Estate of Wood v. Commissioner

54 T.C. 1180, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 3, 1970
DocketDocket No. 6561-67
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 54 T.C. 1180 (Estate of Wood 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 Wood v. Commissioner, 54 T.C. 1180, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124 (tax 1970).

Opinions

OPINION

Stbkkett, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency in the Federal estate tax of the Estate of Howard O. Wood, Jr., in the amount of $20,388.88. There are two questions presented for our decision. The first is whether the income tax liabilities of the Estate of Caryl Hackstaff Wood should be allowed as a deduction to reduce the value of the interest of the present decedent, Howard O. Wood, Jr., in t-lie prior estate. The second concerns the proper method of computing- tlie credit for tax oil prior transfers under section 2013 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.1 Specifically as to the credit, the question is whether administration expenses of the prior Estate of Caryl Ilackstaif Wood, claimed as an income tax deduction by the fiduciary of that estate, should be applied against the taxable estate for the purpose of computing the credit of the Estate of Howard O. Wood Jr., under section 2013(b).

All of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

Caryl Hackstaff Wood (Caryl), wife of the within decedent Howard O. Wood, Jr. (Howard), died, testate, on October 3, 1957; a resident of Nassau County, N.Y. Her last will and testament was duly admitted to probate on October 25, 1957, by the Surrogate’s Court of Nassau County, N.Y. On October 25, 1957, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. (Hanover) was appointed by the above-mentioned court, and qualified as executor.

Under her last will and testament, Caryl, after making a bequest of personal property valued at $5,224 to her husband Ploward and bequests of other personal property valued at $6,543.49 to other persons, gave the residue of her estate to her said husband. On December 30, 1958, Hanover, as executor of Caryl’s estate, filled a Federal estate tax return with the district director of internal revenue at Brooklyn, New York, and paid the tax shown on the return.

Hanover as executor of Caryl’s estate paid debts, funeral, and administration expenses in the amount of $10,417.99 which was deducted from her gross estate.

In addition to the debts, funeral, and administration expenses included in the above-mentioned sum of $10,417.99, Hanover incurred and paid other administration expenses totaling $55,606.41 which was claimed as a deduction from gross income in determining the estate’s Federal income tax liability.

On or about July 22,1963, in a proceeding in this Court, docket No. 522-62, brought by Hanover as executor of Caryl’s estate to review a deficiency in estate tax theretofore determined by respondent, it was determined, among other things, that the value of the gross estate of said decedent was $902,820.60, that debts, funeral, and administration expenses allowed as a deduction were $10,417.99, and that her net taxable estate was $386,201.30 after allowing an exemption of $60,000 and a marital deduction of $446,201.31. In that proceeding a basis for settlement was reached and a stipulation of settlement was filed and a decision was entered in accordance therewith, setting forth a net estate tax in the amount of $100,662.34 after allowing a credit for State death taxes in the amount of $8,278.44.

Hanover as executor of said estate paid death taxes in the amount of $111,961.99, of which $100,662.34 represented the Federal estate tax determined as aforesaid.

On April 9, 1964, Howard O. Wood, Jr., died a resident of Nassau County, N. Y., leaving a last will and testament which was, on April 23,

1964, duly admitted to probate by the Surrogate’s Court of Nassau County, N.Y. On April 23, 1964, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. of New York2 (petitioner) was appointed by the Surrogate’s Court as executor of Howard’s estate, and qualified as such executor.

On April 9,1964, the date of Howard’s death, the estate of his wife, Caryl, was still undergoing administration. Among the assets held on that date by Hanover, as executor of Caryl’s estate, were certain securities. On May 19,1964, and May 20, 1964, after Howard’s death, Hanover sold these securities for $160,742.09 and used the proceeds to purchase U.S. Treasury notes in the amount of $160,000 maturing in

1965. In July of 1965 Hanover sold these notes and distributed the proceeds to Howard’s estate. The aforesaid securities with their respective bases, sales prices, and the gain attributable to each were as follows:

200 shares Potomac Electric Power Co., common:
Sale price_ $4,022. 92
Basis _ % 088.27
Gain _ $1, 984. 65
500 shares General Motors Corp., common:
Sale price_ $44, 708. 61
Basis _ 20,312. 50
Gain _ 24,396.11
600 shares General Foods Corp., common:
Sale price_ $51, 767. 99
Basis _ 14,287. 50
Gain ___ 37,480.49
700 shares Consolidated Edison Co., common :
Sale price_ $59,326.67
Basis _ 28,. 764.40
Gain_ 30,562.27
46 shares Potomas Electric Power Co., common:
Sale price_ $915. 90
Basis _ 468. 80
Gain _ 447.10
Total _ 94, 870. 62

Hanover filed Federal and New York income tax returns for Caryl’s estate for the fiscal year ending August 31, 1964, in which were reported capital gains resulting from the said sales, and also dividend and interest income attributable to estate securities. The Federal income tax return filed by Hanover showed a net gain from the sale or exchange of capital assets of $95,164.42 and other taxable income of $42,932.74, making a total taxable income of $138,097.16 and a tax of $41,597.48. The tax was paid upon filing of the return. Of the net gain of $95,164.42 the amount of $94,870.62 was attributable to the sale of the above securities using as a basis their values as of the date of Caryl’s death.

On or about December 31,1964, Hanover filed an amended Federal income tax return for the fiscal year ended August 31, 1964, and a claim for refund in the amount of $29,675.72. The reasons stated on the claim for refund were as follows:

On April 9, 1964 Howard O. Wood, Jr., tlie sole residuary legatte [sic] of the Oaryl Hackstaff Wood Estate, died and the securities in the Estate of Caryl Hackstaff Wood were revalued and reported in the Estate of Howard O. Wood, Jr.

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Related

Estate of Whittle v. Commissioner
97 T.C. No. 25 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Estate of La Sala v. Commissioner
71 T.C. 752 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Estate of Wood v. Commissioner
54 T.C. 1180 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
54 T.C. 1180, 1970 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-wood-v-commissioner-tax-1970.