John Danz Charitable Trust v. Commissioner

32 T.C. 469, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 157
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 29, 1959
DocketDocket No. 65761
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 32 T.C. 469 (John Danz Charitable Trust 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
John Danz Charitable Trust v. Commissioner, 32 T.C. 469, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 157 (tax 1959).

Opinion

OPINION.

Tkain, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in the petitioner’s income tax in the amounts and for the years as follows:

Year Deficiencies

1948 _$12,596. 0T

1950 _ 19,676.39

1953 _ 10,966.83

1954 _ 14,314.59

The issues are:

(1) Whether the petitioner is exempt from taxation for the years 1948, 1950, and 1958 pursuant to section 101(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, and for the year 1954 pursuant to section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954;

(2) If petitioner is not exempt from tax, whether it is limited to deductions for amounts in fact “paid” to charitable beneficiaries, or, did it “permanently set aside” any further part of its gross income for charitable purposes, thus entitling it to deductions equal to such amounts, for the years 1948,1950, and 1953 pursuant to section 162(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, and for the year 1954 pursuant to section 642(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954;

(3) If petitioner is limited to deductions for amounts actually paid to charitable beneficiaries pursuant to section 162(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, then whether such deductions for the years 1948 and 1950 should be reduced because allegedly paid in part from the nontaxable portion of gains which were treated as gains from the sale or exchange of capital assets held for more than 6 months.

All of the facts are stipulated and are hereby found as stipulated.

The material facts in this case are basically the same as in John Danz, 18 T.C. 454 (1952), affirmed sub nom. John Danz Charitable Tr. v. Commissioner, 231 F. 2d 673 (C.A. 9, 1955), certiorari denied 352 U.S. 828 (1956), rehearing denied 353 U.S. 951 (1957), and the stipulation of facts and findings of fact in that case, except as modified and augmented by the stipulation of facts herein are stipulated to be the facts of the instant case.

The John Danz Charitable Trust, hereinafter referred to as petitioner or as the Trust, is an irrevocable trust created by agreement executed December 31,1942, between John and Jessie Danz, as grantors, and John Danz, Fred Danz, and William Danz, as trustees.

Petitioner filed fiduciary income tax returns for the calendar years here involved with the district director of internal revenue at Tacoma, Washington. Petitioner and respondent executed timely consents to extend the period of limitations on assessment of income and profits taxes for the years 1948 and 1950 to June 30,1957. The respondent’s notice of deficiency for the years here in question was mailed on November 29,1956.

During the years involved in the prior case, 1943 to 1947, inclusive, the petitioner operated two businesses which accounted for the larger part of the income of the Trust. The most substantial one of these businesses was the Savoy Hotel in the city of Seattle, including furniture and fixtures therein, owned by the petitioner and operated by it from the date of its acquisition in 1943 until January 1, 1948. During that period, petitioner received business income and incurred business expenses in connection with its operation of the hotel. The average of the annual gross receipts from the Savoy Hotel for the years 1943 through 1947 was approximately $141,000, the operating expenses approximately $96,400, and the net income approximately $44,600. The intention of the trustees in purchasing the Savoy Hotel property in 1943 was to operate it, through a real estate company as agent, only until the personal property could be sold and the real property leased to a hotel operator.

By lease effective January 1,1948, petitioner leased the Savoy Hotel to Northwest Operating, Inc., a hotel operator. The lease was for a term of 10 years, commencing January 1,1948. The rental provided for the hotel was a minimum monthly rental of $1,800, together with 25 per cent of the gross income derived from hotel operations in excess of $7,200 per month. With respect to the store space in the building, the lease provided a minimum monthly rental of $500, together with 75 per cent of the gross income derived from its sub-rental. Northwest Operating, Inc., simultaneously purchased from petitioner the furniture and equipment in the Savoy Hotel for the price of $60,000. Petitioner simultaneously assigned to Northwest Operating, Inc., its lessor’s interest in a 5-year lease of a certain storeroom and its lessor’s interest in month-to-month tenancies of certain other storerooms, all located in Seattle, Washington. Neither the grantors nor any of the trustees of petitioner had or have any interest in Northwest Operating, Inc. The sale price of the furniture and fixtures and the rental agreement for the hotel property were reasonable.

The other business operated by petitioner during the years at issue in the prior case involved three retail candy shops. One of these was acquired on September 10,1943, for $1,514.75, another on September 22, 1943, for $875, and a third on January 31, 1944, for $1,500. The total sales of the candy shops from 1943 through 1947 were $329,233.95, net sales $158,689.10, and expenses $106,435.75. The total net profit from the operation for the same period was $52,650.44. The candy stores were operated in 1948 with net sales of $22,666.95 and a net profit of $1,884.29. Each candy shop was adjacent to a theater owned or managed by Sterling Theatres, Inc. Jessie managed the three candy shops without pay because she wanted to make a contribution in that fashion to the acquisition of funds for petitioner.

The candy shops were all sold by the Trust in June 1949.

No amendments were made to the trust agreement creating the Trust during the years involved in the prior case. However, two amendments were made during the period here involved. On June 15,1948, an amendment provided that “[n]o funds of these trusts may be loaned directly or indirectly to grantors or either of them.” In fact, neither prior to that amendment nor subsequent thereto have any of the funds of the Trust been loaned directly or indirectly to the grantors. On March 21,1949, a further amendment was made to the trust agreement adding the Seattle Trust & Savings Bank, a national banking corporation of Seattle, Washington, as a fourth trustee of petitioner. This amendment stated that none of the powers of the trustees of petitioner shall be exercised except with the affirmative approval of the Seattle Trust & Savings Bank or unless the bank is one of the trustees voting in favor of the action.

John, William, and Fred had served as trustees of petitioner from the time of its inception until March 21,1949, at which time the Seattle Trust & Savings Bank was added as trustee by the second amendment described above. These four trustees served until May 21,1952, when Albert D. Walderon was elected as an additional trustee in place of William, who resigned. Petitioner has paid no compensation to any of the trustees with the exception of the Seattle Trust & Savings Bank which received compensation in accordance with its usual fee schedule for acting as trustee of trusts of this type. J ohn and J essie are not stockholders, directors, officers, or otherwise interested in Seattle Trust & Savings Bank.

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John Danz Charitable Trust v. Commissioner
32 T.C. 469 (U.S. Tax Court, 1959)

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Bluebook (online)
32 T.C. 469, 1959 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 157, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/john-danz-charitable-trust-v-commissioner-tax-1959.