Tobin v. Commissioner

11 T.C. 928
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1948
DocketDocket Nos. 13611, 13612
StatusPublished

This text of 11 T.C. 928 (Tobin 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
Tobin v. Commissioner, 11 T.C. 928 (tax 1948).

Opinion

OPINION.

Black, Judge:

We shall consider the issues in the order previously stated.

— This issue involves the taxability of the net income of the eight trusts created by either one or the other of the petitioners in 1935, and it is the principal issue in the case. The respondent determined that the net income of all the trusts was taxable to petitioners as their community income, and in a statement attached to each deficiency notice he explained his determination thus:

It is held that the income of various trusts created by .either Edgar G. Tobin or Margaret Batts Tobin, represents taxable income to the community as follows: (Then follows a schedule showing the net income of each of the eight trusts for each of the taxable years 1940 to 1943, inclusive.)

The respondent, in his brief, contends (1) that the income of all eight trusts is taxable to petitioners as community income under section 22 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code (relying principally upon Helvering v. Clifford, 309 U. S. 331), and (2) that, in addition to being taxable under section 22 (a), the income of four of the trusts (Edgar Tobin Trust, Margaret Batts Tobin Trust, Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust, and Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust) is also taxable to petitioners as community income under section 167 (a) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Petitioners contend that the income in question is taxable to the trusts, which returned it and paid the tax thereon as separate taxable entities, and that no part of such income is taxable to petitioners.

We shall first consider whether the net income of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and the Harriet Fiquet. Batts Trust is taxable to petitioners as community income under section 167 (a) (2), supra. The material provisions of this section are set forth in the margin.1 As far as the life beneficiaries of these two trusts are concerned, the trusts are reciprocal trusts. They were each created on November 14, 1935. Tobin was the trustor of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and Margaret Batts Tobin was the trustor of the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust. The Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust provided that “The Trustee shall pay to Margaret Batts Tobin or for her benefit during the balance of her life, at such time and in such manner, as the Advisory Committee may direct, any portion of the net income derived from said trust estate,” with remainders over to others. The Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust provided that “The Trustee shall pay to Edgar G. Tobin or for his benefit during the balance of his life, at such time and in such manner, as the Advisory Committee may direct, any portion of the net income derived from said trust estate,” with remainders over to others. The original corpus of each trust was the same, namely, 160 class C shares of Tobin Aerial Surveys, Inc., of the fair value of $4,000. The advisory committee of each trust was the same.

It seems clear that if Margaret Batts Tobin had been the trustor of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and if Tobin had been the trustor of the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust, the net income of these trusts would be taxable to the trustors under section 167 (a) (2), supra, for under the provisions of the trust instruments such income could be distributed to the trustor in the discretion of the trustor or of any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of the income. In substance, Margaret Batts Tobin was the trustor of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and Tobin was the trustor of the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust. Lehman v. Commissioner, 109 Fed. (2d) 99; certiorari denied, 310 U. S. 637. Although the Lehman case was an estate tax case, we think the principles upon which that case rests are applicable here. See also Purdon Smith Whiteley, 42 B. T. A. 316; Werner A. Wieboldt, 5 T. C. 946. We hold, therefore, that for the taxable years in question Margaret Batts Tobin was in substance the grantor of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and that the income of that trust could “in the discretion of the grantor or of any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of such * * * income” have been distributed to the grantor. We likewise hold that Tobin was in substance the grantor of the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust and that the income of that trust could have been distributed to him in the manner specified in section 167 (a) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code. It follows that the net income of these two trusts shall be included in computing the net income of the respective grantor. Sec. 167 (a) (2), supra.

It remains to be determined whether the income of these two trusts is community income. In view of our holdings above, the income of each trust must be regarded as having been received by the respective life beneficiary of each trust. Under the laws of Texas, such income when received falls into the community. Commissioner v. Porter, 148 Fed. (2d) 666; Commissioner v. Snowden, 148 Fed. (2d) 569; McFaddin v. Commissioner, 148 Fed. (2d) 570; and Estate of Ernest Hinds, 11 T. C. 314. We hold, therefore, that the net income of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust is taxable to petitioners as community income.

We next consider whether the net income of the Edgar Tobin Trust and the Margaret Batts Tobin Trust is taxable to petitioners as community income under section 167 (a) (2), supra. These trusts are also reciprocal trusts and were both created on June 14, 1985. One was created by the wife for the benefit of her husband and one was created by the husband for the benefit of his wife. The original corpus of each trust was made up of the same kind and quantity of property, namely, 300 shares of Edgar Tobin Aero Co. stock, 7,000 shares of Tobin Map Co. stock, and 1,000 shares of Pure Oil Co. stock. The trust indentures were identical, except for the names of the respective trustor and beneficiary and the provision in the Edgar Tobin Trust whereby Margaret Batts Tobin, the trustor, was joined in the execution of the trust by her husband fro forma. Any portion of the income of each trust was payable to the beneficiary or for his or her benefit “at such time and in such manner, as the Advisory Committee may direct” and could be supplemented in case of emergency or necessity with “payment out of the corpus of the estate as the Advisory Committee may unanimously direct.” Each trust further provided that upon the death of the beneficiary the corpus became a part of his or her estate, distributable in accordance with his or her will, and, in case of intestacy, under the Texas law of descent and distribution.

It seems clear that, for the reasons given in our consideration of the Ethel Murphy Tobin Trust and the Harriet Fiquet Batts Trust, Tobin should be regarded as in substance the trustor of the Edgar Tobin Trust and Margaret Batts Tobin should in substance be regarded as the trustor of the Margaret Batts Tobin Trust, and that the same result as to the taxability of the net income of the two trusts now under consideration should be reached as was obtained under our consideration of the first two trusts. The income of these two trusts is taxable to petitioners under section 167 (a) (2) and is community income.

We now consider whether the net income of the Ethel M. Tobin and Katharine Tobin Trust, the Katharine Tobin Trust No. 1, the Robert Batts Tobin Trust No. 1, and the Robert Batts Tobin Trust No.

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Related

Helvering v. Clifford
309 U.S. 331 (Supreme Court, 1940)
Newman v. Commissioner
1 T.C. 921 (U.S. Tax Court, 1943)
Hinds v. Commissioner
11 T.C. 314 (U.S. Tax Court, 1948)
Lowenstein v. Commissioner
3 T.C. 1133 (U.S. Tax Court, 1944)
Cherry v. Commissioner
3 T.C. 1171 (U.S. Tax Court, 1944)
Cartinhour v. Commissioner
3 T.C. 482 (U.S. Tax Court, 1944)
Smith v. Commissioner
4 T.C. 573 (U.S. Tax Court, 1945)
Black v. Commissioner
5 T.C. 759 (U.S. Tax Court, 1945)
Backus v. Commissioner
6 T.C. 1036 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)
Huber v. Commissioner
6 T.C. 219 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)
Green v. Commissioner
7 T.C. 263 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)
Loew v. Commissioner
7 T.C. 363 (U.S. Tax Court, 1946)
Welch v. Commissioner
8 T.C. 1139 (U.S. Tax Court, 1947)
Anderson v. Commissioner
8 T.C. 921 (U.S. Tax Court, 1947)

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Bluebook (online)
11 T.C. 928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tobin-v-commissioner-tax-1948.