Kane v. Commissioner

11 T.C. 74, 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 122
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 21, 1948
DocketDocket No. 15833
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 11 T.C. 74 (Kane 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
Kane v. Commissioner, 11 T.C. 74, 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 122 (tax 1948).

Opinion

OPINION.

Black, Judge:

This proceeding involves a deficiency of $8,098.03 in income tax determined by the respondent against petitioner for the taxable year ended December 31,1945.

The deficiency is the result of a single adjustment made by the respondent to the net income as disclosed by petitioner’s amended return. In a statement attached to the deficiency notice the respondent labels this adjustment “(a) Community property adjustment $13,-013.55” and explains it as follows:

(a) During the taxable year, and subsequent to July 26, 1945, your wife, Marie Foster Kane, received distributions from H. V. Foster Trust and the Estate of H. V. Foster, of $21,600.00 and $4,427.10, respectively, or a total of $26,027.10. It has been determined that under the Oklahoma Community Property Law passed in 1945 which was held to be effective for Federal income tax purposes as of July 26,1945, 50% of the $26,027.10 in question, or $13,013.55, was taxable to you as community property income. Inasmuch as you reported no income from this source, the net income as disclosed by your amended return has been increased by an adjustment of $13,013.55.

Petitioner, by appropriate assignments of error, contests the above adjustment.

The facts have been stipulated and we summarize them as follows :

Petitioner is and was at all times during the year 1945 a married man, living with his wife, Marie Foster Kane, and domiciled in the State of Oklahoma. His income tax return for the taxable year ended December 31,1945, was filed with the collector of internal revenue for the district of Oklahoma at his office in Oklahoma City.

During the year 1945 Marie Foster Kane was a beneficiary under a trust created by her father, Henry Vernon Foster, on May 6, 1932. She was also the beneficiary of a testamentary trust created by the will of her father, who died a resident of the State of Oklahoma on June 5, 1939.

The trust agreement dated May 6, 1932, provides, among other things, as follows:

Whereas, the Donor has assigned, transferred and delivered to the Trustees the property described in the schedule hereto attached * * *
Now * * * it is agreed that the Trustees shall hold and administer said property * * * in trust for the uses and purposes and upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth:
First: Out of the income derived by the Trustees from the property at any time comprising the Trust Estate, the Trustees shall first pay all the necessary costs and expenses of this trust, including their own reasonable compensation. The rest of the income (herein called Net Income) shall be paid to the beneficiaries from time to time entitled to receive the same in quarterly instalments, except as may be directed otherwise pursuant to this agreement. The Trustees shall render to each beneficiary receiving income hereunder semi-annual statements of account showing the condition of the Trust Estate.
Second: The Trustees shall pay the Net Income derived from the Trust Estate as follows:
(a) Three-fifths (%) to Marie Dahlgren Foster, wife of the Donor, during her lifetime:
(b) One-fifth (%) of the Net Income, and after the death of the Donor’s wife, one-half (%) of the entire Net Income; to Ruth Foster Doornbos, daughter of the Donor, during her lifetime:
(c) One-fifth (%) of the Net Income, and after the death of the Donor’s wife, one-half (%) of the entire Net Income to Marie Dahlgren Foster, daughter of the Donor, during her lifetime.
*******
Sixth: * * *
(b) This agreement and the Trust thereby created are irrevocable.

On April 10,1935, Henry Vernon Foster signed, published and declared his last will and testament, consisting of 12 typewritten pages, the material provisions of which are as follows:

Third: I give, devise and bequeath all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate * * * to Marie Dahlgren Foster, my wife, and Washington Trust Company, a banking corporation, * * * hereinafter called the Trustees, in trust, to have and to hold the same upon the trusts and for the uses and purposes hereinafter expressed, that is to say:
*******

II. The Trustees shall pay the Net Income derived from the Trust Estate as follows:

(a) Three-fifths (%) to Marie Dahlgren Foster, my wife, during her lifetime.
(b) One-fifth (%) of the Net Income, and after the death of my wife one-half (y2) of the entire Net Income, to Ruth Foster Doornbos, my daughter, during her lifetime;
(c) One-fifth (%) of the Net Income, and after the death of my wife one-half (Ya) of the entire Net Income, to Marie Dahlgren Kane, my daughter, during her lifetime.

Marie Foster Kane, Marie Dahlgren Foster (mentioned in the 1932 trust), and Marie Dahlgren Kane (mentioned in the will of Henry Vernon Foster) are one and the same person and will hereinafter sometimes be referred to as petitioner’s wife.

The property described in the schedule attached to the 1932 trust consisted of 92,000 shares of “B” stock of Foster Petroleum Corporation.

During the year 1945 and subsequent to July 26, 1945, petitioner’s wife received from the May 6,1932, trust $21,600 and during the same period she received from the estate of Henry Vernon Foster $4,427.10, which amounts she included in her original income tax return for 1945.

The respondent has held that the respective amounts totaling $26,027.10 constituted community income under the laws of Oklahoma and has included in petitioner’s income for 1945 one-half of this amount, or $13,013.55, and determined the above mentioned deficiency accordingly.

The only question presented for our determination is whether the respective amounts totaling $26,027.10 constitute community income under the laws of the State of Oklahoma or whether these amounts were the separate income of petitioner’s wife.

Whether income is community property or separate property depends upon state law. See Poe v. Seaborn, 282 U. S. 101, as to the State of Washington; Goodell v. Koch, 282 U. S. 118, as to the State of Arizona; Hopkins v. Bacon, 282 U. S. 122, as to the State of Texas; and Bender v. Pfaff, 282 U. S. 127, as to the State of Louisiana.

In 1939 Oklahoma enacted a community property law providing that spouses domiciled in that state had the option to “elect” to have their marital property governed by its provisions. In C. C. Harmon, 1 T. C.

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Related

Allen v. Commissioner
22 T.C. 70 (U.S. Tax Court, 1954)
Sanders v. Commissioner
21 T.C. 1012 (U.S. Tax Court, 1954)
Estate of Charles B. Longcor v. Commissioner
13 T.C.M. 73 (U.S. Tax Court, 1954)
Ward v. Commissioner
11 T.C.M. 340 (U.S. Tax Court, 1952)
Young v. Commissioner
11 T.C.M. 239 (U.S. Tax Court, 1952)
Roth v. Commissioner
17 T.C. 1450 (U.S. Tax Court, 1952)
Sutor v. Commissioner
17 T.C. 64 (U.S. Tax Court, 1951)
Kane v. Commissioner
11 T.C. 74 (U.S. Tax Court, 1948)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 T.C. 74, 1948 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kane-v-commissioner-tax-1948.