MATHILDE B. HOOPER, ADMINISTRATRIX OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES P.
HOOPER, DECEASED, PETITIONER, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE,
RESPONDENT.
Docket No. 85776.
United
States Board of Tax Appeals
41 B.T.A. 114
January 19, 1940, Promulgated
[*115] The petitioner contests a deficiency in estate
tax determined by the respondent in the amount of $21,549.27. The issues are: (1) Are the assets comprising
the corpus of a trust created by the decedent and his wife on January 26, 1932,
properly a part of his gross estate? (2)
If so, did the respondent err in determining that the value of 3,613 shares of
William E. Hooper & Sons Co. stock, on August 3, 1933, was $100 per
share? (3) Is the sum of $132,345.73,
representing the net proceeds of certain life insurance policies assigned by
the decedent to the above trust, properly includable in gross estate? and, if so, (4) May
the sum of $40,000 be excluded under the provisions of section 302(g) of the
Revenue Act of 1926?
FINDINGS
OF FACT.
James
P. Hooper, hereinafter referred to as the "decedent", died intestate
on August 3, 1933, leaving surviving him his widow, Mathilde B. Hooper,
administratrix of his estate and petitioner herein, and three minor children,
Mathilde B., born November 21, 1912, Sarah P., born May 1, 1914, and James P.,
Jr., born September 10, 1916, all of whom are now living. At the time of his death decedent was a
resident of Ruxton, Baltimore County, Maryland, and was 51 years of age.
For
many years prior to his death, decedent was vice president and general manager
of William E. Hooper & Sons Co., a Maryland corporation engaged in the
business of manufacturing and selling cotton duck and similar products, and
president of the Hooper Sons [*116] Manufacturing Co., a corporation engaged in
the business of selling these products. His
brother, Robert P. Hooper, was president of the former
corporation and vice president of the latter. Prior to the consolidation of these
corporations in 1932, decedent owned a minority interest in the stock of each.
On
July 15, 1926, the decedent, primarily in connection with the financing of the
James P. Hooper Manufacturing Co., a corporation organized by him for the
purpose of engaging in the business of manufacturing and selling artificial
silk, had become indebted in the sum of $376,020.20 and was in dire financial
straits. On this date decedent was the
owner of 2,802 shares of William E. Hooper & Sons Co. stock of which 1,100
shares were pledged as collateral security for the various obligations above
mentioned. He also was the owner of 598
shares of Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co. stock, all of which were similarly
pledged.
The
financial difficulties of the decedent were brought to a head by the offering
of certain of his pledged stock in the Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co. for sale
at auction in 1926, of which offering the decedent's brother received word, so
that he was enabled to prevent the sale from taking place. His brother insisted that decedent, for his
own protection and for the protection of the other stockholders of the
companies in question, put his financial affairs in such orderly shape as to
prevent further offerings of the stock, or further proceedings by his creditors. At the suggestion of his brother, the
decedent on July 15, 1926, created a revocable trust to which he conveyed all of
his property. This deed of trust, which
was formally revoked on January 26, 1932, contained provisions substantially
the same as those contained in an irrevocable deed of trust executed on the
latter date, to which reference will hereinafter be made.
In the
trust instrument of January 26, 1932, decedent named Henry R. W. Smith of
Philadelphia, as trustee, and conveyed to him in trust all of his property,
real, personal, and mixed, and all of his income thereafter coming due (including
his salary from William E. Hooper & Sons Co., which at that time was $45,000
per annum), for the following uses and purposes:
(1) To
pay all taxes, assessments and charges of any character, including interest
charges against the trust property, against the decedent, and on loans on
policies of insurance, and expenses and disbursements properly incurred in
connection with the management and administration of the estate;
(2) To
pay the premiums on such insurance on decedent's life, as the trustee, in his
discretion, might, from time to time, maintain, it being provided that all
policies in force at the time of the creation of the trust should be
irrevocably assigned, or made over, to the trustee, with full power to cancel
or borrow thereon and receive all the proceeds thereof;
[*117] (3) To pay a sum equal to 36% of the gross
income of the trust, but not in excess of $16,200 per annum, nor less than $14,000
per annum, to Mathilde B. Hooper, wife of the decedent, with the provision that
out of such payments, she should maintain a home for herself and decedent, and
pay the cost of supporting and educating their children, but without liability
to account for any balance or surplus;
(4) To
use the balance of the income or any funds in his hands as trustee to make
payments, pro rata, on account of the principal of the obligations of the
decedent listed in Schedule "A" attached to the deed of trust,
totaling $61,250, until payment of these obligations in full. Thereafter, the trustee was to pay the
obligations of $98,972.25 listed in Schedule "B" and then those
totaling $97,065.79 listed in Schedule "C".
