Hanch v. Commissioner

19 T.C. 65, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 27, 1952
DocketDocket No. 30093
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 19 T.C. 65 (Hanch 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
Hanch v. Commissioner, 19 T.C. 65, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65 (tax 1952).

Opinions

FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION.

Raum, Judge:

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue determined an estate tax deficiency in the amount of $7,959.77 against the estate of Charles C. Hanch, who died on October 22, 1946. Several adjustments made by the Commissioner are no longer in dispute. The decedent’s wife, Dorothy M. Hanch, had died intestate on August 9,1945, and he became entitled to one-third of her estate. However, no distribution had been made to him prior to his death. As a result, two related issues are raised: (1) In determining the husband’s gross estate, how much shall be included with respect to his interest in his wife’s estate? (2) How shall the deduction for prior taxed property be computed under section 812 (c) ? A third question for decision is whether a $20,000 award approved by an Illinois probate court to the decedent’s adult daughter is deductible under section 812 (b) (5) of the Internal Revenue Code.

A stipulation of facts filed by the parties is hereby adopted as part of our findings and is incorporated herein by reference. Such additional facts as may be required for the disposition of this case will be stated in the course of the opinion.

1. The decedent’s estate was valued as of October 22,1947, one year after death, as permitted by section 811 (j) of the Code. The estate of the prior decedent (Dorothy) consisted primarily of corporate securities plus some cash; and distribution of the assets of her estate was made on December 18,1946, more than a month after Charles’ death. The securities composing Dorothy’s estate on October 22, 1946, were as follows:

Number of shares Description of stoek
300-Commercial Investment Trust Corporation
3802-May Department Stores Co.
100-Texas Gulf Sulphur Co.
100-Natomas Co.
50-Standard Brands, Inc.
171-National Distillers Products Corporation
5000-Crystal Silica Co.

In the distribution that was made on December 18, 1946, Charles’ estate did not receive precisely one-third of the shares of stock listed above. Rather, the distribution to his estate consisted of the following:

Number of shares Description
300-Commercial Investment Trust Corporation
1000-May Department Stores Co.
100-Texas Gulf Sulphur Co.
100-Natomas Co.
50-Standard Brands, Inc.
67-National Distillers Products Corporation Cash in the amount of $206.08.

The first issue is whether the amount to be included in Charles’ gross estate is one-third of the value of Dorothy’s estate as it was composed on October 22, 1946, but valued as of October 22, 1947, or whether it is the value, as of October 22, 1947, of the specific assets distributed to Charles’ estate on December 18, 1946. The amounts involved are not in dispute. The amount to be included if the first method is adopted is $64,274.44, but if it is computed under the second method it is $68,062.77.

The Commissioner insists that the first method must be employed. He points to section 811 (a), which requires the inclusion of all property “To the extent of the interest therein of the decedent at the time of his death.” These provisions contemplate that the decedent’s interest in property be determined as of the date of his death. And at Charles’ death, he had a one-third interest in the undivided net assets of Dorothy’s estate as it was then composed. That is the interest which must be included in his gross estate (cf. Estate of Eugene L. Bender, 41 B. T. A. 80, 83, affirmed, sub nom. Bahr v. Commissioner, 119 F. 2d 371 (C. A. 5), certiorari denied 314 U. S. 650), and it is that interest which is valued on the optional valuation date rather than the specific items that were distributed to Charles’ estate after his death.

It is clear that the Commissioner’s method operates to petitioner’s advantage on this issue, and petitioner has resisted it only because of the possible adverse consequences that it might have on its deduction for prior taxed property. Although the matter may not be entirely free from doubt, we think that the Commissioner’s method is correct.

2. Our decision-on the first issue goes far towards resolving the second, namely, the amount to be allowed as a deduction to petitioner for previously taxed property under section 812 (c).1 The deduction is allowable “only in the amount finally determined as the value of such property in determining the value of * * * the gross estate of such prior decedent, and only to the extent that the value of such property is included in the decedent’s gross estate * *

The difference between the parties herein relates to the computation of the value of the property which was included in the gross estate of the prior decedent. If the “property” is to be regarded as the specific shares of stock plus the small amount of cash in fact distributed on December 18, 1946, then the value of such property as finally determined in the estate of the prior decedent was $60,802.96. On the other hand, if the “property” is to be regarded as one-third of the net assets of the prior decedent’s estate, as it was composed on October 22, 1946, the value of one-third of such assets as finally determined in the gross estate of the prior decedent would be a lesser amount.

Petitioner contends that it is the amount of $60,802.96 that is the measure of the' deduction. Its contention is closely related to its position on the first issue that the property which must be included in the gross estate of the second decedent consists of the specific securities and cash actually distributed after the death of the second decedent.

Section 812 (c) speaks of allowing the deduction only in the amount finally determined as the value of “such property” in determining the gross estate of the prior decedent and only to the extent that the value of “such property” is included in the gross estate of the second decedent. It seems plain to us that the term “such property,” as used in section 812 (c) refers to the property that was properly included in the estate of the second decedent. And in this case that property, in accordance with our decision on the first issue, was one-third of the assets of the prior decedent’s estate as it was composed on the date of death of the second decedent.

Accordingly, we must rule against the petitioner on this issue, and we hold that the deduction must be measured by one-third of the net assets of the prior decedent’s estate as it was composed on October 22, 1946, but valued in the amount finally determined as the value of such assets in determining the gross estate of the prior decedent. However, we think that the method employed by the respondent in attempting to achieve this result was incorrect. His computation is set forth in the margin.2

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Related

Porter v. Commissioner
52 T.C. 515 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
Estate of Linderme v. Commissioner
52 T.C. 305 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
McIntosh v. Commissioner
25 T.C. 794 (U.S. Tax Court, 1956)
Ackley v. Commissioner
23 T.C. 639 (U.S. Tax Court, 1955)
Hanch v. Commissioner
19 T.C. 65 (U.S. Tax Court, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
19 T.C. 65, 1952 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 65, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hanch-v-commissioner-tax-1952.