Estate of Meyer v. Commissioner

83 T.C. No. 22, 83 T.C. 350, 1984 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 32
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 17, 1984
DocketDocket No. 23598-81
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 83 T.C. No. 22 (Estate of Meyer 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 Meyer v. Commissioner, 83 T.C. No. 22, 83 T.C. 350, 1984 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 32 (tax 1984).

Opinion

Wiles, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in dece- . dent’s Federal estate tax in the amount of $41,001.01. After concessions, the sole issue for decision is whether, when there are two or more transferors,, the credit for Federal estate tax on prior, transfers under section 20131 is to be computed separately with respect to the property received from each transferor.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Anna-Marie Meyer (hereinafter decedent) died on January 28, 1978. Edwin L. Meyer, Jr., Executor, resided in Durham, NC, at the time he filed the petition in this case.

Decedent’s mother, Florence W. Doherr (Florence), died on January 12, 1975, and decedent inherited property valued at $32,047.90. The tax paid by decedent’s mother’s estate attributable to the property transferred to decedent was $2,435.25.

Decedent’s father, Rudolph Doherr (Rudolph), died on August 13, 1975, and decedent inherited property valued at $399,538.20. The tax paid by decedent’s father’s estate attributable to the property transferred to decedent was $168,199.50.

Decedent’s husband, Edwin L. Meyer (Edwin), died on September 3, 1975, and decedent inherited property valued at $79,301.38. The tax paid by decedent’s husband’s estate attributable to the property transferred to decedent was $2,474.90.

Decedent’s Federal estate tax attributable to the property transferred from her mother’s estate, her father’s estate, and her husband’s estate, is $161,911.88, apportioned as follows:

Transferor Decedent’s tax as apportioned
Florence. $10,156.71
Rudolph. 126,622.76
Edwin. 25.132.41
161,911.88

In the statutory notice of deficiency, respondent determined that decedent’s estate was entitled to a credit for tax on prior transfers under section 2013 in the amount of $105,266.33 and not $132,921.60 as claimed on decedent’s Federal estate tax return.

OPINION

The only issue for decision is whether the credit for Federal estate tax previously paid with respect to a transfer of property passing to the decedent must be computed separately for each transferor.

Generally, section 2013 allows a credit for all or part of the estate tax paid with respect to the transfer of an interest in property to a decedent from a person (hereinafter the transfer- or) who died not more than 10 years before or 2 years after the decedent. Sec. 2013. The credit is for all or part of the estate tax paid by the transferor’s estate which is attributable to property transferred to the decedent. Sec. 2013(b). The credit, however, is limited to the amount of Federal estate tax that is attributable to the transferred property in the decedent’s estate; i.e., the difference between decedent’s estate tax computed by including the value of the transferred property in the gross estate and decedent’s estate tax computed by excluding the value of the transferred property from the gross estate. Sec. 2013(c)(1). The credit is then reduced by an applicable percentage in section 2013(a), which depends upon the number of years that lapsed between the death of the transferor and the decedent. In the instant case, all transferors died within the third or fourth year preceding the decedent’s death; thus pursuant to section 2013(a)(1) only 80 percent of the credit will be allowed.

The parties do not dispute that in the case of a single prior transfer, the potential credit is the lesser of the amount of Federal estate tax attributable to the transferred property in the transferor’s estate (the credit) or the amount of Federal estate tax attributable to the transferred property in decedent’s estate (the limitation). Sec. 20.2013-l(b), Estate Tax Regs. Nor do the parties dispute that when there are multiple transferors, the limitation is computed by aggregating the value of the properties transferred to the decedent. Sec. 2013(c)(2). The dispute in this case is, when the decedent has received property from multiple transferors, whether the credit and the limitation must be computed separately for each transferor by apportioning the limitation in accordance with the value of the property transferred to the decedent by each transferor.

Respondent’s position, which is set out in the regulations, is that the limitation must be apportioned among the transferors so that the credit (section 2013(b)) and the limitation (section 2013(c)(1)) are computed separately for each transferor. Thus, as to each transferor, the potential credit will be the lesser of the estate tax attributable to the transferred property in the transferor’s estate or that portion of the estate tax attributable to the transferred property in the decedent’s estate. The lesser of the credit or limitation is then multiplied by the applicable percentage in section 2013(a) to determine the allowable credit. See sec. 20.2013-6, example (2), Estate Tax Regs. According to respondent’s position, the decedent’s credit is calculated as follows:

[[Image here]]
Florence $32,047.90 $2,435.25 $10,156.71 $2,435.25 80% $1,948.20
Rudolph 399,538.20 168,199.50 126,622.76 126,622.76 80% 101,298.20
Edwin 79,301.38 2,474.90 25,132.41 2,474.90 80% 1.979.92
105,226.32

Respondent’s computation of section 2013 credit is in conformity with section 20.2013-6, example (2), Estate Tax Regs.

Petitioner argues that the regulation does not harmonize with the statute and is therefore invalid. Petitioner asserts that in the case of multiple transferors, the credit is the lesser of the aggregate amount of tax paid by the transferors or the aggregate amount of tax attributable to the property in the decedent’s estate. Petitioner maintains that in the case of multiple transferors, the limitation is only apportioned when it is less than the aggregate amount of tax paid by the transferors, and then, only for purposes of applying the reduction percentage. However, in the present case, no apportionment is necessary because all three transferors died in the 80-percent category. According to petitioner’s position, the decedent’s credit is calculated as follows:

Credit (Sec. 2013(b))
Transferor Amount transferred Transferor’s tax attributable to property
Florence $32,047.90 $2,435.25
Rudolph 399,538.20 168,199.50
Edwin 79,301.35 2,474.90
173,109.65
Limitation (Sec. 2013(c))
Estate tax on all property in decedent’s estate. $183,858.60
Estate tax excluding the value of all prior transfers. 21,946.71

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Related

Rabenold v. Commissioner
1985 T.C. Memo. 309 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)
Estate of Meyer v. Commissioner
83 T.C. No. 22 (U.S. Tax Court, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
83 T.C. No. 22, 83 T.C. 350, 1984 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-meyer-v-commissioner-tax-1984.