Estate of Wall v. Commissioner

101 T.C. No. 21, 101 T.C. 300, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 62
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 12, 1993
DocketDocket No. 15311-91
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 101 T.C. No. 21 (Estate of Wall 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 Wall v. Commissioner, 101 T.C. No. 21, 101 T.C. 300, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 62 (tax 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

NlMS, Judge:

Respondent determined a $44,948 deficiency in the Federal estate tax due from the Estate of Helen S. Wall. The single issue for decision is whether property held by three irrevocable inter vivos trusts created by the decedent, Helen S. Wall (Mrs. Wall), is includable in her gross estate under section 2036(a)(2) or section 2038(a)(1) because in creating the trusts Mrs. Wall reserved the right to remove the sole trustee, a corporation, and appoint a successor corporate trustee. (All section references are to sections of the Internal Revenue Code in effect at the time of Mrs. Wall’s death.)

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

At the time the petition was filed, Kathryn H. Barth, the personal representative of the Estate of Helen S. Wall (petitioner), resided in Boulder, Colorado. Mrs. Wall died on October 7, 1987, a domiciliary of Wisconsin. Petitioner was appointed personal representative by the Circuit Court of Wisconsin, Marathon County, on December 8, 1987.

Petitioner filed a Federal estate tax return (Form 706) on October 12, 1988, and a corrected Form 706 on January 16, 1989. The assets of the three trusts created by Mrs. Wall were not included as assets in the gross estate on either the original Form 706 or the corrected Form 706. However, gifts from Mrs. Wall to these trusts, in the total amount of $101,015, were included in the adjusted taxable gifts reported on the two Forms 706.

On December 19, 1979, Mrs. Wall executed three instruments establishing the three previously mentioned trusts, they being known as the Kathryn Barth Trust, the Sarah Ann Barth Trust, and the Amy Elizabeth Barth Trust, respectively.

Kathryn Barth is Mrs. Wall’s daughter. Sarah Ann Barth and Amy Elizabeth Barth are Mrs. Wall’s granddaughters.

Mrs. Wall transferred additional assets to the Kathryn Barth Trust in 1980. She transferred additional assets to the Sarah Ann Barth Trust and the Amy Elizabeth Barth Trust in 1984 and 1986. Mrs. Wall filed Federal gift tax returns reporting these transfers.

The trust agreement establishing the Kathryn Barth Trust provides, in part, that

The Grantor or the beneficiary, Kathryn Barth, may remove the Trustee on written notice and appoint a successor Trustee. However, any successor Trustee must be a corporation qualified to conduct a trust business in the United States and be completely independent from the Grantor.

The trust agreement also provided that “She may at her pleasure deposit additional assets.” Mrs. Wall retained no other power over or interest in the Kathryn Barth Trust.

The trust agreements establishing the Sarah Ann Barth Trust and the Amy Elizabeth Barth Trust provide, in part, that

The Grantor, during her lifetime, may substitute Trustees, but any successor Trustee shall be other than the Grantor or any firm or corporation in which the Grantor has an interest, and shall, in all events, be an independent corporate trust company.

The trust agreements provided that “Additional property may from time to time be transferred by the Grantor or by any other person.” Mrs. Wall retained no other power over, or interest in, either the Sarah Ann Barth Trust or the Amy Elizabeth Barth Trust.

Mrs. Wall had no power to appoint herself as trustee of any of the three trusts. The initial trustee of all three trusts, First Wisconsin Trust Co. (First Wisconsin or the bank), has held the position of trustee of the three trusts continuously from its initial appointment to the present time. At no time during her life or by will did Mrs. Wall attempt to remove or change the trustee.

The bank is a large and reputable trust company which has been doing business in Wisconsin for over 50 years. In the operation of its trust business it is subject to the laws of Wisconsin. At no time did Mrs. Wall have any significant ownership interest in the bank.

The bank as trustee of the Kathryn Barth Trust had, among other things, the following power:

The principal and income of the trust may be expended by the Trustee in its sole discretion to or for the benefit of my daughter, Kathryn Barth, until final distribution is made as provided herein.

The Sarah Ann Barth Trust contains, among other things, the following provision:

The Trustee shall hold, manage, invest, and reinvest the trust property for the sole benefit of Sarah Ann Barth, granddaughter of the Grantor, born April 26, 1968, hereinafter called the “Beneficiary,” upon the following terms:
(a) The Trustee may distribute to, or apply for the sole benefit of the beneficiary until she attains the age of 21 years, so much of the income and principal, at such time or times and in such amounts and manner, as the Trustee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. Any amount which the Trustee shall determine not to use may be accumulated as income or may be added to the principal, as the Trustee shall deem best.
(b) When the beneficiary reaches the age of 21 years, she shall have the power, by an instrument in writing signed by her and delivered to the Trustee within six months after her 21st birthday, to compel the immediate distribution to her of all of the then accumulated income and principal of this trust. If no such instrument is delivered within the time specified herein, then the trust shall continue until the beneficiary reaches the age of 30 years. During the continued period of this trust, the Trustee shall pay to or apply for the benefit of the beneficiary all of the net trust income at least annually. During the continued period of this trust, principal may be expended by the Trustee in its sole discretion for the benefit of the beneficiary. When the beneficiary reaches age 30, the trust shall terminate and the principal and income remaining in the trust shall be distributed to her.

The Amy Elizabeth Barth Trust contains a similar provision.

The three trust agreements recite that they are to be governed by the laws of Wisconsin.

The relevant statutory provisions are as follows:

SEC. 2036. TRANSFERS WITH RETAINED LIFE ESTATE.
(a) General Rule. — The value of the gross estate shall include the value of all property to the extent of any interest therein of which the decedent has at any time made a transfer (except in case of a bona fide sale for an adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth), by trust or otherwise, under which he has retained for his life or for any period not ascertainable without reference to his death or for any period which does not in fact end before his death—
i|t # # * * ifi iji
(2) the right, either alone or in conjunction with any person, to designate the persons who shall possess or enjoy the property or the income therefrom.

SEC. 2038. REVOCABLE TRANSFERS.

(a) In General.

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

Related

Sarah S. O'Nan
U.S. Tax Court, 2024
Jason Bontrager v. Commissioner
2019 T.C. Memo. 45 (U.S. Tax Court, 2019)
Estate of Hurford v. Comm'r
2008 T.C. Memo. 278 (U.S. Tax Court, 2008)
ESTATE OF ELEANOR T.R. TROTTER v. COMMISSIONER
2001 T.C. Memo. 250 (U.S. Tax Court, 2001)
Estate of Wall v. Commissioner
102 T.C. No. 13 (U.S. Tax Court, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
101 T.C. No. 21, 101 T.C. 300, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 62, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-wall-v-commissioner-tax-1993.