(5) After
payment of all the above-mentioned obligations, then as to the income on the
balance of the trust estate, one-half thereof was to be paid to Mathilde B. Hooper,
(in lieu of the payments referred to in subparagraph (3) above), and the other
one-half thereof was to be paid to the decedent, during their joint lives. Upon the death of either, the trustee was to
pay all the income to the survivor, with certain exceptions not here material.
The 1932
deed of trust expressly provided that the trustee should receive no commission
or compensation for his services.
Upon
the execution and delivery of the 1932 deed of trust, the following assets were
duly assigned and transferred to the trustee:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
2,560 shares |
William E. Hooper & Sons Co. common
stock, par value $100. |
|
358 shares |
Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co. common
stock, par value$100. |
|
$200 |
Mobile and Birmingham Railway Co. 5%
bonds, due 1945. |
|
$400 |
Kansas City Public Service Co. 1st mtg. bonds. |
|
2-6/10 shares |
Kansas City Railway Co. pfd. |
|
6-6/10 shares |
Kansas City Railway Co. common. |
|
6 shares |
Boston Maritime Corporation. |
|
2 shares |
American Telephone & Telegraph. |
|
2 shares |
Consolidated Gas, Elec. Lt. & Power
Co. pfd. |
|
2 shares |
Curtis Publishing Co. pfd. |
|
3 shares |
Delaware Railroad Co. |
|
4 shares |
Northern Central Railway Co. |
|
Cash |
$5,334.77. |
________________________________________________________________________________
Certain
of these assets were at that time and thereafter held as collateral security
for debts of the decedent, and at that time or shortly thereafter all policies
of insurance then in force on the decedent's life were either assigned or
otherwise made over to the trustee, or were canceled or surrendered as
hereinafter set forth.
As of
January 1, 1932, Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co. was merged with, and absorbed
by, William E. Hooper & Sons Co., and the stock of the former was
surrendered by the holders thereof in exchange for stock of the latter. As a result of the merger and transfers, in
connection therewith, the trustee became the holder of a total of 3,613 shares
of the stock of William E. Hooper & Sons Co.
[*118] Prior to the date of the decedent's death,
that is, during the period from January 26, 1932, until August 3, 1933, the
trustee under said 1932 deed of trust received and collected the total amount
of $74,985.64, as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Nature of receipts |
1/26/32-12/31/32 |
1/1/33-8/3/33 |
|
Salary of James P. Hooper |
$32,346.50 |
$17,216.50 |
|
Dividends and other income |
1,521.59 |
206.67 |
|
Cash-surrender value of canceled life
insurance |
23,694.38 |
None |
|
Total |
57,562.47 |
17,423.17 |
________________________________________________________________________________
and made disbursements in the total of $78,493.04,
as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Nature of payments |
1/26/32-12/31/32 |
1/1/33-8/3/33 |
|
Income to decedent's wife |
$13,770.00 |
$8,505.00 |
|
Life insurance premiums |
2,710.20 |
2,480.45 |
|
Payments to creditors: |
|
|
|
Interest |
11,407.89 |
6,222.30 |
|
Principal |
30,463.11 |
None |
|
Other payments |
1,815.02 |
1,119.07 |
|
Total |
60,166.22 |
18,326.82 |
________________________________________________________________________________
On
January 26, 1932, the date of the execution and delivery of the deed of trust,
there were 15 policies of insurance in force on the decedent's life,
aggregating $260,000 in face amount. Within
a few months following the execution and delivery of the 1932 deed of trust,
the insurance on decedent's life was reduced by the trustee, to an aggregate
face amount of $150,000 by the surrender or reduction of $110,000 insurance as
follows:
(a) Five
policies, aggregating $65,000, were canceled and surrendered and the surrender
values, less loans and interest, were paid to the trustee.
(b) One
policy, in the sum of $25,000, was surrendered by the trustee, who applied for
and obtained in lieu thereof, a policy of the same company in the face amount
of $15,000.
(c) Three
policies aggregating in face amount $75,000 were respectively reduced in
aggregate face amount to $35,000.
The
aforesaid cancellations and reductions were made with the full knowledge and
approval of the decedent, who was consulted with respect to the same but had no
power to control the decision of the trustee.
The net surrender value received by the trustee totaled $23,694.38, and
was applied by him during 1932 towards principal and interest due to creditors
of decedent, listed in schedule "A" attached
to said 1932 deed of trust.
