Hess Trust

65 Pa. D. & C. 19, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 242
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Lancaster County
DecidedApril 15, 1948
Docketno. 50
StatusPublished

This text of 65 Pa. D. & C. 19 (Hess Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Lancaster County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hess Trust, 65 Pa. D. & C. 19, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 242 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1948).

Opinion

Appel, P. J.,

— By appeal to this court, the Chase National Bank of the City of New York, as succeeding trustee of the inter vivos trust created by Charles Wilbur Hess while a resident of the State of Illinois (and before his subsequent residence and death in Lancaster County, Pa.), it is contended that the assets of the trust, consisting entirely of intangible personal property located in the State of New York and never within the State of Pennsylvania, are not subject to the provisions of the Transfer Inheritance Tax Act of June 20, 1919, P. L. 521, and its supplements, 72 PS §2301.

The original trust agreement was executed on March 26, 1929, by Charles Wilbur Hess, while a resident of the State of Illinois. In it the National Park Bank of New York, a corporation with principal place of business in the City, County and State of New York, was named, and accepted, the office of trustee. The Chase National Bank of the City of New York, present appellant, became successor trustee by merger on August 24, 1929, with the National Park Bank of New York.

On April 1,1929, Charles Wilbur Hess declared himself to be a resident of the State of New York, in which State he continued to reside until the year 1937, when he became a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in Caernarvon Township, this county, where he continued to be domiciled and to be one of two joint owners of real estate until his decease on October 18, 1946.

None of the securities or assets which Charles Wilbur Hess transferred from time to time to said trustee under the inter vivos trust were physically located or situated within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania while owned by him or by the trustee or successor trustee. From time to time Charles Wilbur Hess, while a resident of Pennsylvania, modified and amended the trust agreement by increasing the amount to be paid [21]*21to certain beneficiaries under the trust. On October 10, 1946, the date of his death, the principal of the trust estate amounted to $276,016.63.

Thereafter, the Chase National Bank of New York, successor trustee of the trust, qualified as executor of decedent’s will and codicils thereto, and as said executor, filed a schedule of decedent’s assets on the form of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. In answer to Question 4 of schedule “C” of this form, “Did decedent, at any time, transfer any property in trust by deed or agreement?” the executor inserted the word “Yes”, followed by this explanation:

“On March 26, 1929, decedent, then of the City and State of New York, created a revocable deed of trust, reserving the income therefrom to himself for life and naming the National Park Bank of New York (of which the Chase National Bank of the City of New York is the successor) as trustee. The deed of trust was executed in New York; the trust assets have always been physically situated in New York; the instrument by its terms is declared to be a New York trust; and the trust assets, as well as the administration thereof, are subject to the jurisdiction of the State of New York. Decedent established his residence and domicile in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania some years after he had created the trust, and at the time of his death the legal title to the trust assets within the New York jurisdiction was vested solely in the Chase National Bank of the City of New York as the trustee thereof. The foregoing is herein set forth as a matter of information only, there being no concession by the executor that the trust fund or any part of it is taxable under the inheritance tax laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. . . .
“Corpus value of trust as of date of death (for information purposes) $276,016.63.”

Whereupon the Department of Revenue inserted as the valuation of the trust, the said sum of $276,016.63.

[22]*22In the summary on said form the gross taxable estate was fixed at $535,382.85, of which the value of the real estate was determined to be $17,500, and the aggregate value of the personal property was determined at $517,882.85. If the value of the New York trust property was $276,016.63, the value of the personal estate which passed into the control of the executor of Charles Wilbur Hess would apparently be $241,866.20. On June 12, 1947, the inheritance tax appraiser filed a resident inheritance tax appraisement of the estate of Charles Wilbur Hess, in which the inter vivos estate was appraised for transfer inheritance tax at the sum of $276,016.63. On January 16, 1947, the succeeding trustee of the inter vivos trust, paid, under protest, to the Register of Wills of Lancaster County, as agent for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the collection of transfer inheritance tax, the sum of $25,365 on account of an estimated net taxable trust estate of $267,000, less the usual five percent deduction for prompt payment.

Apparently the Chase National Bank, while making said payment under protest, wished to secure the benefit of the rebate in the possible event that the trust fund should be decided to be liable under the Pennsylvania tax laws.

An inspection of the inheritance tax appraisement discloses that the various items composing the trust estate were not individually or separately appraised, but appear in bulk at said sum of $276,016.63. Any defect, however, in the form of itemization of the said trust fund appears to be remedied by a stipulation filed November 20, 1947, in this court, whereby various items constituting the aggregate appraisement of $276,016.63 were listed. An inspection of this schedule discloses that said sum was composed entirely of shares of stock in various corporations, none of which were incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania.

[23]*23In said trust agreement, it is specifically provided as follows:

“TO HAVE AND TO HOLD unto the said Trustee and its successors and assigns, in trust nevertheless, to hold the same during the lifetime of the Grantor, to collect the rents, issues, income, revenues and profits arising from the said Trust Estate, and after deducting therefrom the proper charges and disbursements of the said Trustee to pay the net income and profits therefrom to the said Grantor so long as he lives, and as soon after said Grantor’s death as conveniently may be, without prejudice to said Trust Fund or Trust Estate, said Trust Fund or Trust Estate then remaining in the hands of said Trustee shall be distributed as follows:” [giving the names of the distributees, only one of whom is a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.]
“And it is understood and agreed that the foregoing gifts shall be net to the beneficiaries named and that the Trustee shall pay from the principal of said Trust Fund or Trust Estate any inheritance tax, either Federal or State, levied or imposed against said gifts; but if the amount of the Trust Estate is not sufficient to pay in full the various amounts directed to be paid, then the gifts shall he reduced pro rata.
“After making all payments hereinbefore directed, and payment of all inheritance and estate taxes levied against said Trust Estate or the gifts made herein and all other claims of every kind against said Trust Estate, the balance of said Trust Estate then remaining shall be paid to the Estate of the Grantor.

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Bluebook (online)
65 Pa. D. & C. 19, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hess-trust-paorphctlancas-1948.