Taxation-Federal Estate and Gift Commons^™

Elaine Hightower Gagliardi On Flipping The Lens Of Estate Planning: An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of Lifetime Transfers To Achieve Federal And State Tax Savings, Elaine H. Gagliardi

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

Estate planners are recalibrating their planning focus in response to recent tax modifications at the federal and state levels. The need to refocus planning emanates from changes wrought by recent federal tax acts, beginning in 20011 and ending in 20132 with enactment of “permanent” provisions which increase the basic exclusion amount for federal estate and gift tax and generation skipping transfer tax exemption to an inflation adjusted $5,340,000 as of 2014,3 institute the portability election for federal estate tax purposes,4 alter the transfer tax rate to essentially a flat 40 percent,5 and eliminate the state death tax credit in favor …

A Nightmare In Elwood Estate, Phyllis C. Taite

Other Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Tax Code's Crowdfunding Dilemma: The Temptation Of Kickstarter Creators To Use The Gift Exclusion Under Section 102(A), Eric Dietz

Hamline Law Review

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The Contemporary Tax Journal’S Interview Of Pam Olson, Stuti Seth

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Trombetta: The Two Trust Tango, Phyllis C. Taite

Other Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

What's Wrong With A Federal Inheritance Tax?, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

Scholars have proposed a federal inheritance tax as an alternative to the current federal transfer tax, but there are serious flaws with that idea. In existing inheritance tax systems, those problems include: (1) different tax rates and exemptions based on the decedent’s relationship to the beneficiary; (2) the lack of a tax on lifetime gratuitous transfers, including gifts with retained interests or control; and (3) the persistence of most current valuation distortion abuses. In any inheritance tax model, moreover, there would be significantly decreased compliance rates and increased administrative costs because by focusing on the transferees instead of the transferor, …

The Physician Orders For Life-Sustaining Treatment (Polst) Coming Soon To A Health Care Community Near You, Robert B. Wolf, Marilyn J. Maag, Keith Bradoc Gallant

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Robespierre Meets The Foreign Tax Credit: Reflections On Piketty's "Capital In The Twenty-First Century" And The Contemporary Tax Policy Debate, Michael A. Livingston

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Terms Of The Trust: Extrinsic Evidence Of Settlor Intent, Fred Franke, Anna Katherine Moody

ACTEC Law Journal

Each edition of the Restatement of Trusts defined the phrase "the terms of the trust" exactly the same. It means the manifestation of the settlor's intent expressed in a manner that admits of its proof in judicial proceedings. This definition weds the language of the instrument to the evidentiary rules governing Trust contests. This article explores the extent to which extrinsic evidence of settlor intent is admissable and consequently a consideration for those puzzling out the meaning of a trust.

The Persistent Preference For Inception Assets, Trent S. Kiziah, J. Clay Singleton, Stewart A. Marshall Iii

ACTEC Law Journal

Often trusts contain assets which were formerly owned by the grantor. This article addresses whether trustees should give any preference to these assets in managing the trust portfolio. Particular attention is given to how the law has treated these assets over time and the current state of the law. For those trustees who wish to retain inception assets, the article contains practical guidelines to assist trustees.

Review: Linking The Certainty Of Death And Taxes, Browne C. Lewis

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This is a review of "Wills for Everyone: Helping Individuals Opt Out of Intestacy" (53 B.C.L. Rev. 877 (2012)), by Reid Kress Weisbord. Lewis praises Weisbord’s attempt to simplify the testamentary process. She agrees with his assertion that in failing to execute a will, most people are not fearing their own mortality and instead are just not willing or able to navigate a complicated testamentary process. She supports his suggestion to make executing a will more like filing a simple tax return, when possible. In sum, she praises his efforts to reduce the rate of intestacy by simplifying the testamentary …

Van Alen: A Reasonable Consistency, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

In Van Alen, the Tax Court held that the duty of consistency required that two of the decedent’s children use the section 2032A basis valuation figures to determine gain on the sale of their interest in the decedent’s ranch, which was left to them in trust. The siblings had argued that their stepmother erroneously completed their father’s estate tax return.

The Geography Of Marriage, William P. Lapiana

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Ira Administration For High Net Worth Clients And Their Beneficiaries -- Unique Challenges And Best Practices For Financial Institutions, Svetlana V. Bekman

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Killing Your Chances Of Inheriting: The Problem With The Application Of The Slayer Statute To Cases Of Assisted Suicide, Ryan Konsdorf, Scott Alden Prulhiere

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

How To Draft Trusts To Own Retirement Benefits, Keith A. Herman

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Intermediary Clat Alternative To The Residuary Estate Family Foundation Gift, Richard S. Franklin, Jennifer A. Birchfield Goode

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Eliminate State Tax On Trust Income: A Comprehensive Update On Planning With Incomplete Gift Non-Grantor Trusts, Kevin R. Ghassomian

ACTEC Law Journal

Private letter rulings dating back to 2001 affirm various tax attributes of incomplete gift non-grantor trusts, known popularly as "DING Trusts," which have been used by taxpayers to relocate investments from high-tax states to no-tax states. In 2007, the Internal Revenue Service questioned the integrity of its rulings on the DING Trust and cast doubt on its continuing viability for tax planning purposes. After nearly six years of indecision, a flurry of favorable new rulings was released in March of 2013, restoring widespread confidence in the DING Trust as an option for taxpayers seeking relief from rising income tax rates. …

State Taxation Of Trusts And Their Beneficiaries When There Are Multiple State Contacts, John Mcgown Jr.