At the
time of decedent's death on August 3, 1933, the amount of principal due and
owing to the creditors listed in schedule "A" attached to the 1932
deed of trust totaled $38,157; the amount of
[*119] principal due and
owing to the creditors listed in schedule "B" attached to the deed of
trust totaled $98,972.25; and the amounts of principal due and owing to the
creditors listed in schedule "C" attached to the deed of trust
totaled $87,065.79, which sums, with interest accrued to date of death, and a
minor item of $9.32, for clubdues, are the deductions claimed by the taxpayer,
and allowed by the Commissioner, as shown on schedules I ($195,009.82) and J ($30,015.50),
of the estate tax return.
The
principal of the trust on the date of decedent's death included the following
assets, in addition to the policies of insurance referred to below:
3,613
shares William E. Hooper & Sons Co. common stock, par value $100 Cash: $1,937.37
and the other miscellaneous assets heretofore
listed as having been transferred to the trustee at the time of the execution
and delivery of the trust deed.
At the
time of the said decedent's death, nine policies of insurance on his life, in
the aggregate face amount of $150,000, were in full force and effect, and the
net proceeds thereof, after adjustment for loans, interest, and dividends,
being the sum of $132,639.31, were paid to and received by the trustee during
September 1933.
At the
time of decedent's death, Henry R. W. Smith, trustee, was named assignee by
absolute and irrevocable assignment in six of the policies of insurance, and
was irrevocably designated as beneficiary of two of the policies of insurance,
the assignments and designations of beneficiary having been duly accepted by
the companies in question, and appropriately endorsed on the policies shortly
following the executing of said 1932 deed of trust. The decedent reserved to himself
no power to borrow on the policies, or to receive the cash surrender value
thereof, or otherwise to exercise any of the incidents of ownership therein,
all of which appear from the policies and the riders thereto attached.
One of
the policies, in the face amount of $15,000, was issued to Henry R. W. Smith,
trustee, in his capacity as trustee, on May 7, 1932, having been issued by the
company on his application, joined in by the decedent, to replace a preexisting
policy of the company in the face amount of $25,000, dated April 19, 1925,
which preexisting policy had previously, on February 18, 1932, been absolutely
assigned to Henry R. W. Smith, trustee as aforesaid. The decedent, at no time, acquired or
received any of the incidents of ownership in the new $15,000 policy, which was
issued to the trustee as aforesaid.
During
the period from January 26, 1932, to August 3, 1933, the premiums on all the
policies of life insurance were paid by the trustee under the 1932 deed of
trust.
[*120] The total net proceeds of said policies, with
interest thereon, being the total amount of $132,639.31, were collected and
received by the trustee after the decedent's death and were applied and
distributed by the trustee as follows: First, to the payment of certain
interest due to creditors of decedent listed in the schedules attached to the 1932
deed of trust, in the sum of $920.65; second, to the payment of the balance of
principal of $38,157 remaining due to the creditors listed in Schedule A
attached to the deed of trust; and third, to the payment of 80 percent of the
principal amounts due to the creditors listed in schedule B attached to the
deed of trust, being the sum of $79,177.79.
The balance of the proceeds was retained and held by the trustee for the
continuing purposes of the trust.
As of
January 6, 1932, and August 3, 1933, the total outstanding stock of William E. Hooper
& Sons Co. was 10,340 shares, held as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Robert P. Hooper |
5,052 |
|
H. R. W. Smith, trustee under deed of
trust dated January 26, 1932 |
3,613 |
|
H. R. W. Smith |
53 |
|
Lulie P. Hooper |
1,575 |
|
Abram G. Tatnall |
43 |
|
Marion B. Hooper |
4 |
|
Total |
10,340 |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
above stated holdings as of January 26, 1932, include the shares distributed as
the result of the merger heretofore mentioned, which was effected
as of January 1, 1932, although the shares were not actually distributed until
later.
On the
date of the decedent's death, Robert P. Hooper held an option to purchase 150
shares of the stock of William E. Hooper & Sons Co. from the trustee of the
1932 deed of trust for the sum of $65 per share, which option, if exercised,
would have increased his total shareholdings in the corporation to 5,202. The option was given to Robert by agreement
dated January 26, 1932, and was accompanied by an irrevocable proxy to vote the
shares. The price fixed in the option
agreement was based by Robert upon a transaction which took place prior to 1926,
whereby the decedent had used certain shares of the stock as collateral for
loans from two of his sisters at an equivalent price per share, taking into
account intervening stock dividends. By
the use of this price, which had been previously fixed by the decedent, Robert
felt that he would avoid any possibility of future criticism to the effect that
he had overreached or taken advantage of his brother. No effort was made to base the option price
on fair market value as of the date of the option agreement or as of any other
date.
