Jones v. Commissioner

40 T.C. 249, 1963 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 131
United States Tax Court·Decided May 9, 1963·No. Docket No. 94347·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Scott, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ income tax for the calendar years 1957 and 1959 in the amounts of $1,981.28 and $1,286.23, respectively.

The issues for decision are:

(1) Whether the gain realized by petitioners upon the transfer of a remainder interest in each of two trusts after the death of the life tenant but prior to distribution, constitutes ordinary income or long-term capital gain.

(2) Whether the net cost of insurance premiums paid by petitioners on an insurance policy insuring the life of the remainderman of each trust until after the death of the life tenant is to be added to the cost to petitioners of the remainder interest in determining the adjusted basis of such interest.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Most of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Petitioners, Donald B. Jones and Beverley Y. Jones, husband and wife residing in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., filed joint Federal income tax returns for each of the years 1957 and 1959, on the cash basis of accounting, with the district director of internal revenue at Newark, N.J.

Donald B. Jones (hereinafter referred to as petitioner) is an attorney at law of the State of New Jersey, practicing in Newark. From time to time since 1949 petitioner has purchased remainder interests in trusts. Generally, after the death of the life tenant but prior to the distribution of the estate remainder of the trust, petitioner transfers his interest therein. Petitioner’s primary purpose in making such transfers is to achieve capital gains treatment for income tax purposes.

The two remainder interests with which the issue in this case is concerned are an interest in a trust established under the will of George H. Gardiner (hereinafter referred to as the Gardiner trust) and an interest established in an inter vivos trust of Manya L. Mosessohn (hereinafter refered to as the Mosessohn trust).

George IT. Gardiner died on December 10,1936, leaving a will, probated in the Surrogate’s Court of Kings County, Brooklyn, N.Y., on December 28,1936. George H. Gardiner was survived by his widow, Margaret B. Gardiner, and his brother, William W. Gardiner. William died in 1942, survived by his daughter, Mildred G. Engstrom Heeney (hereinafter referred to as Mildred Heeney). Article 8 of George H. Gardiner’s will directed that the residue of his estate be placed in trust and that the income be paid to his wife, Margaret B. Gardiner, annually during her lifetime, plus such portions of the principal as would guarantee a minimum annual income therein stated, and upon the death of Margaret B. Gardiner the trustees were directed to distribute nine-twentieths of the principal of the trust fund to the testator’s brother, William W. Gardiner, or “if ’he then be dead to his descendants then living.”

After the death of her father Mildred Heeney made various sales of portions of her interest in the Gardiner trust. One of the sales was an assignment dated December 23, 1952, from Mildred Heeney to Harry Sanger of a $20,000 interest, which assignment recited that it was made free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances, advances, or assignments, except seven prior assignments listed therein, three of which were for a one-eighth interest in Mildred Heeney’s share of the Gardiner trust, two for a one-sixteenth interest, one for a one-eightieth interest, and one for a two-eightieths interest.

Harry Sanger (hereinafter referred to as Sanger) is a dealer in estate interests of heirs and beneficiaries of trusts. He has been engaged in this business for more than 25 years. He has bought and sold remainder estates consisting of vested remainders as well as remainder estates which are contingent remainders. The clientele to whom Sanger sells remainder interests is limited to persons who are willing to take a gamble with some of their capital. Sanger has never sold a remainder interest after the death of a life tenant. Sanger only buys remainder interests in trusts or estates where the life tenant is 60 to 65 years of age.

On January 14, 1953, Sanger transferred a $10,000 undivided interest in the Gardiner trust to petitioner for the sum of $8,500. At the time Sanger purchased the remainder interest from Mildred Heeney he had taken out a life insurance policy on Mildred Heeney’s life since under the provisions of the Gardiner trust it was necessary that Mildred Heeney be living at the date of death of the life tenant in order for her remainder interest to vest in her. At the time petitioner purchased the $10,000 interest in the Gardiner trust from Sanger, he also purchased from Sanger, Sanger’s interest in an ordinary life insurance policy in the amount of $6,000 issued to Sanger on the life of Mildred Heeney by the Continental Assurance Co. on January 9, 1953. Petitioner paid Sanger the amount of the first annual premium for the purchase of the policy and paid subsequent annual premiums directly to the issuing company. The policy contained 2-year suicide and contestable clauses. When petitioner purchased the interest in the Gardiner trust on J anuary 14, 1953, he was not able to establish the exact age of the life tenant, Margaret B. Gardiner, but believed that as of that time she was somewhere between 65 and 75 years old.

Margaret B. Gardiner died on April 15, 1957. A death certificate for her states her date of birth as December 4, 1880. On April 18, 1957, petitioner received information that Margaret B. Gardiner, the life tenant of the Gardiner trust, died on April 15,1957, and addressed a letter to the Guaranty Trust Co. of New York, the trustee of this trust, in which he stated that he carried life insurance on the life of the remainderman which could be canceled upon the death of the life tenant and requested verification of the death of the life tenant. On petitioner’s office copy of this letter he caused to be typed the following note:

NOTE: I have this clay been advised by Harry Sanger that the life tenant, Margaret B. Gardiner, died in Nassau County on Monday, April 15, 1957.
After verification of this fact with the Trustee, send in the life insurance policy for cancellation and return of cash value etc. and then make arrangements with someone to purchase this estate.
D.B.J.

Under date of April 22, 1957, petitioner wrote the following letter to Walter Martin (hereinafter referred to as Martin) of New York City:

I have a $10,000 interest in a Testamentary Trust estate. Margaret B. Gar-diner, the life tenant, died on April 10 [sic], 1957. Now that she has died, no life insurance needs to he continued and the estate should be distributed within a few months.
Would you be interested in purchasing this estate from me?

Martin wrote petitioner that he would be pleased to purchase petitioner’s interest in the Gardiner trust and would await his further advices.

On June 10, 1957, petitioner transferred his $10,000 interest in the Gardiner trust to Martin for $9,400.

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Jones v. Commissioner, 40 T.C. 249, 1963 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 131 (tax 1963).

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