Pityo v. Commissioner

70 T.C. 225, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 15, 1978
DocketDocket No. 7445-76
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 70 T.C. 225 (Pityo 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
Pityo v. Commissioner, 70 T.C. 225, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124 (tax 1978).

Opinion

Featherston, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners’ joint Federal income tax for 1972 in the amount of $151,549. As a result of concessions by petitioners, the sole issue remaining, for decision is whether petitioners are entitled to report the gain on the sale of certain securities on the installment method under section 453.1

FINDINGS OF FACT

Petitioners William D. Pityo and Patricia A. Pityo, husband and wife, were legal residents of St. Petersburg, Fla., when they filed their petition. They filed a joint Federal income tax return for 1972 with the Internal Revenue Service Center, Chamblee, Ga.2

During 1967 petitioner acquired a substantial block of common stock of Arvin Industries, Inc. (hereinafter Arvin), a public company whose stock was traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Petitioner received his Arvin stock as a result of a reorganization through which Arvin acquired a company in which petitioner theretofore owned a 20-percent interest. Thereafter, petitioner was employed as a vice president of Arvin, until 1971, when he terminated his employment due to a back injury. From 1971 to 1974 he was unemployed. After leaving Arvin, petitioner received income irom dividends on his Arvin stock and from investments in oil wells; however, during 1972 his income from these sources was insufficient to meet his expenses and obligations. During 1971 or 1972, two businesses in which petitioner had invested approximately $175,000 failed, resulting in the total loss of his investments. In connection with these investments he remained liable to banks for approximately $200,000.

During the summer of 1972, petitioner discussed his financial affairs with Grady W. Ray (Ray), a stockbroker and financial adviser. Ray realized that petitioner’s holdings of Arvin stock constituted approximately 90 percent of his assets, and that the dividend yield was very low — approximately 2 percent. Ray suggested to petitioner an installment sale of some of his Arvin stock to an irrevocable trust for the benefit of petitioner’s family. Ray explained that such a sale would provide a steady flow of income to petitioner over a period of years, would spread the income tax impact of the substantial appreciation in the stock through utilization of the installment reporting method, and would provide a trust fund for the benefit of petitioner’s family.

Ray also discussed with petitioner possible investments by the trust (in lieu of continued holding of the Arvin stock), including mutual funds, which would enable the trust to meet the periodic note payments to petitioner. In this connection he showed petitioner certain data from three different mutual funds, illustrating the potential benefits of mutual fund periodic withdrawal plans.

Under such a plan a lump sum is invested under an arrangement with the fund that the investor is thereafter to receive a regular periodic cash payment at such intervals and in such fixed amount as the investor may designate. Any dividends payable with respect to the participant’s shares are held by the fund until needed to make a regular withdrawal payment. To the extent that the withdrawal payment exceeds the amount of any such withheld dividends, the excess is paid by redemption of shares. The illustrations Ray provided petitioner, which were based upon actual market histories of the three funds over long periods of years, showed that such an investment plan could result in substantial long-term growth of capital, notwithstanding periodic withdrawals which may in total exceed the original principal amount.

Petitioner consulted with Richard Thayer (Thayer), an attorney, who recommended that petitioner proceed with the establishment of the trusts and the installment sale to the trusts. Petitioner then sought a trustee. During 1972 petitioner was a stockholder and a member of the board of directors of the Marine Bank of St. Petersburg. In early fall of 1972 petitioner discussed the proposed installment sale transaction with the president of the Marine Bank, Fred Seiber (Seiber). At that time the Marine Bank did not have trust powers, and Seiber recommended that petitioner utilize the trust department of the Flagship Bank of Tampa (hereinafter the Flagship Bank or the bank), an affiliate of the Marine Bank.

Subsequently, petitioner, Seiber, and Ray met with R. L. McCarter (McCarter), a trust officer of the Flagship Bank, to discuss the proposed transaction and petitioner’s objectives. At this meeting Ray and McCarter discussed possible reinvestment vehicles for the trust, which would enable it to make the payments on the installment note to petitioner. Ray pointed out that it was petitioner’s general concept that the trusts would sell the Arvin shares and reinvest the proceeds in mutual funds. Ray showed McCarter the mutual fund projections which he had shown petitioner, indicating the long-term potential of mutual fund periodic withdrawal plans. At the conclusion of the meeting, the bank agreed to serve as trustee for the planned trusts.

Later, McCarter and petitioner’s attorney, Thayer, discussed the proposed transaction at length, including specifically the desire of petitioner that the trustee invest in mutual funds. McCarter advised Thayer, who was to draft the trust documents, that the documents should contain some specific direction or authorization fon such investment by the trustee.

As a general rule, the bank, as trustee, would not invest trust assets in mutual funds without specific authorization in the trust instrument. In cases where the bank would receive mutual fund shares as a contribution to a trust, if it had absolute discretion, the bank preferred to dispose of them. This was in part due to a Federal Reserve policy disfavoring trust investments in mutual funds because the fees charged by mutual fund managers represent a duplication of the fees charged by the bank as trustee.

On December 13, 1972, an execution conference was held in McCarter’s office, attended by petitioner, Ray, Thayer, McCar-ter, Seiber, and another bank trust officer, Warren Kohn (Kohn). At this conference petitioner executed documents establishing five separate, but substantially identical, irrevocable trusts, one for his wife and one for each of his four children — Cameron, Johan, Tracy, and Robin. The Flagship Bank was named sole trustee of each trust, but the settlor reserved the right to remove the trustee and name another bank as a substitute.

The trusts for petitioner’s wife, Patricia, and two of his children, Cameron and Johan, provided for termination 25 years from the date of establishment, or earlier (but not before 18 years in Patricia’s trust and 22 years in the children’s trusts) in the discretion of the trustee, provided that all trust liabilities are paid. These trusts also contained the following provisions:

^ * * *
The Trustee is specifically authorized and empowered in its sole discretion:
(a) To retain any and all stocks, bonds, notes, securities, and/or other property constituting the original Trust Fund or added thereto, without liability on the part of Trustee for any decrease in value thereof.
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Pityo v. Commissioner
70 T.C. 225 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
70 T.C. 225, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pityo-v-commissioner-tax-1978.