Grey v. Commissioner

41 B.T.A. 234, 1940 BTA LEXIS 1213
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJanuary 31, 1940
DocketDocket No. 90320.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 41 B.T.A. 234 (Grey 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
Grey v. Commissioner, 41 B.T.A. 234, 1940 BTA LEXIS 1213 (bta 1940).

Opinion

[235]*235OPINION.

Mellott:

The Commissioner determined a deficiency in the income tax of petitioners for the year 1934 in the amount of $2,049.05. Inasmuch as all controversies concern the income of Charles F. Grey, he will hereinafter be referred to as the petitioner.

The issue raised in the petition was whether or not the Commissioner erred in disallowing the deduction of $10,331.98 as a bad debt. That issue has now been settled by a stipulation of the parties that the petitioner should be allowed a deduction of $9,056.98.

By an amended answer the respondent asks that the Board “redetermine the correct amount of the deficiency in respect of the petitioners’ income tax liability for the year 1934 to be not less than $439.55.” In that connection he avers that in determining the revised net income shown in the statement attached to his notice of deficiency he understated income from fiduciaries by $1.36, dividends, and other income by $1,361.68. He accordingly asks that these amounts be included in petitioner’s income.

All of the facts are found to be as stipulated. We shall set out herein only those necessary for an understanding of the issues to be decided.

Charles F. Grey died testate in Cook County, Illinois, on May 10, 1925. In his will he named his grandsons, petitioner herein, and Newton Fox Grey, executors of said will, and trustees of the trust created in paragraph twenty-three. By this paragraph he gave his residuary estate to his trustees, in trust, to invest and reinvest the same, to pay all costs and expenses, and to pay the net income for twenty years as follows:

* * * one sixth of said net income to my wife, Anna L. Grey; one sixth of said net income to my son, Howard G. Grey, and his wife, Lizzie T. Grey, or the survivor of them, and in case of the death of both of them during said period of twenty years, then their share of said net income shall be paid in equal parts to their lawful issue; one-sixth of said net income to my daughter, Ethel Grey Scott, and her husband, Robert L. Scott, or the survivor of them and in ease of the death of both of them during said period of twenty years, then their share of said net income shall be paid in equal parts to their lawful issue. In case my wife, Anna L. Grey, shall not survive me, or in case she shall survive me but shall die during said period of twenty years, then in either of said events, the one-sixth of said net income hereinabove bequeathed to my said wife shall be added to and made a part of the portions of said net income hereinabove bequeathed to my said son and his wife and to my said daughter and her husband, one-half thereof to my son and his wife, and one-half thereof to my daughter and her husband. The remaining one-half of said net income from said trust estate shall be set aside by my Trustees as a special fund for the following purposes; Out of said special fund I direct my Trustees to pay to James Spencer Dickerson (or in the event of his death, to his successor, to be named by Howard G. Grey and Robert L. Scott) the sum of Eive Hundred [236]*236Dollars Semi-annually for ten years from the time of my decease, to he distributed by said James Spencer Dickerson in his discretion, among the wives or widows of.clergymen who are, or at the time of their death were, residents of the United States, and not having an income above Two Thousand Dollars per annum; I further direct my Trustees to pay out of said special fund such sums as they may deem advisable, with the approval of said Howard G. Grey and Lizzie T. Grey, his wife, and Robert L. Scott and Ethel Grey Scott, his wife, or the survivors or survivor of them, for (1) the relief of persons of good character in needy circumstances, especially such as are loath to make their needs known or to solicit help from others; for (2) the assistance of young men and women who desire a collegiate education but have insufficient means to obtain it; for (3) the purpose of assisting worthy college students with transportation from their colleges to their homes and return during vacation periods. I direct my said Trustees to set aside out of said special fund sufficient money or property to enable them, in their judgment, to carry out the foregoing objects, and then to pay the remainder of said special fund annually for the period of twenty years from my death, (subject however, to the right of my said Trustees to discontinue such payments to any one or more of the beneficiaries and to substitute other beneficiaries in the place of those specifically named, as hereinafter provided) in the following proportions, to the following named institutions: [Then follows a list of eleven institutions, each of which is to receive fractional interests of 4/27ths, 2/27ths or l/27th “of the remainder of said special fund.”]
It is not my intention that the payments to be made by my Trustees out of the remainder of said special fund to the several institutions as set forth on pages eight and nine hereof shall be absolute and irrevocable gifts to such institutions, since it is possible that at a later time some of the said institutions may cease to exist or may be managed or operated in a manner that would not meet with my approval, if living. I therefore hereby give my said Trustees full power and authority to discontinue such payments to any one or more of the above named institutions at any time or times as they may deem advisable, and to substitute in lieu of any of the above-named institutions such other charitable institution or institutions as they may select as beneficiary or beneficiaries, provided, however, that before my said Trustees shall discontinue any such payments or shall substitute any other charitable institution or institutions for and in place of any of said beneficiaries, they shall first obtain the written approval of such act or acts by said Howard G. Grey and Robert L. Scott, or the survivor of them, if they, or either of them, be then living. In case any such payments shall be discontinued by my said Trustees at any time, as above provided, it shall be obligatory upon them to select some substitute charitable institution or institutions to receive the payments so discontinued, as I desire that all of the remainder of said special fund to be distributed to charitable institutions, and that no part of said special fund be allowed to accumulate as a part of the principal of said trust estate.

The testator further provided in subparagraph (e) of paragraph 23 of the will, with respect to the said trust, as follows:

(e) At the expiration of twenty years from the date of my death, I direct my said Trustees to divide and distribute the said trust estate in the following manner: One-fourth of said trust estate to my son, Howard G. Grey, and Lizzie T. Grey, his wife, or the survivor of them, but if neither of them shall then be living, then said one-fourth of said trust estate shall go to the children of said Howard G. Grey, in equal parts, the issue of any deceased child to have the [237]*237parent’s share; one-fourth of said trust estate to my daughter, Ethel G-rey Scott, and Robert L. Scott, her husband, or the survivor of them, but if neither of them shall then be living, then said one-fourth of said trust estate shall go to the children of said Robert L.

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Related

Lambert Tree Trust Estate v. Commissioner
38 T.C. 392 (U.S. Tax Court, 1962)
Muir v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
182 F.2d 819 (Fourth Circuit, 1950)
Scott v. United States
78 F. Supp. 811 (Court of Claims, 1948)
Grey v. Commissioner
41 B.T.A. 234 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 B.T.A. 234, 1940 BTA LEXIS 1213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grey-v-commissioner-bta-1940.