[*121] The balance sheet of William E. Hooper &
Sons .co. as of December 31, 1932, was as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Assets |
Liabilities |
||
|
Cash and securities |
$78,509 |
Notes to banks |
$405,000 |
|
Receivables |
107,068 |
Accounts payable |
27,200 |
|
Life insurance |
43,242 |
Other |
5,005 |
|
Inventory |
358,973 |
|
|
|
Total current |
587,792 |
Total current |
437,205 |
|
Plant equipment and formulae |
1,365,952 |
Long-term notes |
20,000 |
|
Miscellaneous |
28,917 |
Capital |
1,034,000 |
|
|
|
Surplus |
491,456 |
|
Total assets |
1,982,661 |
Total liabilities |
1,982,661 |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
surplus of $491,456 was not, strictly speaking, and earned surplus, because it
reflects action taken by the corporation in prior years transferring the following
sums out of depreciation reserves into surplus:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
In 1926 |
$138,870 |
|
In 1928 |
117,348 |
|
In 1932 |
350,000 |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
profit realized or loss sustained by the William E. Hooper & Sons Co. for
each of the seven years prior to 1933 was as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
1926, net loss |
$15,113 |
|
1927, net profit |
169,779 |
|
1928, net profit |
50,970 |
|
1929, net loss |
17,879 |
|
1930, net loss |
$38,485 |
|
1931, net loss |
66,646 |
|
1932, net loss |
165,404 |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
profits for 1927 include a gain of $169,800 on the sale of speculative cotton
futures, and the loss for 1931 is net after a gain of $91,216 from similar
transactions.
On
August 3, 1933, it was apparent that William E. Hooper & Sons Co. was going
to have a good year, and the net profit realized by it for that year amounted
to approximately $110,000 or $11 per share.
The book value of its stock as of August 3, 1933, was approximately $145
per share.
The
company's selling agent, Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co., which was absorbed by
the merger as of January 1, 1932, showed an earning record for the
corresponding period, as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
Net profit |
Net loss |
|
1926 |
$20,049 |
|
|
1927 |
19,902 |
|
|
1928 |
6,032 |
|
|
1929 |
25,041 |
|
|
1930 |
|
$17,880 |
|
1931 |
|
30,049 |
|
Total |
71,024 |
47,929 |
________________________________________________________________________________
[*122] During the entire period from 1926 to the date
of valuation, the only cash dividend paid by William E. Hooper & Sons Co. was
$57,680 in 1926, being $7.10 per share on the 7,210 shares outstanding at that
time. Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co. paid
cash dividends as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
1926 |
$19,900 |
|
1927 |
15,920 |
|
1928 |
23,880 |
|
1929 |
$15,920 |
|
1930 |
9,950 |
|
1931 |
None |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
stock of William E. Hooper & Sons Co. has never been listed on any stock
exchange, nor traded in over the counter.
There is no record of any sales of the stock during the period 1926 to 1932,
inclusive, or thereafter until the present date, except for the partial
exercise by Robert P. Hooper, as noted below, of his option to buy 150 shares
of decedent's stock at $65 per share. In
February 1938, at the request of Henry R. W. Smith, the trustee of the 1932
trust, who was without funds to meet the necessary expenses of the trust,
Robert purchased 20 shares of the stock and paid the trustee $1,300 for the
same, for the accommodation and assistance of decedent's family.
The
decedent prior to his last illness was in excellent health, and was an
unusually vigorous, active, and athletic man.
From the time of his marriage in 1911 until after his arrival in
Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July of 1933, decedent was not known to have
suffered from any diseases or ailments of any kind, except a slight attack of
influenza during the epidemic just after the World War. His usual interests and activities continued
until he became suddenly ill in the latter part of July 1933, and nothing that
he did or said in January 1932, or at any time prior to his last illness,
indicated that he contemplated or had any reason to contemplate imminent death.
Shortly
after decedent became ill in July 1933, his condition was diagnosed as
inflammation of the gall bladder, and an operation was ordered by his doctors. He was operated on at a Nantucket hospital,
and his gall bladder was found to be acutely inflamed and was drained. Two or three days later he died. Following his death an autopsy was made. The cause of his death, as disclosed by the
autopsy, was acute inflammation of the liver, resulting in a general infection
of his system. This condition was one
that arose suddenly, within two or three weeks prior to his death.
