Gettysburg National Bank v. United States

806 F. Supp. 511, 72 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6769, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17920, 1992 WL 339731
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 19, 1992
DocketCiv. A. No. 1:CV-90-1607
StatusPublished

This text of 806 F. Supp. 511 (Gettysburg National Bank v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gettysburg National Bank v. United States, 806 F. Supp. 511, 72 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6769, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17920, 1992 WL 339731 (M.D. Pa. 1992).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

RAMBO, Chief Judge.

Before the court is Plaintiff’s request for a determination of the validity of its partial § 2032A election for special use valuation. The issue has been fully briefed and the matter is now ripe for disposition.

Background1

Upon their father’s death, John Lott (“John”) and M. Sheila Lott Gantz (“Sheila”) were bequeathed all of Bear Mountain Orchards, and one half of three other farms — Piney Mountain Orchards, Flicker Hill Orchards, and Emory Tuckey Tract. The other half interest of these three farms was left to their siblings, Robert C. Lott (“Robert, Jr.”) and Elizabeth Anne Stafford (“Anne”).

An estate is usually valued, for tax purposes, at its highest and best use. See Estate of Cowser v. Commissioner, 736 F.2d 1168, 1170 (7th Cir.1984). However, pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 2032A, certain qualified property which is used in a family business or farm may be valued at a lower rate for estate tax purposes to encourage continued operation of the family endeavor. Id. Certain requirements2 for this special [512]*512valuation must be met including securing the signatures of certain individuals. Plaintiff did not obtain signatures from all four siblings, but only from John and Sheila. Subsequently, Plaintiff sought to elect special use valuation of the property in which the two had an interest.

On July 17,1992, this court granted additional time for Plaintiff to obtain the signatures of the other two siblings and perfect its special use election. A Joint Status Report of the parties, submitted October 21, 1992, informed this court that this perfection had not occurred within the requisite time period since only the additional signature of Anne had been obtained.

The question currently before the court is whether signatures of the three children are sufficient to invoke partial election of the special use valuation.

Discussion

I. Required Signatures

To ensure that beneficiaries of the special use valuation do not receive a windfall by immediately selling the elected property for non-qualified purposes, § 2032A permits the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to recapture the benefit received from the favorable tax treatment if qualified use'ends within ten years of the election. To protect parties from this potential liability, the statute further provides that certain parties consent in writing .to this recapture scheme.

To elect special use valuation, § 2032A(a)(l)(B), in conjunction with § 2032A(d)(2), requires the estate’s executor to file a written agreement signed by each person who has an interest in the designated property. One case has concluded that “ ‘property designated in such agreement’ means the interest that the decedent owned which is subject to the estate tax and the special use valuation. Pullin v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. 789, 793-794 (1985) (emphasis added).

This interpretation comports with the legislative history of § 2032A. The Joint Committee on Taxation explained:

One of the requirements for making a valid election is the filing with the estate tax return a written agreement signed by each person in being who has an interest (whether or not in possession) in any qualified real property with respect to which the use valuation is elected. This agreement must evidence the consent of each of these parties to the application of the recapture tax provisions to the property.

Pullin, 84 T.C. at 797 (citing Tax Reform Act of 1976, Pub.L. 94-455, 90 Stat. 1520; Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, General Explanation of the Tax Reform Act of 1976, 1976-3 C.B. 554-555 (Vol. 2)). Thus, case law and legislative history suggest that only those who have an interest in that property to which election for special use valuation is being made must consent to recapture liability.

This interpretation of the language best corresponds with the purpose of the statute. The consent provision of § 2032A ensures that liability will not be imposed on those who choose not to agree to the recapture lien. Furthermore, since partial election for special use valuation is permitted (Treas.Reg. § 20.2032A-8(a)(2)), and since a lien may attach to the interest of one co-tenant and not to that of the others, Koubek v. Tenos, 343 Pa. 409, 22 A.2d 740, 742 (1941), a partial election of a co-tenancy would not impose liability on non-consenting co-tenants. See also Tech.Adv.Mem. 8926002 (March 2, 1989) (signature of tenant-in-common unnecessary for special valuation since property could be apportioned to satisfy partial lien).

[513]*513The court in Pullin confronted a similar situation to the one at bar: the plaintiff’s non-heir co-tenants refused to sign the consent agreement so subsequently the IRS rejected the plaintiff’s election for special use valuation. However, the court determined that the co-tenants’ signatures were unnecessary as their interest in the property was unaffected by the .decedent’s bequest to the plaintiff. Pullin, 84 T.C. at 794.

The Pullin co-tenants, in contrast to the co-tenants in the case at bar, did not receive their interest in the property from the decedent, and so they were not qualified heirs. However, this difference does not preclude applicability of the Pullin analysis. There is no basis for differentiating between election of only a part of a co-tenancy because only a parcel has been passed by a decedent to qualified heirs, or making only a partial election because only part of a co-tenancy is owned by signatories.

Interpreting § 2032A to permit partial election with signatures by only some qualifying heirs conflicts with regulatory language which requires that all qualified heirs sign the consent agreement. Treasury regulation § 20.2032A-8(c)(l) mandates that qualified heirs consent to the liability and statutory section § 2032A(e)(l) defines a qualified heir as one to whom qualified property passes from the decedent. Under the regulation, qualified heirs must consent even if they are not electing special valuation nor benefiting from such tax treatment.

This regulation adds a condition to those enumerated in the Code by .requiring the consent of individuals who need not otherwise sign the agreement. Pullin v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. 789, 798 (1985) noted a similar disparity between § 2032A(d)(2)— requiring parties with an interest in the designated property to consent to recapture liability — and the applicable Treasury regulation, § 20.2032A-8(c)(2)3 — requiring, among others, co-tenants to consent to the recapture liability. The Code would not, but the regulations would require the Pul-lin co-tenants to sign the requisite agreement. The Pullin court reasoned that regulations are interpretative, not legislative, and therefore due less deference and concluded that the regulation by imposing an additional requirement than those set forth in the statutes was invalid. Pullin, 84 T.C. at 796-97.

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Related

Miller v. United States
680 F. Supp. 1269 (C.D. Illinois, 1988)
Koubek v. Tenos
22 A.2d 740 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1941)
Estate of Pullin v. Commissioner
84 T.C. No. 52 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)

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806 F. Supp. 511, 72 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6769, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17920, 1992 WL 339731, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gettysburg-national-bank-v-united-states-pamd-1992.