ACTEC Law Journal

This article examines the state income taxation of testamentary trusts and individual trust beneficiaries when there are multiple state contacts. For matters of illustration, the focus is on states comprising the Northwest Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. Since three of these states have no individual income tax, essence of the inquiry is limited to the state income tax systems of Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Oregon. Although the focus is on states in the Northwest, the concept applies nationwide. Before moving on to an examination of the state taxation topic, a review of the basic federal system of …

Advising Estate Planning Clients After The 2012 Tax Act, Dennis I. Belcher, Charles D. Fox Iv

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Unseating Privilege: Rawls, Equality Of Opportunity, And Wealth Transfer Taxation, Jennifer Bird-Pollan

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This Article is the second in a series that examines the estate tax from a particular philosophical position in order to demonstrate the relevance and importance of the wealth transfer taxes to that position. In this Article, I explore Rawlsian equality of opportunity, a philosophical position that is at the heart of much American thought. Equality of opportunity requires not only ensuring that sufficient opportunities are available to the least well-off members of society but also that opportunities are not available to other members merely because of their wealth or other arbitrary advantages. Therefore, an income tax alone, even one …

Graev: Conditional Facade Easement, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

In Graev v. Commissioner, the Tax Court decided whether the taxpayers’ donations of a facade easement and cash contributions were conditional gifts and therefore disallowable as charitable deductions under the requirements of the regulations. The court reviewed the facts to determine whether the condition was allowed because it was “so remote as to be negligible.” The taxpayers argued that case law at the time of the donation allowed for a donation of between 10 and 15 percent of the value of the property, and that they had deducted a value constituting 11 percent of the property’s appraised value; that the …

Koons: Interest Deduction And Flp Valuation Practice Pointers, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

The Tax Court's Koons decision explains the rules for allowing an estate to deduct interest payments, and it details how the court arrived at a determination of the value of a family limited liability company interest.

Valuing Fractional Interests In Art For Estate Tax Purposes, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

It is difficult to value fractional interests in art because there is virtually no market in those interests. Nevertheless, the Tax Court in Estate of Elkins valued the decedent’s fractional interests in multiple artworks, which the decedent and his children highly cherished. First, the court addressed the restricted agreements under section 2703 and then the court determined the value of decedent’s interests in the art.

Who Killed The Rule Against Perpetuities?, Grayson M. P. Mccouch

Pepperdine Law Review

During the last two decades more than half the states have either abolished or substantially weakened the traditional rule against perpetuities. The increased demand for perpetual trusts is widely attributed to the ability of such trusts to avoid federal wealth transfer taxes. Furthermore, recent empirical studies confirm a correlation between repeal of the rule against perpetuities (coupled with favorable state income tax treatment) and increased personal trust assets and average account size. This symposium article discusses the asymmetric benefits and drawbacks of perpetual trusts and concludes that the decline of the rule against perpetuities cannot be explained solely in terms …

Occupy The Tax Code: Using The Estate Tax To Reduce Inequality And Spur Economic Growth, Paul L. Caron, James R. Repetti

Pepperdine Law Review

Inequality has been increasing in the United States. We should care about this increase because inequality contributes to a variety of adverse social consequences that persist across generations. There is also substantial empirical evidence that inequality has a long-term negative impact on economic growth. For many decades, federal tax policy has played an important role in reducing inequality, although the impact of federal taxes on inequality has waxed and waned depending on the focus of elected officials. We argue that the estate tax is a particularly apt vehicle to reduce inequality because inheritances are a major source of wealth among …

Distracted From Distraction By Distraction: Reimagining Estate Tax Reform, Edward J. Mccaffery

Pepperdine Law Review

Recent legislation has left a gift and estate tax that will apply to far fewer than 1% of all decedents each year. This Article, prepared for a symposium on Tax Advice for the Second Obama Administration, argues that the estate tax has become largely irrelevant, except ironically as a spur to the creation and perpetuation of dynastic wealth via 'Dynasty Trusts.' The tax no longer meets any compelling policy rationale, such as raising revenue, 'backing up” the income tax, injecting progression into the tax system, or breaking up large concentrations of wealth. It is time to move on, and to …

When Sommers Are Winters: Do Blanks Denote Revocability?, Wendy G. Gerzog

All Faculty Scholarship

In Sommers, ruling on both parties’ motions for partial summary judgment, the Tax Court dealt with claims of issue preclusion and collateral estoppel, equitable apportionment, the completion of gifts of limited liability company interests, and retained powers that would cause estate tax inclusion.

Two aspects of Sommers held particular interest for me. The first is that the parties appear to be arguing their opponent’s conventional position. The second is that the court grappled with whether the blanks left in the gift documents were immaterial to gift completion; however, the court did not address whether the decedent’s completed gifts qualified for …