Lonsdale v. Commissioner

42 B.T.A. 847, 1940 BTA LEXIS 954
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedSeptember 27, 1940
DocketDocket No. 97450.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 42 B.T.A. 847 (Lonsdale v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lonsdale v. Commissioner, 42 B.T.A. 847, 1940 BTA LEXIS 954 (bta 1940).

Opinion

OPINION.

Arnold :

This proceeding involves an income tax deficiency for 1936 of $2,011.75, of which $1,567.43 is in controversy. The sole issue is whether capital gains realized by two trusts created by petitioner are taxable to her under section 167 of the Revenue Act of 1936. The parties filed a written stipulation of facts which we adopt as our findings of fact, and hereinafter set forth the portions thereof deemed pertinent to the issue.

The petitioner resided during the taxable year in Kansas City, Missouri.

On or about June 28, 1934, petitioner executed and' delivered two substantially identical trust indentures, one of which named Alfred Lonsdale, a brother of her deceased husband, as beneficiary and the other named Alice Bag'ley Mulford as beneficiary. The two trusts will hereinafter be referred to as the Lonsdale trust and the Mulford trust. By the indentures she conveyed certain shares of corporate stock to her son, Charles W. Lonsdale, Jr., in trust, to pay a stated annual amount out of the net income of each trust to the beneficiary named therein; any excess net income was to be paid to petitioner, or, if petitioner was deceased, as otherwise specified in the trust instruments, which dispositions are not here material.

The shares transferred were 50 shares of the preferred stock of the Diamond Match Co. and 100 shares of the common stock of the Ameri[848]*848can Telephone & Telegraph Co. to the Lonsdale trust, and 300 shares of the common stock of Campania Swift Internacional and 100 shares of the common stock of the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. to the Midford trust. Alfred Lonsdale was to receive up to, but not in excess of $936 per year as long as he lived; Alice Bagley Mulford was to receive up to, but not in excess of $1,500 per year during her lifetime. Each trust was to terminate upon the death of the named beneficiary, at which time the trust corpus was to be paid over and distributed to petitioner if she were still living, or, if not living, to such person or persons as she provided for in her will, and in the absence of any testamentary disposition, to her residuary legatee, or, if petitioner died intestate, to her heirs at law in accordance with the state statutes.

The trustee had no interest in the corpus of either trust except as trustee, but he was clothed with broad powers by the indentures in handling, managing, and controlling the corpus of each trust. He was authorized to sell all or any part of the trust assets, invest and reinvest the proceeds in such securities or investments as he, in his absolute discretion, should deem proper, and generally was authorized to exercise in respect of all securities held by him all the rights and powers usually available to persons owning such property in their own right. He was empowered to use either principal or income for the benefit of the trust estate. He was authorized to determine “whether accretions to the trust estate shall be treated as principal or income”, except that stock dividends and stock purchase rights should become a part of the principal of the trust estate. It does not appear that any part of the capital gains were from the sale of stock dividends or stock purchase rights. He could determine, in his discretion, whether receipts of money or other property should be treated as principal or income, and whether disbursements should be chargeable to principal or income. All decisions made by him, in good faith, were to be final and conclusive upon all parties in interest. Specific powers were granted the trustee with respect to any real property, or interest therein which might become a part of the trust corpus. The petitioner by an instrument in writing could appoint a successor trustee if any trustee died or resigned or a vacancy otherwise resulted. The petitioner, with the consent of the trustee, could increase the trust corpus at any time. The net income of the trust estate was defined as “the income left after deducting all charges, disbursements and expenditures authorized hereunder or by law in connection with the administration of the trust estate, including a reasonable compensation to the Trustee for his services, provided the Trustee has, in his discretion, charged these items to income instead of principal, as hereinabove set out.” The whole legal and equitable title to the trust corpus was vested solely and absolutely in the trustee and no interest whatever [849]*849was to be vested in tbe beneficiary. Tbe beneficiaries were specifically prohibited from disposing of their interest in any manner, and their creditors were prohibited from recovering therefrom. The petitioner grantor specifically renounced any power of revocation and any right to change, alter, or modify either trust.

During 1936 the trustee sold certain capital assets of the Lonsdale trust and realized a capital gain under section 117 of the Revenue Act of 1936 in the sum of $3,413.84.

During 1936 the ordinary income of the Lonsdale trust was $1,137 and the trustee thereof distributed to Alfred Lonsdale the sum of $936 in cash; he also distributed $201 to petitioner, who concedes that such distribution constitutes taxable income to her.

During 1936 the trustee sold certain capital assets of the Mulford trust and realized capital gain under section 117 of the Revenue Act of 1936 in the sum of $1,032.49.

During 1936 the ordinary income of the Mulford trust was $1,-445.84 and the trustee distributed to Alice Bagley Mulford the sum of $1,500 in cash. No distribution was made by the Mulford trust to petitioner during 1936.

After the distributions aforementioned there were excesses of trust income of $3,413.84 in the Lonsdale trust and $963.33 in the Mulford trust. The trustee reported the trust income in each instance on Form 1040, and paid the tax due from the Lonsdale trust. No tax was due from the Mulford trust because of the personal exemption.

Subsequently the respondent determined that said amounts of $3,-413.84 and $963.33 constituted taxable income to this petitioner, and as to the Lonsdale trust he determined an overassessment because of the elimination of said sum from the taxable income of the trust.

It is apparent from the stipulated facts that the trustee distributed all of the ordinary income of both trusts, and a portion of the capital gain of the Mulford trust. No dispute exists as to petitioner’s tax liability with respect to the ordinary income distributed to her. The question is whether the capital gains should be considered excess net income of the trusts and taxable to petitioner. In this connection respondent points out that at least $54.16 of the capital gain realized by the Mulford trust was considered distributable net income by the trustee and used to complete the $1,500 paid to Alice Bagley Mulford under the terms of the trust indenture. Respondent contends, therefore, that the capital gains could have been distributed during 1936 to the grantor, and that such capital gains remained distributable to her in the future, which under section 167 (a) (1) and (2) of the Revenue Act of 1936, made such gains taxable income to the petitioner.

[850]*850Section 167 (a) (1) and (2) provide as follows:

SEC. 167. INCOME FOR BENEFIT OF GRANTOR.
(a) Where any part of the income of a trust—

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Related

Lonsdale v. Commissioner
42 B.T.A. 847 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
42 B.T.A. 847, 1940 BTA LEXIS 954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lonsdale-v-commissioner-bta-1940.