Kornfeld v. Commissioner

1996 T.C. Memo. 472, 72 T.C.M. 1062, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 490
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 22, 1996
DocketDocket No. 13169-95.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1996 T.C. Memo. 472 (Kornfeld 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
Kornfeld v. Commissioner, 1996 T.C. Memo. 472, 72 T.C.M. 1062, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 490 (tax 1996).

Opinion

JULIAN P. KORNFELD, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Kornfeld v. Commissioner
Docket No. 13169-95.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1996-472; 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 490; 72 T.C.M. (CCH) 1062;
October 22, 1996 Filed

*490 Decision will be entered for respondent.

Julian P. Kornfeld, pro se.
Clarke L. Randall, for petitioner.
Elizabeth Downs, for respondent.
TANNENWALD Judge

TANNENWALD

MEMORANDUM OPINION

TANNENWALD, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner's Federal income taxes for the taxable years 1990 and 1991 in the amounts of $ 11,803.00 and $ 13,122.00, respectively. The sole issue for decision is whether petitioner*491 is entitled to amortize the cost of acquiring a life interest in tax-exempt bonds where others simultaneously acquired the remaining interests.

The case was submitted fully stipulated under Rule 122. 1 All of the stipulated facts, including those contained in the attached exhibits, are found accordingly.

Petitioner resided in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at all relevant times, including the time when he filed his petition herein. He filed timely individual income tax returns for 1990 and 1991.

Petitioner is an experienced lawyer, particularly in the fields of business and tax law. 2 He has two daughters, Meredith Kornfeld (Meredith) and Nancy Kornfeld (Nancy), both of whom were adults and college graduates at all relevant times. At those times, petitioner also had a long-time secretary and administratuve assistant, Patsy D. Permenter (Permenter), *492 who was also an adult at such times and not otherwise related to petitioner.

Petitioner, acting through a revocable trust of which he and Permenter were *493 trustees, entered into agreements entitled Joint Purchases of Life Estates and Remainder Interests pursuant to which the parties would identify securities to be acquired in which petitioner would have a life estate and the other parties would have interests as indicated by the following:

(1) May 1, 1989, agreement - remainder interests in Meredith and Nancy;

(2) June 19, 1989, agreement - remainder interest in Nancy;

(3) October 31, 1989, agreement - secondary life interest in Nancy and remainder interest in Permenter;

(4) June 15, 1990, agreement - secondary life interest in Nancy and remainder interest in Permenter.

All of the agreements provided that the parties would identify securities for joint investment by executing an agreed form designated by the parties as Exhibit A, that each would pay a proportionate share of the purchase price of the joint investments and that the disposition of any such investments could be made only upon the direction of all parties.

The bonds purchased were tax-exempt bonds and were acquired from unknown third parties through Prudential Bache Securities (Prudential Bache) or from Prudential Bache's own inventory of bonds. Prudential Bache confirmed*494 each purchase involved herein by a confirmation slip addressed to the Julian P. Kornfeld Life Estate, with an Oklahoma City address.

After the purchases, but before the closing dates, petitioner would calculate the value of the respective interests in the bonds that he and the other parties were acquiring. The Exhibits A executed by the parties were dated the same day as the Prudential Bache confirmations. Petitioner's calculations were based upon the actuarial values published by the Internal Revenue Service. The allocations reflected in such calculations are not disputed by respondent.

Based upon the aforesaid calculations, petitioner would furnish Nancy, Meredith, and Permenter with the amounts indicated as their share of the purchase price. This would be accomplished either by check or wire transfer to the respective bank accounts before the closing date of the purchase. During the years in issue, Nancy's bank account was in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Meredith's bank account was in Los Angeles, California, and Permenter's in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

With respect to every purchase, the amounts furnished by petitioner were deposited in the bank accounts. Thereafter, and before the*495 closing dates, Nancy, Meredith, and Permenter issued their separate checks to Prudential Bache in the amounts reflected in petitioner's calculations as allocable to the interest each was acquiring. The monthly statements of Prudential Bache for the Julian P. Kornfeld Life Estate indicated the separate receipt of funds from petitioner, Meredith, Nancy, and Permenter.

Neither Meredith, Nancy, nor Permenter was under any legal obligation to utilize the funds received from petitioner to acquire their interests in the purchased bonds. However, they and petitioner intended that the funds would be so used.

Annexed hereto as Exhibit 1 is a schedule reflecting the date and amount of each bond purchase involved herein, the closing date of Prudential Bache, dates of petitioner's gifts 3 to the other parties, and the dates of payments by petitioner and the other parties.

*496 Petitioner furnished Nancy, Meredith, and Permenter with funds in rounded amounts equal to the payments they made to Prudential Bache. Neither Nancy, Meredith, nor Permenter expended any amount in excess of the funds so furnished to make any part of such payments.

Petitioner filed gift tax returns reflecting the gifts to Nancy, Meredith, and Permenter but paid no tax on account of the unified credit. See sec. 2505. Petitioner reported no other gifts to Meredith, Nancy, or Permenter during the years at issue.

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Bluebook (online)
1996 T.C. Memo. 472, 72 T.C.M. 1062, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 490, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kornfeld-v-commissioner-tax-1996.