trust thereafter.

The note transferred by decedent was exchanged for various other obligations of the United States, the last of which matured on November 15, 1965, when the $5,000 principal due on maturity was received by the trust. In addition, the trust received payments of interest from time to time on the note and the various other obligations for which it was exchanged.2 On November 15, 1965, the maturity date of the $5,000 note, the proceeds thereof were equal to 0.22 percent of the value of the entire trust res, which consisted of the following:

Transferred by or attributable to assets originally transferred by Laird Bell:
35,200 shares Weyerhaeuser_ $1,425,600.00
880 shares Wood Conversion (spinoff from Weyerhaeuser)-6,710.00
300 shares Montana Power_ 11,531.25
450 shares Pfizer-30,346.88
2,250 shares C.T. & T_ 87,750.00
37 shares Pfizer (dividend from C.T. &T.)_ 2,495.19
1,564,433.32 (69.68%)
Other securities and cash 675,760.19 (30.10%)
2.240.193.51
Note transferred by decedent. 5,000.00 (.22%)

On the alternate valuation date of August 24, 1971, the following were securities held by the trust which were either transferred to the trust by Laird Bell, received in respect of securities transferred by him, purchased by the trust prior to December 26, 1950, or received in respect of securities so purchased:

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Related

Estate of Gokey v. Commissioner
72 T.C. 721 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Estate of Penner v. Commissioner
67 T.C. 864 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Estate of Bell v. Commissioner
66 T.C. 729 (U.S. Tax Court, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 T.C. 729, 1976 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-bell-v-commissioner-tax-1976.