In re Estate of Zambrano

875 A.2d 307, 2005 Pa. Super. 154, 2005 Pa. Super. LEXIS 916
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 26, 2005
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 875 A.2d 307 (In re Estate of Zambrano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Estate of Zambrano, 875 A.2d 307, 2005 Pa. Super. 154, 2005 Pa. Super. LEXIS 916 (Pa. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

TAMILIA, J.:

¶ 1 Eugene D. Zambrano, Jr., and Eugene D. Zambrano, III, son and grandson, respectively, of the decedent and residuary beneficiaries of his estate, appeal from the March 25, 2004, Order denying all exceptions and cross-exceptions to, and making final, the December 16, 2003 Order adopting and affirming, with certain exceptions, the master’s findings and conclusions relative to, inter alia, the apportionment of federal taxes.1

Eugene D. Zambrano [Sr.] died August 6, 1995. Virginia R. Zambrano, Administratrix, c.t.a., of the Estate of Eugene D. Zambrano, Sr., filed a Petition to Apportion and Pay Death taxes with the court on June 21, 2001. On February 27, 2002, to provide additional expertise on the issues presented, [the] Court appointed a special Master to mediate the parties’ dispute, and, if no resolution was reached, to hear all issues brought forth, take testimony, consider the evidence, and provide [the] Court with findings of fact and conclusions of law. The Administratrix filed her First and Partial Account on March 4, 2002. During the course of the litigation, the Residuary Beneficiaries, Eugene D. Zambrano, Jr., and Eugene D. Zambrano, III, answered the apportionment petition, and filed objections to the accounting and to remove Virginia Zambrano as Administratrix, and concerning the apportionment of federal taxes. (See [the] court’s orders of January 17, 2002 and February 27, 2002.) The Master’s hearing took place on January 21st through the 24th of 2003, with a court reporter present to record the proceedings.
[309]*309On June 25, 2003, the Master issued his Report (hereinafter “Master’s Report” or “Report”), and on October 20 and 21 of 2003 this Court heard arguments on the Report of the Master and held a hearing to consider the award of attorney fees. (A transcript of the proceedings is part of the record.) An Order was entered adopting the Master’s Report on December 16, 2003. The Order incorporated several changes modifying the Master’s Conclusions of Law and rejected Conclusion 4 assessing a portion of the Estate’s attorney fees and Master’s fees against the Residuary Beneficiaries. It is to this Order that Residuary Beneficiaries filed exceptions and the Administratrix files cross exceptions. Upon review of the record and after giving due consideration to the briefs and reply briefs submitted, the court [denied] all exceptions and cross exceptions.

Trial Court Opinion, Mazur, J., 3/25/04, at 2-3.

¶ 2 As further background, we note the decedent died testate, leaving a joint will with his spouse, which was admitted to probate on October 18, 1995.2 The will essentially was a mirror will, with wife inheriting most of the estate.

¶ 3 The master’s conclusions included the following. The joint property inherited by wife qualified for the marital deduction and was not part of the residue. Since the joint marital property she received did not cause any death tax, wife was not a beneficiary subject to tax apportionment. The parties apparently do not dispute this finding. Two beneficiaries were left subject to apportionment, (1) son, who inherited non-probate items including a $128,174 life insurance policy and his father’s 50% interest in The Zambrano Joint Venture, valued at $635,390 for federal tax purposes, which son and father held jointly, for a total of $763,564 in taxable transfers; and (2) the net residuary estate of $124,481. Master’s report, 6/25/03, at 26. The master concluded grandson was not one of the taxable beneficiaries who must bear a portion of the federal estate tax. The federal estate tax, therefore, was calculated as follows:

Initial Percentage of Apportionable Total Taxable Amount of Beneficiaries Taxable Transfers Transfers Federal estate tax

Eugene D. Zambrano, Jr.— $763,564 85.98% $209,957 Joint Venture/Life Insurance

Residuary Estate 124,481 14.02% 34,236

Virginia R. Zambrano— 0 0 0 Joint Assets

Total $888,045 100% $244,193

¶ 4 The master further explained that in the apportionment of federal estate tax, credit for payment of Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax inures to the benefit of the parties who paid the state death tax, in proportion to the amount of state taxes paid by each. Pennsylvania inheritance tax was apportioned solely to son and grandson. As indicated above, grandson was not a taxable beneficiary who must [310]*310bear a portion of federal estate tax. Accordingly, son was the only beneficiary who was required to bear some of the federal tax and was “chargeable” with the payment of state death tax, i.e. receives a credit for state death taxes paid. The master therefore gave son credit for the $27,026 for state death taxes paid, reducing the federal estate tax apportioned to him to $182,931.

¶ 5 The master also considered the taxes attributable to a certain PNC Bank account. The administratrix had requested from PNC Bank a listing of the accounts in decedent’s name. PNC responded with a letter which included the account at issue. Accordingly, the account was reported and taxed as part of the residue for both federal and Pennsylvania death tax purposes. The balance of the account as of the date of decedent’s death was $49,044. The master apportioned the $13,489 in federal taxes attributable to this account,3 being part of the tax apportioned to the residuary estate, to son and grandson, jointly and severally, as the owners of Zambrano Corporation but without any interest apportioned thereto. Instead, the interest on this tax was to be borne by the residuary estate. Id., at 30-31.4

¶ 6 The master therefore calculated the following “final” apportionment of federal estate tax:

Eugene D. Zambrano, Jr. $182,931
Net Residuary Estate 20,747
Eugene D. Zambrano, Jr./Eugene D.
Zambrano, III 13,489
$217,167

¶ 7 We note that as appellants dispute only the apportionment of federal estate tax and apparently have no dispute as to Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax, we will not discuss Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax.5 It is also important to note that after the administratrix initially filed Pennsylvania inheritance tax and federal estate tax returns, she filed supplemental returns in 1997. As a result, the taxable estate for federal purposes, and correspondingly the federal estate tax, was reduced. The federal estate tax was determined to be $217,166, the penalty was reduced to $16,737.03, and the accrued and unpaid interest as of May 13, 2002 was $118,554.93.

¶ 8 In 2002, the administratrix filed a second supplemental estate tax return. According to the master, this return claims additional deductions of $227,940 for interest that had been paid or accrued on the unpaid estate tax, inheritance tax and income tax obligations. If this supplemental return is accepted, the federal estate tax liability will be reduced from $217,166 to $134,443, with corresponding reductions in interest and perhaps in penalties as well. Master’s report at 15.6

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
875 A.2d 307, 2005 Pa. Super. 154, 2005 Pa. Super. LEXIS 916, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-zambrano-pasuperct-2005.