The
estate tax return filed by petitioner, as administratrix of the estate of the
decedent, contained a statement that the property of the trust at the time of
decedent's death "should not properly be included as a part of the estate
of the deceased" and this property [*123] was not included in the gross estate. Respondent determined the amount includable
in the gross estate to be as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Gross estate returned |
$50,680.00 |
|
Property (exclusive of insurance) transferred
by decedent under trust of January 26, 1932 |
364,442.37 |
|
Insurance transferred to the January 26,
1932 trust |
132,639.31 |
|
Total gross estate |
547,761.68 |
________________________________________________________________________________
The
parties agree that the amount of deductions allowable in computing the net
estate under the 1932 act is $279,131.92.
Included in the above amount of $364,442.37 was $361,300 determined by
respondent to be the value of the 3,613 shares of the stock of William E. Hooper
& Sons Co. owned by the trust on the date of death.
The
fair market value of 3,613 shares of the stock of William E. Hooper & Sons
Co. on August 3, 1933, was $162,585, or $45 per share.
The
transfer by decedent of his property to the trust under date of January 26, 1932,
was not made in contemplation of death.
OPINION.
MELLOTT:
The following schedule shows the respondent's method of computing the net
estate under the 1932 Act:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Gross Estate Returned |
$50,680.00 |
|
Add: |
|
|
(a) Property as to which there is no
controversy over value |
3,142.37 |
|
(b) Proceeds of life insurance policies |
132,639.31 |
|
(c) Value of 3,613 shares of William E. Hooper
& Sons Co. stock at $100 per share |
$361,300.00 |
|
Total gross estate |
547,761.68 |
|
Deductions allowable |
279,131.92 |
|
Taxable Net Estate |
268,629.76 |
________________________________________________________________________________
Petitioner
contends that none of the property added by the respondent is includable in
gross estate; that in any event the value of the 3,613 shares of stock is so
much less than that determined by him that there is no taxable net estate; that
the proceeds of the life insurance policies are not includable, since the trust
was the beneficiary and received the proceeds; and that, even if the insurance
proceeds are includable, $40,000 of the amount received should nevertheless be
excluded from gross estate under section 302(g) of the Revenue Act of 1926.
It has
been found as a fact that the stock had a value of $45 per share ($162,585). The evidence upon which this finding is based [*124]
will be discussed later. It is apparent that there will be a small
deficiency in tax if the property in issue be included in gross estate, so it
is necessary that all of petitioner's contentions and alternative contentions be
considered.
We
shall first consider whether or not the assets of the trust estate are
includable in the gross estate of decedent.
The applicable statute is section 302(c) of the Revenue Act of 1926, as
amended by the Joint Resolution of March 3, 1931, shown in the margin. n1 The portion shown in italics was added by the joint
resolution.
n1 The
value of the gross estate of the decedent shall be determined by including the
value of the time of his death of all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible,
wherever situated ***
***
"(c) To the extent of any interest therein of which the decedent has at
any time made a transfer, by trust or otherwise, in contemplation of or
intended to take effect in possession or enjoyment at or after his death, including
a transfer under which the transferor has retained for his life or any period
not ending before his death (1) the possession or enjoyment of, or the income
from, the property or (2) the right to designate the persons who shall possess
or enjoy the property or the income therefrom; except in case of a bona
fide sale for an adequate and full consideration in money or money's worth."
46 Stat. 1516.
A
history of the legislation is shown in Hassett v. Welch, 303 U.S. 303. In
Helvering v. Bullard, 303 U.S. 297, decided the same day, the Supreme
Court approved the inclusion, in the gross estate of the decedent, of property
which she had conveyed to a trust, reserving to herself a life interest in the
income. (See Sellar Bullard,
Executor, 34 B.T.A. 243, for a further statement
of the facts.) A similar holding was made by this Board in E. Pennington
Pearson, Executor, 36 B.T.A. 5.
The
cited cases point the way to a solution of the question before us, though the
facts are not identical with those of the instant proceeding. The transfer by the decedent was not made "in
contemplation of death" as such phrase was construed by the Supreme Court
in United States v. Wells, 283 U.S. 102. At the conclusion of the
evidence counsel for the respondent conceded as much and the question is not
discussed upon brief. He relies upon the
first portion added to the statute by the Joint Resolution of March 3, 1931 - that
the transfer was one "under which the transferor has retained for his life
or any period not ending before his death, the possession or enjoyment of, or
the income from, the property." In this connection he says: "It is
unquestionably true that the income of this trust was intended to, and did in
fact, inure to the benefit of the grantor."
