Estate of Sharp

21 Pa. D. & C.3d 391, 1 Pa. Fid. 166, 1981 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 259
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County
DecidedApril 13, 1981
Docketno. 80125
StatusPublished

This text of 21 Pa. D. & C.3d 391 (Estate of Sharp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Sharp, 21 Pa. D. & C.3d 391, 1 Pa. Fid. 166, 1981 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 259 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1981).

Opinion

TREDINNICK, J.,

This is an appeal by Robert D. Free, executor of the estate of Mary E. Sharp, deceased, and Walter B. Free, decedent’s former husband, from the Commonwealth’s inheritance tax assessment. The assessment disallowed certain debts and deductions claimed by the executor, which petitioners claim were proper.

The facts of this case, presented in a stipulation by the parties, are as follows: Decedent and Walter B. Free were married on October 28, 1944. During their 32 year marriage the couple acquired two parcels of real estate in Pennsylvania as tenants by the entireties. In 1976, they separated and thereafter entered into a written separation agreement, dated December 22, 1976. The agreement provided, inter aha, that the two parcels of real estate would continue tobe jointly owned, with a right to survivorship. They were divorced on [392]*392March 18, 1977, thus all provisions of decedent’s will favoring Walter Free, her former spouse, were rendered ineffective: Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code, 20 Pa.C.S.A. §2507(2).

Subsequent to her divorce, decedent married William M. Sharp. She died testate on October 8, 1977, a Florida resident. Her will duly probated in this jurisdiction, left her entire estate to her former husband, Walter B. Free, and in the alternative, to her son Robert D. Free. The executor filed an account in this court. Decedent’s husband filed an election to take against the will, and Walter Free claimed the real estate. The matter was audited by the Honorable Edwin H. Satterthwaite who held that Walter Free was “entitled to the real estate or its proceeds as the contractual owner. . . thereof by survivorship upon decedent’s death.” Sharp Estate 105 Montg. 396, 400 (1980). The award was “subject to such inheritance tax, if any, as may ultimately be found due and payable.” Id., at 397.

The executor then filed an application and affidavit for appraisement and waiver of transfer inheritance tax provisions for a non-resident decedent. This return included all of decedent’s taxable assets as well as a statement of debts and deductions.

The total value of the assets listed on the affidavit for appraisement was $22,932.57, consisting solely of one-half the value of the two parcels of real estate $27,250, less one-half the amount of the existing mortgage debt $4,317.43. The total amount of the debts and deductions was $30,692.50 consisting of the amount of Walter Free’s claim of the real estate, valued at $27,250 and standard counsel fees, advertising and other general administration expenses in the amount of $3,442.50.

On July 16, 1980, the Commonwealth issued an [393]*393assessment, assessing the estate with tax and interest totalling $3,797.69. Inheritance tax was assessed on one-half the value of two real estate parcels and all debts and deductions were disallowed. This timely appeal followed.

Under such circumstances is the payment of Walter B. Free’s claim to the value of the real estate deductible? We take this to be the primary question, as the Commonwealth advances no arguments in support of its refusal to allow the administration expenses as deductions.

The Pennsylvania transfer inheritance tax is a tax on the privilege of inheritance: Denniston’s Estate, 325 Pa. 453, 191 Atl. 39 (1937). All real property and tangible personal property of a nonresident decedent havings its situs in Pennsylvania is subject to Pennsylvania Inheritance tax.1 Section 402 of that act sets forth two options for the computation of nonresident inheritance tax. It provides at 72 P.S. §2485-402:

“When the decedent was a nonresident, the tax shall be computed upon the value of real property and tangible personal property having its situs in Pennsylvania, in excess of unpaid property taxes assessed thereon and any indebtedness for which it is liened, mortgaged or pledged, at the rates in effect at the transferor’s death: Provided that the person hable to make the return under section 701 may elect to have the tax computed as if the decedent were a resident and his entire estate were property having its situs in Pennsylvania, and the tax due in such event shall be that amount which bears the same ratio to the tax thus computed as the real property and tangible personal property [394]*394located in Pennsylvania bears to the entire estate of such decedent.”

In this case, the executor elected to have the tax computed by the second alternative — the proportionate method. After applying the pro-rata tax rule, the executor concluded and now argues that the estate was actually insolvent, the debts and deductions being proper.

Section 632, 72 P.S. §2485-632, of the Inheritance Tax Act provides that an indebtedness of a decedent “when founded upon a promise or agreement . . .” is deductible in ascertaining the clear value of the estate subject to tax to the extent that it was “contracted bona fide and for an adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth.”

Walter Free’s claim of $27,250 is based upon the written separation agreement, dated December 22, 1976. The contract states that “[u]pon the death of either of the parties . . . that title to either property . . . should pass to the survivor without right to or interest of the dying party for his or her estate in the real estate.” The Commonwealth appears to contend that no indebtedness arose out of this agreement. The basis for this position is not clear. The agreement was entered into for bona fide consideration, having been executed". . . in consideration of the mutual promises ...” of the parties. Furthermore, that issue has been previously decided by Judge Satterthwaite in his adjudication of the audit of the executor’s account: Sharp Estate, supra. It was there decided that Mr. Free was “entitled to the real estate ... as the contractual owner of the whole thereof by survivorship upon decedent’s death.” Id. at 400. In finding Mr. Free’s contractual claim valid, the judge stated at p. 402:

“Contractual provisions for the post-death disposition of property, if supported by appropriate con[395]*395sideration (here the mutual promises of the parties), are valid and binding and may be enforced against the estate of the deceased promisor in priority to the testamentary or intestate interests of distributees: Beruk Estate, 429 Pa. 415 (1968); Pratt Estate, 422 Pa. 446 (1966); Mills Estate, 367 Pa. 504 (1951); Neller Estate, 356 Pa. 628 (1947).”

It is therefore apparent that decedent’s estate is in fact indebted to Mr. Free.

The Commonwealth argues, however, that even if the claim of Walter Free is based on an indebtedness arising out of a promise or agreement, nevertheless, it may not be deducted for inheritance tax valuation purposes because section 662, 72 P.S. §2485-662, of the Inheritance Tax Act nullifies section 402, 72 P.S. §2485-402, in these circumstances. Section 662 provides that: “Claims of a former or surviving spouse, or others, under an agreement between the former or surviving spouse and the decedent, insofar as they arise in consideration of a relinquishment or promised relinquishment of marital or support rights, shall not be deductible.”

The agreement between decedent and her former spouse has been attached to the stipulation of facts, and is of necessity, our first point of reference. It states that it is entered into because the parties desire to settle matters between them, including “. . .

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Related

Pratt Estate
221 A.2d 117 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Mills Estate
80 A.2d 809 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1951)
Beeruk Estate
241 A.2d 755 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1968)
Denniston's Estate
191 A. 39 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1937)
Neller Estate
53 A.2d 122 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1946)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 Pa. D. & C.3d 391, 1 Pa. Fid. 166, 1981 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 259, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-sharp-pactcomplmontgo-1981.