Sheaffer v. Commissioner

37 T.C. 99, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 40
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedOctober 31, 1961
DocketDocket No. 84269
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 37 T.C. 99 (Sheaffer 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
Sheaffer v. Commissioner, 37 T.C. 99, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 40 (tax 1961).

Opinion

OPINION.

ÁRUndell, Judge:

Eespondent determined deficiencies in income tax for the calendar years 1954 and 1955 in the amounts of $125,910.80 and $84,683.81, respectively.

The only issue remaining is whether the respondent erred in determining that in the calendar years 1954 and 1955 petitioners realized income in the amounts of $140,000 and $115,500, respectively, “on the theory that such income, which was earned by the trusts created by petitioner Virginia D. Sheaffer under a Trust Agreement dated February 2,1954, was applied by the trustee thereof as partial payment of an alleged legal obligation of the taxpayers.” (Petition)

Another issue relating to a dividend-received credit under section 34 of the Internal Eevenue Code of 1954 has been conceded by the respondent and effect will be given to this concession in any recom-putation to be made under Eule 50.

We find the facts as stipulated and set forth only those deemed necessary in reaching our decision.

Petitioners are husband and wife residing at High Point, Fort Madison, Iowa. They filed joint Federal income tax returns for the taxable years 1954 and 1955 with the district director of internal revenue, Des Moines, Iowa.

On February 2, 1954, petitioner, Virginia D. Sheaffer (hereinafter sometimes called Virginia), entered into an agreement as settlor with Harris Trust and Savings Bank, of Chicago, Illinois, as trustee, wherein she created four separate trusts, one for the benefit of each of her four children. The agreement allocated the corpus of the trust estate to the aforesaid trusts in the proportions of 2¾0, 2¾0, !%0, and 10/70, respectively.

Upon the execution of the trust agreement, Virginia assigned and delivered to the trustee certificates totaling 70,000 shares' of the common stock of W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company, to be divided among the four trusts in the proportions stated above. On December 31, 1955, the trustee held those identical certificates, i.e., none having been disposed of except that the shares were deposited by the trustee as collateral security for the loan referred to later in this Opinion.

Section I of the trust agreement reads as follows:

The trustee agrees that, to the full extent of the value of the corpus of the trust estate and the income therefrom, it will assume and pay all federal and state gift taxes (including all penalties and interest thereon, if any) which shall or may be assessed or become due from any one by reason of the transfer, assign-meat and delivery to it of the property listed in Schedule A or by reason of the creation of the trust estate hereunder; and, notwithstanding any other provision herein, the trustee agrees to assume, and to indemnify and hold all persons whomsoever harmless against and from, any obligation or liability whatsoever which they, or any of them, shall or may have for the payment of such taxes or for the reimbursement of, or contribution to, the trustee or any person whomsoever on account of the payment of such taxes. The trustee is authorized and agrees to obtain a loan in an amount sufficient to pay all such taxes and to pledge or otherwise to apply such part or all of the corpus and income of the trust estate, and to take such other action, as shall be required or deemed advisable by the trustee in order to secure the loan. The trustee agrees to apply the proceeds of such loan in payment of such taxes.

On or about March 11, 1955, the Harris Trust and Savings Bank, the trustee of said trusts, prepared a gift tax return for Virginia with respect to the aforesaid gifts of stock to the trusts. The said return was signed by Virginia as donor; and petitioner Craig B. Sheaffer (hereinafter sometimes called Craig), as her husband, signed the consent appearing thereon to have the gifts made by them during the calendar year considered as having been made one-half by each of them.

Pursuant to the requirements of the trust agreement, the trustee filed the gift tax return on March 14, 1955, with the district director of internal revenue, Des Moines, Iowa. The amount of gift tax shown on the return was $167,559.64. At the time that it filed the return, the trustee paid the gift tax with its own check in the aforesaid amount drawn on the trust account.

On the same date that the trustee prepared the aforesaid gift tax return for Virginia, it prepared a gift tax return for Craig with respect to the aforesaid gifts of stock to the trusts. The return was signed by Craig as donor, and Virginia, as his wife, signed the consent appearing thereon to have the gifts by them during the calendar year considered as having been made one-half by each of them. Pursuant to the requirements of the trust agreement, the trustee filed the gift tax return for Craig on March 14,1955, with the district director of internal revenue, Des Moines, Iowa. The amount of gift tax shown on the return was $159,747.40. At the time that it filed the return, the trustee paid the gift tax with its own check in the aforesaid amount drawn on the trust account.

On or about March 7, 1955, the trustee executed and filed with the district director of internal revenue, Des Moines, Iowa, trustee’s information returns with respect to the aforesaid gifts of stock to each separate trust.

The gift taxes paid by the trustee on filing the aforesaid gift tax returns in the total amount of $327,307.04, were charged to the respective trusts in the proportions of 2⅝0,2⅝0,1%0, and 10/70 pursuant to provisions of the trust agreement.

At the time the trustee paid the aforesaid gift taxes totaling $327,-307.04, it had received income aggregating $188,607.04 for the accounts of the four trusts. Pursuant to the provisions of the trust agreement, the trustee borrowed $138,700 for the four trusts on the security of the trust assets, charging the trusts with their respective amounts thereof in the proportions stated above. The payment of the aforesaid gift taxes was thereafter made with the total of the borrowed funds and of the accumulated income then on hand.

In the gift tax return of Virginia (Schedule A), the market value of the 70,000 shares of W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company stock was reported at $24.50 per share on the date of the gift, or a total of $1,715,-000. From this amount Virginia deducted the total gift taxes of $327,307.04 paid by the trustee, leaving $1,387,692.96 as the “Value at date of gift,” to which was added $9,500 of other gifts made by Virginia during 1954, thus bringing the “Total gifts of donor” for 1954 up to $1,397,192.96.

In the gift tax return of Craig (Schedule A), Craig reported “Total gifts of donor” for 1954 of $6,000 to his wife, Virginia.

Schedule A of both returns then continued thus:

Virginia Craig
(a) Total gifts of donor-$1, 397,192. 96 $6, 000. 00
(b) Less portion [½ of (a)] * * ⅜ 698, 596.48 -0-
(e) Balance _ 698, 596.48 6, 000.00
(d) Gifts of spouse [Item (b)] ⅜ * * -0-698, 596.48
(e) Total gifts for year-698, 596.48 704, 596.48
(f) Less total exclusions ⅜ ⅜ ⅜-4, 750. 00 7, 750. 00

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Sheaffer v. Commissioner
37 T.C. 99 (U.S. Tax Court, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
37 T.C. 99, 1961 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 40, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheaffer-v-commissioner-tax-1961.