First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner

25 B.T.A. 252, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1548
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJanuary 20, 1932
DocketDocket Nos. 36438, 46583.
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 25 B.T.A. 252 (First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner, 25 B.T.A. 252, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1548 (bta 1932).

Opinion

[254]*254OPINION.

MuRdock:

The decedent always made her income-tax returns on the basis of cash receipts and disbursements for a calendar year. She used this method in reporting her income for the year 1924. The first question is, Should an amount of $90,000, representing distributions which she received prior to January 1, 1924, from the executors of the estate of her deceased husband, be included in her gross income for 1924? The respondent concedes that the period of administration or settlement of the estate of the deceased husband continued throughout the period here involved. He points [255]*255to the fact that the estate of the deceased husband had a fiscal year which ended March 31, 1924, and these distributions were income of that estate for that fiscal year. From these facts he argues that the beneficiary, who had a different taxable year from that of the estate, was required to return the amount received from the estate for her taxable year in which the taxable year of the estate ended, that is, for the year 1924. The principal trouble with this contention is that it finds no support in the Revenue Act of 1924, which controls the question of the petitioner’s income-tax liability for the year 1924. See section 219 of the Revenue Act of 1924. This was the kind of income mentioned in section 219 (b) (3). If, instead, it had been the kind of income mentioned in section 219 (b) (2), then the respondent’s contention would be correct, for section 219 (e) provides:

If the taxable year of a beneficiary is different from the estate or trust, the amount which he is required, under paragraph 2 of subdivision (b) of this section, to include in computing his net income shall be based upon the income of the estate or trust for its taxable year ending within his taxable year.

The fact that such a specific provision was made in this section of the act affecting the one kind of income and that there is no similar specific provision affecting the other, indicates very clearly that Congress intended that the kind of income here involved was to be reported by the beneficiary in accordance with the usual method used by her in reporting her income. That method was to report only cash received. Having received none in 1924, none had to be reported.

Section 219 (d) of the Revenue Act of 1921 provided that a beneficiary who had a taxable year different from that of the estate was to report, as income for his taxable year within which the taxable year of the estate ended, any income of the estate during the period of administration or settlement which the fiduciary was permitted to deduct. Thus, if this act were controlling in the present case, the contention of the respondent would be correct. However, as we have said before, not the Revenue Act of 1921, but the Revenue Act of 1924 is controlling here. Congress made a change in the later act from what it had provided in the earlier act. Due to this change some income may escape taxation, but this fact is immaterial. The provisions of the later- act are clear, and the method of reporting income on the cash basis is well established. The Commissioner erred in including the $90,000 in the decedent’s income for 1924.

In discussing the remaining question, which has to do with the right of the decedent to deduct certain contributions made in each year, we will describe, in part at least, the various exhibits attached to the stipulation. Mary B. Longyear was a party to two trust [256]*256instruments dated January 18, 1928, referred to in the stipulation as Exhibit A. The one created a trust known as the Longyear Foundation. In the other she assigned $5,000 to trustees and provided that they should pay the income of the trust to the Longyear Foundation. She retained for herself alone the power at any time to revoke both of these trusts and to require the trustees to convey and assign to her all property held by them.

On February 18, 1924, she exercised this power by notifying the trustees to terminate the trusts and deliver the entire trust property to her. (Exhibit B.)

On February 18, 1924, she was a party to two new trust instruments. (Exhibit C.) The one created a trust known as the “ Eddy Historical Society.” In the other she assigned to trustees the property received by her from the revocation of the earlier trusts, and provided that they should pay the income of the trust to the Eddy Historical Society. She retained for herself alone the power at any time to revoke both of these trusts and to require the trustees to convey and assign to her all property held by them.

On April 5, 1926, she exercised this power by notifying the trustees to terminate the trusts and deliver the entire trust property to her. (Exhibit D.) •

On April 5, 1926, she was a party to two new trust instruments. The one created a trust known as the Longyear Foundation, and the other created a trust known as the Endowment Trust. In the latter she assigned to trustees $5,000 par value of bonds, being the property received by her from the revocation of the earlier trusts, and provided that these trustees should pay the income of the trust to the Longyear Foundation. She retained for herself alone the power at any time to alter, amend, cancel or revoke both of these trusts and to require the trustees to convey and assign to her all property held by them.

On July 21, 1924, she altered the Eddy Historical Society Trust.

On August 17,1927, and again on December 11, 1928, she executed amendments to each trust then in effect, the Longyear Foundation and the Endowment Trust. In the amendments made on the latter day she provided that the Endowment Trust was irrevocable and not subject to alteration or amendment, and also that the Longyear Foundation was not subject to revocation or alteration by Mary B. Longyear, but might be amended by two-thirds of the trustees.

The trust instruments dated April 5, 1926, and the amendments of August 17, 1927, and December 11, 19-28, are part of Exhibit E attached to the stipulation.

The petitioner claims that Mary B. Longyear had a right to deduct from her gross income certain contributions made by her in each of [257]*257the three years. It bases its claim upon the following provisions of sections 214(a) (10) of the Revenue Acts of 1924 and 1926:

Sec. 214. (a) In computing net income there shall be allowed as deductions: *******
(10) Contributions or gifts made within the taxable year to or for the use of: * * * (B) any corporation, or trust, or community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, * * * no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

The contributions in question are not deductible under these sections of the revenue acts for a number of reasons, which become obvious upon an examination of the provisions of the various trust instruments. The stipulation shows that Mary B. Longyear created three pairs of trusts. Each trust, at all times material hereto, was revocable at the will of Mary B. Longyear. Thus, she could take to herself at any time the benefit of the net earnings of any or all of the six. The requirement that the trust be one “ no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private * * * individual,” eliminates each of these trusts.

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

Related

Hay v. United States
263 F. Supp. 813 (N.D. Texas, 1967)
American Can Co. v. Commissioner
37 T.C. 198 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)
Davis v. Commissioner
1955 T.C. Memo. 251 (U.S. Tax Court, 1955)
Estate of Charles D. Murphy v. Commissioner
13 T.C.M. 17 (U.S. Tax Court, 1954)
Patterson v. Commissioner
34 B.T.A. 689 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1936)
Honnold v. Commissioner
30 B.T.A. 774 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1934)
Security First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner
28 B.T.A. 289 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1933)
First Nat'l Bank v. Commissioner
25 B.T.A. 252 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1932)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
25 B.T.A. 252, 1932 BTA LEXIS 1548, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-natl-bank-v-commissioner-bta-1932.