Swanson v. Commissioner

518 F.2d 59
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJune 13, 1975
DocketNos. 74-1594, 74-1777, 74-1595, 74-1778, 74-1596 and 74-1779
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 518 F.2d 59 (Swanson v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Swanson v. Commissioner, 518 F.2d 59 (8th Cir. 1975).

Opinion

STEPHENSON, Circuit Judge.

These appeals and cross-appeals from a decision of the Tax Court, reported at P-H Memo T.C. 1 74,061 (1974), present the question of whether proceeds received under life insurance policies are excludable from gross income in the case of a transfer for valuable consideration under the exceptions created in Section 101(a)(2)(B) (26 U.S.C. § 101(a)(2)(B)).1

The government appeals from that portion of the Tax Court decision holding that life insurance proceeds payable upon the death of the grantor to grantor trusts are excludable because the grant- or was considered to be the owner of the trusts under Section 674.2 The gist of the government’s contention is that Section 674 (and related statutes) was designed solely to tax income of grantor trusts to the grantor and did not destroy the trust entity so as to make the grant- or-owner under Section 674 the “insured” under Section 101(a)(2)(B).

The petitioner (Swanco Trust Company, trustee of each of the trusts) cross-appeals from the Tax Court’s findings and conclusion that the transfer of the life insurance policies to the Swanson Trusts for value was not made to a partnership in which the insured (Swanson) was a partner nor to a partner of the insured under Section 101(a)(2)(B). Petitioner also contends that the Tax Court erred in holding that Swanson was owner-insured of only 91% of the trusts for purposes of the statute.

[61]*61BACKGROUND

The trusts were initially created by grantor Swanson’s mother, who transferred stock to Swanson as trustee for each of Swanson’s three children. Thereafter Swanson made further contributions to himself as trustee under the three trusts. The trusts were eventually codified, naming Swanson as trustee, and each trust contained a provision as follows:

11. The Trust instrument shall be subject to interpretation or amendment by the maker but any interpretation or amendment made shall not vest in the maker any right to property, income or corpus except as in the relationship of Trustee for the beneficiary hereof.

The trustee was given extensive powers to deal with the properties of the trusts. The trusts were irrevocable.

Shortly after codification of the trusts, Swanson executed an interpretation of the trusts which stated that the discretion and responsibility of determining whether payments are to be made from the trusts for the maintenance of the beneficiaries during minority or majority rests wholly with the trustee. A few months later Swanson resigned as trustee of the trusts and executed an amendment appointing Cecil A. Johnson as trustee and amending the successor trustee provisions. On December 2, 1957, Swanson issued an interpretation stating that the trustee of the trusts has the power to become a general or limited partner on behalf of the trusts. In May 1958 Swanson executed an interpretation stating that the trustee has the right and absolute authority to borrow money for the trusts.

On December 2, 1957, Johnson, as trustee for the trusts, and Swanson, in an individual capacity, signed an instrument entitled “W. Clarke Swanson Family Partnership.” This partnership was to begin business on July 1, 1958, and its stated purpose was to engage in the business of constructing, furnishing, care, upkeep, rental and sale of rental properties. The specific purpose was to develop property in which Swanson owned a one-half undivided interest. The trustee of the trusts was named as the managing partner.

Under the partnership agreement, the Swanson trusts were to contribute life insurance proceeds on the life of Swanson having face values of $1,900,000 and cash surrender values of $245,492. These policies were initially owned by C. A. Swanson & Sons, a Nebraska corporation, the stock of which was owned by W. Clarke Swanson and Gilbert Swanson. The Swanson Company was acquired by the Campbell Soup Company in May 1955, at which time the policies were purchased by the Carl and Caroline Swanson Foundation, Inc. On December 12, 1957, the Swanson Trusts purchased the policies from the Foundation.

Upon the death of Swanson in 1961, the partnership received life insurance proceeds in the amount of $913,954.09, the entire amount of which it excluded from income. The partnership’s total investment in thé policies as of Swanson’s death was $208,565.01.

Section 101(a) states that, except as otherwise provided, amounts received under a life insurance policy are not includable in gross income. Section 101(a)(2) and Section 101(a)(2)(B) provide that life insurance proceeds are includable in gross income in the case of a transfer for valuable consideration unless the transfer is to the insured, to a partner of the insured, or to a partnership in which the insured is a partner (emphasis supplied). The issue before the Tax Court, and in this court, is whether the exceptions to the transfer for valuable consideration rule of Section 101(a) is applicable to the transfer of life insurance in this ease.

THE PARTNERSHIP ISSUE

In the Tax Court, petitioner’s first contention was that the Swanson Family Partnership, in which Swanson and the Swanson Trusts were partners, was a valid partnership for federal income tax purposes. Thus, the transfer [62]*62of the life insurance policies to the Swanson Trusts was to a partner of the insured.

The Tax Court found that the totality of the evidence indicated

that the parties did not intend to nor did they actually operate the [Swanson] Family Partnership as a viable partnership. It also indicates that [Swanson] never became a partner by virtue of his failure to contribute any property to the organization. Therefore, the transfer of the life insurance policies to the Swanson Trusts for value was not made to a partnership in which the insured [Swanson] is a partner nor to a partner of the insured.

P-H Memo T.C. 1 74,061 at 74^283.

Our jurisdiction to review decisions of the Tax Court is statutory. Title 26, U.S.C., § 7482 provides that we review such decisions “in the same manner and to the same extent as decisions of the district courts in civil actions tried without a jury.” Findings of fact shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous. Fed.R.Civ.P. 52(a). We are satisfied from an examination of the entire record in this case that no mistake has been committed. Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Duberstein, 363 U.S. 278, 290-91, 80 S.Ct. 1190, 4 L.Ed.2d 1218 (1960); Sohosky v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 473 F.2d 810, 813—14 (8th Cir. 1973). The Tax Court’s finding that the parties did not intend to nor did they actually operate the Swanson Family Partnership as a viable partnership is not clearly erroneous. No error of law appears. The factual background and applicable law are fully and fairly stated in the Tax Court’s reported opinion. It will not be here repeated. The Tax Court is affirmed with respect to the partnership issue.

THE “INSURED” ISSUE

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518 F.2d 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swanson-v-commissioner-ca8-1975.