Petitioner,
inferentially conceding that the income did inure to the benefit of the
grantor, argues that during his life the benefits were "indirect";
that he did not retain "the possession or enjoyment of, or the income
from, the property"; that a holding to the effect such rights were
retained can only be reached by applying the rationale of Douglas v. Willcuts,
296 U.S. 1, and kindred cases; that [*125]
it is an artificial rule to be
applied only in income tax cases; and that this Board has previously taken the
position, in Estate of Paul F. Donnelly, 38 B.T.A. 1234 (appeal pending
C.C.A., 8th Cir.), that it can not, and will not, be applied, in estate tax
cases.
In the
case relied upon by petitioner it was pointed out that an estate tax
controversy "must be decided under the specific provisions of section 302(c)
as amended, rather than upon any analogy from income tax cases [and that] the
language of the statute does not clearly indicate that it was intended to apply
to a situation like" the one then before the Board. Holding that the settlor had "retained
no right to receive the income, and any enjoyment of the property or right to
the income from the property came to him in a very indirect manner, if at all",
it was stated: "The use of the income was not limited to the discharge
of his legal obligations."
In the
instant proceeding, however, the use of the income of the trust was, for all
practical purposes, limited to the discharge of the settlor's legal obligations. He had a legal and moral obligation to
provide for the support of his family, including the maintenance, education,
and support of his children. This
obligation was cast upon the trust. The
trust instrument directed that 36 percent of the gross income of the trust, but
not to exceed $16,000 nor to be less than $14,000 per annum, be paid over to
the wife "for the upkeep and maintenance of the property" owned and
occupied by her and the settlor and that "the entire cost of maintaining,
educating and supporting" their children, "together with all household
and living expenses" be paid by her.
The next obligation of the trust was to give effect to the settlor's
expressed wish that sufficient insurance upon his life be kept in force so that
"the ultimate payment of the principal of the debts listed on Schedules A
and B shall be protected so far as possible." The third obligation of the
trust was to pay "from time to time pro rata on account of the principal
of the indebtedness due" by the settlor.
The
income of the trust was applied as directed.
The settlor's salary from William E. Hooper & Sons Co., which was
apparently $45,000 per annum, was paid to the trustee in the aggregate amount
of $49,563. (Cf. Lucas v. Earl, 281 U.S.
111). Other income of the trust was nominal, amounting to less than $1,800. However, it withdrew the cash surrender value
of certain insurance policies, amounting to $23,692.47, so that its receipts,
during the time which elapsed between its creation and the death of the
decedent, amounted to approximately $78,000.
During the same period it distributed to the wife $22,275, which she
used as directed, paid $48,093.30 to the settlor's creditors, used $2,934.09
for "other payments" (not otherwise identified in the evidence), and
paid $5,190.65 as premiums upon his life insurance.
[*126] After the death of the decedent the trustee
paid the creditors listed in the schedules attached to the trust instrument the
aggregate amount of $118,255.44. The
obligation so liquidated constituted part of the deductions claimed by
petitioner in schedules I and J of the estate tax return and have been allowed
by the respondent. Summarizing, we think
it can not be gainsaid that the income of the trust created by this decedent
was used for the discharge of his legal obligations; and a practical interpretation
of the terms of the trust instrument leads to the conclusion that no other
application could have been made of such income, at least until the full amount
of the indebtedness had been paid. The Connelly
case, supra, is therefore distinguishable upon its facts.
The
transfer by the decedent seems to have been, and we hold that it was, one under
which he "retained for his life or any period not ending before his death,
the possession or enjoyment of, or the income from, the property." It
follows that the respondent did not err in including the value of the property
transferred in his gross estate.
Petitioner
argues that even if the value of the stock must be included in gross estate the
proceeds of the life insurance policies need not be. She cites section 302(g) of the Revenue Act
of 1926, n2 as supporting not only this contention but her alternative one
that, in any event, she is entitled to the $40,000 exclusion referred to in the
last sentence of the section.
n2 SEC. 302. The value of the gross estate of the decedent
shall be determined by including the value at the time of his death of all
property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, wherever situated -
*** (g)
To the extent of the amount receivable by the executor as insurance under
policies taken out by the decedent upon his own life; and to the extent of the
excess over $40,000 of the amount receivable by all other beneficiaries as
insurance under policies taken out by the decedent upon his own life.
Respondent
relies upon the same section and upon his regulation (art. 26, Regulations 80) interpreting
it. n3 He quotes from the Board's decision in Marmaduke
B. Morton, Administrator, 23 B.T.A. 236, as follows:
*** It,
therefore, seems clear to us that Congress, in enacting section 302 of the
Revenue Act of 1924, intended that there should be included in the gross estate
of a decedent the full amount of his life insurance which after his death is
subject to the payment of charges against his estate * * *, and that it was not
the intention of Congress in enacting subdivision (g) of that section to exempt
from taxation life insurance meeting such tests, although in terms payable to
someone other than the executor. ***
n3 ART. 26.
