Estate of Currey v. Commissioner

1981 T.C. Memo. 40, 41 T.C.M. 800, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 700
United States Tax Court·Decided February 2, 1981·No. Docket No. 2219-78·Unpublished

Opinion

ESTATE OF FRANCES HAMPTON CURREY, DECEASED, BROWNLEE O. CURREY, JR., AND MARGARET CURREY HENLEY, EXECUTORS, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Estate of Currey v. Commissioner
Docket No. 2219-78
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1981-40; 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 700; 41 T.C.M. (CCH) 800; T.C.M. (RIA) 81040;
February 2, 1981.
William M. Waller, for the petitioner.
Vallie C. Brooks, for the respondent.

GOFFE

MEMORANDUM OPINION

GOFFE, Judge: This case is before us on petitioner's Motion for Summary Judgment pursuant to Rule 121, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.1 A hearing on the motion was held September 10, 1979, at Nashville, Tennessee. The Commissioner determined the following deficiencies in the Federal income tax of Frances Hampton Currey (hereinafter called decedent):

*701

Taxable YearDeficiency
1972$ 135,039.75
1973358,351.98

The issues are:

(1) whether decedent realized income either upon a donative transfer in trust subject to the condition that the trustee pay decedent's resultant gift tax liability or upon the trustee's payment of such liability;

(2) the fair market value of 12,800 shares of American Express Company stock on December 17, 1968;

(3) whether petitioner is entitled to recover attorney's fees.

Some of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of facts, together with the Exhibits attached thereto, are incorporated herein by this reference.

On the date the petition herein was filed, decedent resided in Nashville, Tennessee. She died on February 10, 1979, and her son, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., and daughter, Margaret C. Henley, qualified as executors of her will.

On or about December 28, 1972, decedent executed three trust agreements with a Nashville bank (the Bank) as trustee for the benefit of her three grandchildren. On December 28, 1972, she transferred to each trust 8,000 shares of the common stock of American Express Company. On January 3, 1973, she made a further gift of 8,000 shares*702 of this stock to each trust.

With the exception of the beneficiary, the provisions of each trust agreement were identical. Article I(d) of each trust instrument provided:

This gift is on the express condition that the Trustee report and pay out of the trust estate all gift taxes, both state and federal, which may be imposed upon donor by virtue of this gift. The Trustee is authorized to borrow the money with which to pay said taxes, or any part thereof, and to repay said loan or loans by selling, from time to time, property comprising a part of the trust estate. The interest on said loan or loans may be paid out of the income of the trust or by selling property in the trust estate, in the sole discretion of the Trustee.

Decedent's basis in the 48,000 shares transferred to the three trusts was $ 720.

On or about February 5, 1973, decedent filed a Federal quarterly gift tax return for the fourth quarter of 1972 and first quarter of 1973, and a Tennessee state gift tax return for 1972 and 1973, in which she reported the gifts of stock made on December 28, 1972, and January 3, 1973. The gift tax liability reported on each of the returns was as follows:

19721973
Federal Return$ 372,773$ 446,384.49
State Return83,23484,655.00
TOTAL GIFT TAX
LIABILITY REPORTED$ 456,007$ 531,039.49

*703 The Federal and State gift tax liabilities reported on the returns were paid by the trustee of the three trusts in 1973 from funds obtained by loans from the Bank. These loans were repaid by the three trusts from proceeds of subsequent sales of some of the American Express stock which had been transferred to the trusts. Decedent did not report any income from the payment of the gift taxes made by the trustee on either her 1972 or 1973 Federal income tax returns.

On December 18, 1968, decedent donated to Vanderbilt University 12,800 shares of American Express common stock in which she retained a life estate. The value of the remainder interest in this stock equaled 67.814 percent of its total fair market value at the time of donation, and qualified as a charitable contribution deductible under section 170(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. 2

In December 1968, the common stock of American Express Company was traded only in the over-the-counter market. The bid and asked price for American Express common stock was as follows at the close of business on the dates

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Estate of Currey v. Commissioner, 1981 T.C. Memo. 40, 41 T.C.M. 800, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 700 (tax 1981).

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