Stewart v. Commissioner

9 T.C. 195, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 15, 1947
DocketDocket No. 9642
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 9 T.C. 195 (Stewart 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
Stewart v. Commissioner, 9 T.C. 195, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127 (tax 1947).

Opinion

OPINION.

Opper, Judge:

By the original deficiency notice a deficiency, placed in issue by this proceeding, of $608.47 in income tax for 1943, was determined against petitioner. Respondent now seeks by amended answer to increase the deficiency by $319.23. The year 1942 is also involved by reason of the provisions of the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. The questions are the taxability to petitioner of certain premiums on life insurance paid under a. separation agreement and the amount of taxable income paid under the same agreement pursuant to an assignment of trust income.

The facts have been incorporated in a stipulation, which is as follows:

I. Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr. and Anita Quinby Stewart, the petitioner, were married on January 24,1928.
2. On February 24, 1932, Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr. and Anita Quinby Stewart, petitioner, entered into a separation agreement. Attached as Exhibit “B” to the petition filed in this proceeding is a true and correct copy of said separation agreement. A true and correct copy of the will of Henry S. A. Stewart, Sr., the father of Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr., is attached to the said separation agreement (Exhibit “B” of the petition.), and is made a part hereof.
3. On April 9, 1932, Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr. and Anita Quinby Stewart, the petitioner, entered into a supplement to the said separation agreement of February 24,1932. A true and correct copy of said supplement is attached as Exhibit “0” to the petition filed in this proceeding.
4. Thereafter, the said Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr. secured a divorce from Anita Quinby Stewart, the petitioner herein.
5. During the calendar year 1942, the Fidelity Trust Company, as trustee under the will of Henry S. A. Stewart, Sr., and under the provisions of the separation agreement, Exhibit “B”, and the supplement thereto, Exhibit “C”, paid to Anita Quinby' Stewart, the petitioner, out of the income of the trust created by said will, the sum of $4,800.00 and further paid out of the income of said trust the sum of $1,514.10 to an insurance company as premiums on policies of life insurance on the life of Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr.
6. During the calendar year 1943, the. Fidelity Trust Company, as trustee under the will of Henry S. A. Stewart, Sri, and under the provisions of the separation agreement, Exhibit “B”, and the supplement thereto, Exhibit “C”, paid to Anita Quinby Stewart, the petitioner, out of the income of the trust created by said will, the sum of $4,800.00 and further paid out of the income of said trust the sum of $1,551.20 to an insurance company aS premiums on policies of life insurance on the life of Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr.
7. The policies on which the premiums were paid, as set forth in paragraphs five and six above, were issued by The Union Central Life Insurance Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 10, 1932, Policy No. 1139342, in the amount of $60,000.00 and Policy No, 1139343, in the amount of $10,000.00. At the policy anniversary nearest to age 65 of the insured, namely, March 10,1954, the amounts of the policies would be reduced to $30,000.00 and $5,000.00, respectively. Both policies named the executors, administrators, or assigns of the insured as the beneficiary thereof and reserved to the insured the right to change the beneficiary. On March 31, 1932, each policy was irrevocably assigned to- the petitioner. The manner of issuance and assignment of the insurance policies was at the insistence of the petitioner and was designed to preclude her future elimination as the beneficiary thereof.
8. The total distributable income of the testamentary trust created under the will of Henry S. A. Stewart, Sr. was $23,426.53 during the year 1942. Included in that amount was the following interest income from bonds:
City of Greensburg 4½%-$1,125. 00
City of Pittsburgh 4½%- 225.00
City of Philadelphia 4%_ 600.00
County of Crawford 4½%_ 85.00
County of Allegheny 4⅛%_ 106.25
Borough of McKees Rocks 4⅜%_ 191.25
Total_ 2,332. 50
Less Commission_ 116.62
2,215. 88
9. The total distributable income of the testamentary trust created under the will of Henry S. A. Stewart, Sr. was $23,521.77 during the year 1943. Included in that amount was the following interest income from bonds:
City of Greensburg 4½%-$1,125.00
City of Philadelphia 4%_ 600.00
City of Pittsburgh 4 ½%- 225.00
County of Crawford 4¼⅞- $85.00
County of Allegheny 4¼%- 212.50
Borough of McKees Rocks 4½9⅛- 225. 00
City of Pittsburgh 5%_ 15.00
City of Pittsburgh 4¾%- 63.75
Total_ 2,551.25
Less Commission- 127.56
2,423. 69

In the will of the father of Henry S. A. Stewart, Jr., the following provision appears:

Fourth. AH the rest, residue and remainder of my property, real, personal and mixed, wheresoever situate, I give, devise and bequeath unto Fidelity Title and Trust Company, one of my hereinafter named executors, in trust, for the following uses and purposes:
(a) To pay the net income therefrom unto my son, H. S. A. Stewart, Jr., for and during the term of his natural life in monthly or quarterly instalments, as he may elect.

The separation agreement of February 24, 1932, as modified by the supplement of April 9,1932, provided in part that Henry Stewart, Jr., would assign to petitioner $4,800 per year, so long as she lived and remained unmarried, out of the income of the aforementioned trust. There was a further assignment to petitioner of the sum of $1,532.40 and $255.40 annually, also out of the trust income, to be paid by the trustee as premiums on insurance policies on the life of Henry Stewart, Jr., so long as he shall live and petitioner shall remain unmarried.

The policies of insurance upon which premiums were so paid were assigned to petitioner by assignments reading in part as follows:

For Value Received I hereby assign, transfer and set over the above described policy of insurance, together with all rights reserved to me as the insured under the said policy, or as the owner thereof, or as the beneficiary thereunder, or as the assignee thereof, and all sum or sums of money, interest, benefit and advantage whatsoever, now due or hereafter to become due to me by virtue thereof, unto

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Bluebook (online)
9 T.C. 195, 1947 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stewart-v-commissioner-tax-1947.