Wilson v. Comm'r

56 T.C. 579, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 118
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 21, 1971
DocketDocket Nos. 3408-69, 3409-69
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 56 T.C. 579 (Wilson v. Comm'r) 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
Wilson v. Comm'r, 56 T.C. 579, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 118 (tax 1971).

Opinion

FeatheestoN, Judge:

Respondent determined that each petitioner is liable as transferee for a deficiency of $9,949.74 in the Federal estate tax of the Estate of Stella M. Wilson. The questions presented for decision are:

(1) Whether on the date of Stella M. Wilson’s death she was the owner of a contract right entitling her to collect $234.25 in accrued interest from her grandson;

(2) Whether Stella M. Wilson made completed gifts to her two adult children of certificates of deposit and of funds deposited in certain savings accounts, all of which were maintained in the joint names of her and one of the children, with the result that such certificates and funds are not includable in her gross estate under section 2040;1 and

(3) Whether Stella M. Wilson’s gift of the funds in a savings account was made in contemplation of death within the meaning of section 2035.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Petitioner Harley A. Wilson (hereinafter referred to as Harley) resided in Nyssa, Oreg., at the time he filed his petition herein. Petitioner Beulah L. Zurcher (hereinafter referred to as Beulah) resided in Parma, Idaho, at the time her petition in this proceeding was filed.

Stella M. Wilson (hereinafter referred to as decedent or Stella) died intestate on February 12,1965, at Harley’s home in Nyssa, Oreg. She resided in Parma ait the time of her death, and her estate was probated in the Probate Court of Canyon County, Idaho, with Lester W. Zurcher, Beulah’s husband, serving as administrator. On January 25,1966, an estate tax return was timely filed with the district director of internal revenue for the district of Idaho.

All of the decedent’s property was distributed in equal shares to the petitioners herein. The total value of the property so distributed was $58,173.60 in money and $55,870 in real estate.

Issue 1. Accrued, Interest on Contract

On January 3,1962, the decedent and her husband, Charles L. Wilson (hereinafter referred to as Charles), executed a contract to sell real property to Darrell L. Wilson (hereinafter Darrell), their grandson. The contract provided for the payment of the purchase price in the following manner:

Cash the sum of twenty thousand ($20,000) dollars receipt wich [sic] is hereby acknowledged by the parties of the first part. The balance of the purchase price to be the sum of twenty thousand ($20,000) dollars. Payments to be made annually on January 10th to the sum of six thousand ($6,000) dollars, plus five (5) percent interest on unpaid balance. Failure to make payments of same on January 10th of each year the party of the second part forfiets [sic] all his rights to the property herein described and will revert back to the parties of the first part without any recourse in law.

Charles died on August 17,1964, and this contract thereupon became the property of Stella. Between January 3, 1962, and February 12, 1965, Darrell made payments under this contract, and on the latter date there remained a principal balance of $9,370. No interest payments were ever made by Darrell in connection with the contract. When Darrell attempted to pay the decedent the interest due under the contract, she refused to accept it, telling Darrell that she did not care to have interest paid. On Stella’s death, the contract became the property of Harley, and he collected no interest thereon.

In the notices of deficiency, respondent determined that the decedent’s estate had a right to collect accrued interest of $234.25 from Darrell for the period between Charles’ death and the decedent’s death.

Issue 8. Bank Deposits and Time Certificates

On July 19, 1963, the decedent and her daughter Beulah wont to Caldwell, Idaho, where they visited three banks. At The Idaho First National Bank, the decedent opened savings account No. 10860 in the names of “Stella M. Wilson or Bulah [sic] L. Zurcher” and deposited $5,000 of her own funds therein. At the First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Boise, decedent opened savings account No. 6941 m the names of “Wilson, Stella M. or Beulah L. Zurcher” and deposited $9,000 which was transferred from an account previously carried in the names of Charles and Stella. At the Bank of Idaho, decedent changed the title of savings account No. 14928 from her own name to “Stella M. Wilson or Beulah L. Zurcher” and added $5,937.84 to an already existing balance of $4,062.16, making a total balance of $10,000. After they returned to their car, decedent handed Beulah the passbooks and told her that she could use the money and enjoy it. Beulah kept the passbooks in a deposit box in her home.

On January 7,1964, the decedent and Beulah again went to Caldwell where the decedent deposited an additional $800 of her own funds in account No. 14928. The passbook remained in Beulah’s possession.

Beulah never deposited any funds in the three accounts; nor did she report as income any of the interest earned on these deposits.

On February 2, 1965, Beulah withdrew all of the funds in account No. 10860, that sum being $5,221.81. On February 12, 1965, the day her mother died, Beulah closed out the two remaining accounts — No. 14928 and No. 6941 — and deposited these funds in accounts bearing the title of “Beulah L. Zurcher or Lester Zurcher.” When they were closed, account No. 6941 contained $9,609.50 and account No. 14928 contained $11,344.51.

On January 8, 1964, the decedent opened, at the Bank of Idaho, savings account No. 17535 in the names of “Stella M. Wilson or Harley A. Wilson” and deposited $10,400 of her own funds therein. At The Idaho First National Bank, she opened savings account No. 11052 in the names of “Stella M. Wilson, or Harley A. Wilson” and deposited $9,114.04 of her own funds therein. When Harley visited his mother later that day, he signed the appropriate signature cards for the aforementioned accounts; and decedent then gave him the two passbooks. She told him he could use the money; that she had given Beulah some money also; and that he ought to buy a new car.

Harley never deposited any funds in the accounts; and in his tax returns he reported no interest income from this source.

On February 12, 1965, the date decedent died, Harley withdrew the money then on deposit in the two accounts and placed them in accounts bearing the name of “Harley A. or Betty Jo Wilson.” At that time acount No. 17535 contained $10,767.18 and account No. 11052 contained $9,435.81.

On January 7,1965, the decedent purchased in the names of “Stella M. Wilson or Harley A. Wilson,” two $10,000 time certificates of deposit numbered 10747 and 10748. The certificates contained the following provision: “Payable to said owner, or, if more than one, to either or any of said owners or the survivor or survivors * * She gave these certificates to Harley and told him he could use these funds.

On January 13, 1966, the certificates were redeemed and included in Stella’s gross estate under Schedule C of her estate tax return.

The decedent never filed gift tax returns reporting the transfers of any of the savings accounts or the funds for which the certificates of deposit were issued.

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Wilson v. Comm'r
56 T.C. 579 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 T.C. 579, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-commr-tax-1971.