Insurance in favor of the estate. - The provisions requiring the
inclusion in the gross estate of all insurance receivable by the executor,
without any exemption, applies to *** all insurance which is in fact receivable
by, or for the benefit of, the estate.
***
Since
the filing of briefs we have had occasion to consider somewhat the same
question as that now before us in Pacific National [*127] Bank of Seattle, Executor, 40 B.T.A. 128,
and Estate of Waldo Rohnert, 40 B.T.A. 1319. In the former case we held
that proceeds of insurance, though payable to a trustee, to the extent that
they were required to be used in liquidating debts or obligations of the
estate, must be included in gross estate under 302(g) and that the $40,000 exclusion
could not be applied against the amount so used. In the latter case we held that,
notwithstanding the fact all of the proceeds of insurance could have been used,
if necessary, to pay charges against the estate, there should be included in
gross estate only the amount actually used, the $40,000 exclusion to be applied
to the remainder. Upon theauthority of
these cases we therefore hold that $118,255.44 of the proceeds of the life
insurance policies should be included in gross estate. The remainder of the amount received ($132,636.31-$118,255.44),
being less than $40,000, may not be included.
In
arriving at a value of $45 per share for the William E. Hooper & Sons Co. stock,
we have considered the stipulated facts, the testimony of three witnesses presented
as experts by petitioner, and all other evidence bearing upon the question. No witnesses testified as experts in behalf
of respondent.
All of
the witnesses for petitioner were qualified to express opinions as to the value
of the stock on the basic date, i.e., August 3, 1933. One testified that it was not in excess of $20
per share; another testified to a value of between $10 and $20 a share, "nearer
ten than twenty"; while the third arrived at a value of between $15 and $25,
and stated "it would work out under twenty."
From their testimony it appears that they considered, among other things, the
record of earnings, not only of the company itself, but also of its selling
agent, the Hooper Sons Manufacturing Co., for the years 1926 to 1931, inclusive,
prior to the merger of these companies, and for the years 1932 and 1933, after
the merger; the book value of the stock; the cash dividend record of the two
companies; the impairment of the surplus account by losses of the business, and
the maintenance of this account by transfers from depreciation reserves; the
ratio of current assets to current liabilities; absence of any regular or
established market for the stock; the fact that 3,613 shares constituted a
minority interest; unsettled business conditions owing to the depression and
other factors, and the availability of other more desirable stocks at low
prices.
In
support of his contention that the stock had a fair market value of $100 per
share on August 3, 1933, respondent points to its book value of approximately $145
per share; earnings of $11 per share in 1933 and approximately $10 per share in
1934; a definite upswing in the industry at the end of the month preceding the
date of valuation; an entry on the books of the corporation of $8,570 as the [*128] "excess of par value over cost of 306
shares of the corporate capital stock cancelled during 1932"; the issuance
by the corporation in 1932 of 340 shares at par; and evidence indicating that
there were several interfamily transactions in the stock prior and subsequent
to the decedent's death.
The
only evidence of interfamily transactions in the stock is contained in the
testimony of petitioner's witnesses. Two
of the witnesses, who were called by the petitioner as experts, were asked by
respondent's counsel on cross-examination if they knew of sales made by the
decedent to members of his family prior to his death of small amounts of the
stock for $90 and $100 per share. Neither
of them had any personal knowledge of such sales, although one testified he had
been told that sales at $65 and $90 per share had been made. The secretary and assistant treasurer of the
company, who is also the trustee under the trust, testified that some time
prior to 1926 decedent had borrowed money from his two sisters and had given
each of them 70 shares of the stock as collateral, based on $90 a share, with a
privilege of buying it back from them at that price. Subsequently there was a stock dividend and
the two sisters each received a certificate for 97 shares for the 70 shares so
that they then had in the place of 70 shares at $90 a share, 97 shares at $65 a
share. When on January 26, 1932,
decedent's brother, Robert, acquired an option to purchase for $65 a share 150
shares of the Hooper Co. stock from the trustee, the price he agreed to pay was
based upon that used in the previous transaction between the decedent and his
sisters. No effort was made to base the
option price on the fair market value of the stock as of the date of the option
agreement. Robert Hooper testified that
he never exercised the option prior to the decedent's death because he did not
consider that the stock was worth $65 a share.
