Sharpe v. Commissioner

3 T.C. 612, 1944 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 147
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 14, 1944
DocketDocket No. 112179
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 3 T.C. 612 (Sharpe 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
Sharpe v. Commissioner, 3 T.C. 612, 1944 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 147 (tax 1944).

Opinion

OPINION.

Mellott, Judge-.

The provisions of the revenue act and of the regulations applicable to the first issue are shown in the margin.4

Petitioner, pointing out that the statute recognizes a transfer may be made either to a corporation meeting the specified tests or to a trustee meeting somewhat the same but neverthless different tests, divides its argument into two parts. Its major contention, or in any event the one discussed at greater length upon brief, is that the decedent, in effect, created two successive trusteeships — one (Union Trust Co.) being “an investing trustee” and the other (the committee) being “a spending trustee.” In this view it contends it is entitled to the claimed deduction, regardless of what might be the nature of the activities of the United Committee. It argues, however, that the evidence establishes the corporation named as beneficiary of the trust possesses all of the characteristics specified in the first subdivision of the statute and that the deduction should be allowed even if its theory that the committee was a mere spending trustee be found to be untenable.

Respondent insists that his determination should be upheld. He argues that the evidence conclusively shows the committee was not organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes and that a substantial part of its activities consisted of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; that it was the beneficiary of the gift made by decedent and could expend the funds in any way it saw fit; that its purpose was “to assist in all proper ways to establish * * * [the principles espoused by Henry George] in practical operation of law;” that some of the ways determined by it to be proper included propaganda, attempts to influence legislation, and the carrying on of political activities in an effort “to effect a change in the existing tax system”; and that the gift was clearly outside of the purview and intent of the statute.

The parties base a substantial part of their argument upon evidence of doubtful pertinency or value — reports of the committee for the years 1935 and 1936. Respondent quotes at length from one of them to show that the committee, by its own statement, had been enabled to carry out “with the revenue from donations and contributions to the Land & Liberty [magazine published by the committee] Sustentation Fund * * * the special propaganda, notably on the municipal campaign and the General Election, as explained in this report.” Petitioner points out that the same report shows it has carried on its work “as a purely non-party educational association, making opinion as it can through the financial means placed at its disposition by voluntary contribution”; that it has been appointed as trustee of the “Henry George Foundation of Great Britain” and as such has, as required by the deed of trust of a named contributor (not this decedent), complied with the provisions requiring that the fund “be used only for the publication, advertizing and circulating of the works of Henry George and kindred literature offered for sale and not * * * for subsidizing any other form of work”; and that the funds of the foundation “are kept entirely distinct from those of the United Committee.” This, it insists, supports its contention it was merely “a-spending trustee,” supervising and administering the charitable trust, represented by the funds being and to be turned over to it by the “investing trustee.” Respondent also points out that at least in 1935 and 1936 substantial amounts, as shown in our findings, were expended by the committee for “general propaganda” and in connection with “municipal campaign” and “general election.”

In our judgment the statements contained in the reports, even though brought onto the record by the stipulation of the parties, can not be made the basis of decision in the instant case. Even if we ignore the hearsay feature, the action of the committee in years prior to the transfer by the decedent is not determinative of the use to which the funds contributed by the decedent will be put. Nor can we find anything in the present record which would justify us in concluding that the set-tlor intended that the gift, when received by the committee, would be held by it in trust for the foundation referred to in the reports or for any other limited use. In reaching this conclusion we have not failed to take into consideration the well established principles applicable to charitable trusts, as carefully and, on the whole, accurately set out in petitioner’s brief. Briefly they are — whether tested by the laws of New Jersey, decedent’s domicile, by the laws of Pennsylvania, where the trust was accepted,5 or by the laws of England, where the committee has it principal office and conducts its activities — that charitable trusts are favored b.y the law and by the courts, will not be permitted to fail for want of a trustee, will be construed to effectuate the will of the settlor no matter how ineptly expressed, and will be enforced by the courts in an action prosecuted by the proper officer in the name of the sovereign. To these may be added, as suggested by petitioner, it is not necessary for the creation of a charitable trust that the donee be specifically described as a trustee or that the gift be specifically characterized a trust, if from the whole instrument it clearly appears that a charitable trust was intended to be created, and the trustee may be either a private person or a corporation.

Most of the cases cited by petitioner from the three jurisdictions merely exemplify one or more of the general principles briefly alluded to. The differences, if any, in the law of the three jurisdictions seem to be so few and insignificant that we need not pause to determine which is applicable. On this phase of the case it should be kept in mind that we are not now considering the question presented to the courts in most of the cases cited by petitioner. Thus, in George v. Braddock, 45 N. J. Eq. 757; 18 Atl. 881, it was perfectly clear from the language of the will that the property had been bequeathed in trust — “in sacred trust,” said the proviso — for the express purpose of “spreading the light” on social and political liberty as taught by Henry George. The vice-chancellor held that the trust should not be enforced as a charitable trust because the doctrine was “antagonistic to the purpose” for which courts had been created. The Court of Errors and Appeals characterized the holding as one declaring that a court will not lend its aid “to the agitation of the question whether the laws which it is in the habit of executing have or have not any better foundation than wrong and injustice.” It held the true test to be whether the writings to be circulated, “when considered with respect to their purpose and general tendency, [were] hostile to religion, to law, or to morals” and, applying that test, upheld the trust as a valid charitable one.

In In re Mears Estate, 299 Pa. 217; 149 Atl. 157, a bequest had been made to Harvard University to be used in teaching eugenics. Harvard refused to accept the bequest and the question presented to the Supreme Court was whether its declination effected a nullification of the wishes of the testator and ended the trust. Pointing out that the settlor had been “definite as to the means by which his charitable purposes may be carried out, and equally plain as to the objects of the charity,” the court applied the principle that “if one trust agency fails the courts will supply another.”

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Sharpe v. Commissioner
3 T.C. 612 (U.S. Tax Court, 1944)

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Bluebook (online)
3 T.C. 612, 1944 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sharpe-v-commissioner-tax-1944.