After the decedent's death the trustee was in financial difficulties and
asked Robert to purchase 20 shares at $65 so that he might have some funds to
run the estate. Robert did so, but he
testified that it was only as an accommodation to the trustee. Interfamily transactions, such as those
described above, are entitled to little, if any, weight in determining the fair
market value of the stock on the basic date.
While
it is true that two of petitioner's exhibits indicate that 340 shares of the
stock were issued at par in 1932 and that an entry was made in that year
indicating that the company had acquired 306 shares of its stock at $71 per
share, or $8,570 less than the par value of these shares, the facts and
circumstances surrounding these transactions are not disclosed. In our opinion, however, they are not
indicative of the price a willing buyer and seller would agree upon for 3,613
shares on August 3, 1933, but were bookkeeping adjustments [*129] in connection with the merger of the parent
company and its subsidiary selling agent.
A
study of all of the evidence convinces us that there were no actual sales of
the stock to serve as a basis for determining what a willing buyer and a
willing seller would agree upon as a fair price. In the absence of sales, the material factors
to be considered in determining the fair market value of the stock of a close corporation,
such as we are now dealing with, are: earning capacity and anticipated profits;
book value; dividend yields; and such other facts and circumstances surrounding
the corporation and its business as would be considered by a prospective buyer
and seller. A prospective buyer would
give some consideration to the book value of $145 a share. He would realize, however, that the company
was a going concern, and that, even if it be assumed that the book value could
be realized upon the liquidation of the corporation, there was no indication
that it was to be liquidated. Moreover,
he would also realize that "minority stock interests in a 'closed'
corporation are usually worth much than the proportionate share of the assets
to which they attach." Cravens v. Welch, 10 Fed.Supp.
94. In our opinion, the factor which he would consider as the most
important would be what the stock would earn.
See Borg v. International Silver Co., 11 Fed.(2d)
147.
The
evidence discloses that the company had a poor earnings record. In 1932 it operated at a loss of $165,404,
and its total net loss for the period 1926 to 1932 (including the profit and
loss of its selling agent prior to January 1, 1932, the effective date of the
merger) was $59,683, or a loss of $5.77 per share. In March 1933, after the bank holiday, its
business increased; and on August 3, 1933, it could reasonably have been
anticipated that it would realize, and it did realize, a substantial profit for
the year. The testimony of petitioner's
witnesses convinces us, however, that the increase in business and profits
following the bank holiday in 1933 was largely due to fear of a violent sudden
inflation, and to the rise in the prices of raw materials when the country went
off the gold standard. It therefore was
not a true indication of what might be expected in the future.
The
cash dividend record of the company and its subsidiary combined for the period 1926
to 1932, inclusive, was $143,250, or only about $2 per share per annum; but
even this rate was not justified by the earnings of the seven year period, in
view of the net loss referred to above. The
company's surplus account, which had been impaired by the losses of the
business, was maintained by the transfer from its depreciation reserve of $138,870
in 1926, $117,348 in 1928, and $350,000 in 1932. At the end of the year 1932 the company's
current assets amounted to $587,792 and its current liabilities, which [*130]
consisted almost entirely of notes
payable to banks, amounted to $437,205.
The
witnesses who expressed opinions as to the value of the stock on the basic date
testified that they had considered all of the facts to which reference has just
been made. They concluded that the value
was between $15 and $25 per share. This
estimate seems to us to be entirely too low.
But the value placed upon it by the Commissioner in his determination is
much too high. Our duty - difficult as
it is - is to determine a fair market value. We have tried to do so and have determined it
to be $45 per share. This figure happens
to be the same as that used by the petitioner when she filed the estate return,
before any controversy had arisen. We
accept it, not because of that fact, but because we believe it to be about what
a buyer, willing, but not compelled to buy, would pay and a seller, willing,
but not compelled to sell, would accept, both having reasonable knoweldge of
all the facts.
We
compute the net estate as follows:
________________________________________________________________________________
|
Gross estate returned |
$50,680.00 |
|
Add: |
|
|
(a) Property transferred to the trust,
no controversy as to value |
3,142.37 |
|
(b) Value of 3,613 shares of stock at $45
per share |
162,585.00 |
|
(c) Proceeds of life insurance |
118,255.44 |
|
Gross estate |
334,662.81 |
|
Deductions (1926 Act) |
329,131.92 |
|
Net estate (1926 Act) |
5,530.89 |
|
Net estate (1932 Act) |
55,530.89 |
________________________________________________________________________________
Deficiency
shall be recomputed in accordance with the views herein expressed and,
Decision
will be entered under Rule 50.