Taxation-Federal Estate and Gift Commons^™

Looking To The Past In Planning For The Future: Does The Modern Estate Tax Fit Within The Ideals Of The Founding Fathers?, Alicia Lerud

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Colorado Revisits The Rule Against Perpetuities, Wayne M. Gazur

Publications

The 2006 Colorado General Assembly passed legislation adopting a 1000-year limitation applicable to interests in trust, practically eliminating the Rule Against Perpetuities ("RAP"). This article discusses the legislation's impact on the RAP in trust and non-trust situations.

Estate Planning For Real Estate, Mary Ann Mancini, Stefan F. Tucker

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Planning To Pay Estate Taxes, Louis A. Mezzullo

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Bank: Revisiting Central Bank Of Denver After Enron And Sarbanes-Oxley, Celia Taylor

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

The Abolition Of Wealth Transfer Taxes: Lessons From Canada, Australia, And New Zealand, David G. Duff

ExpressO

When the United States acted to phase-out its estate tax by 2010, it joined a small but growing group of countries which have also repealed their wealth transfer taxes. In Canada, federal gift and estate taxes were repealed in 1972 and provincial wealth transfer taxes were abolished in the 1970s and 1980s. In Australia, State and Commonwealth wealth transfer taxes were repealed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. New Zealand followed suit in the 1990s, reducing estate tax rates to zero in 1992 and repealing the tax in 1999.

This paper reviews the abolition of wealth transfer taxes in …

Donor Standing To Enforce Charitable Gifts: Civil Society Vs. Donor Empowerment, Iris J. Goodwin

Vanderbilt Law Review

The cat is out of the bag: Donors are fast discovering what was once a well-kept secret in the philanthropic sector-that a gift to public charity donated for a specific purpose and restricted to that purpose is often used by the charity for its general operations or applied to other uses not intended by the donor. In most states, the Attorney General is the agent for enforcement of such gifts (an arrangement that recognizes the public's role as the ultimate beneficiary of any public charity). But Attorney General offices are beset with difficulties that make it virtually impossible to monitor …

Saving The Family Farm Through Federal Tax Policy: Easier Said Than Done Alex, Alex E. Snyder

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Gift Planning Goes Awry, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

Advisors to gift recipients need to be aware of the possibility of gifts with attached transferee liability.

The Profits And Penalties Of Kinship: Conflicting Meanings Of Family In Estate Tax Law, Bridget J. Crawford

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article critically examines the conflicting estate tax definitions of family in I.R.C. Sections 2036, 2032A and 6166. The sections use terms such as family and related in ways that conflict with each other and with lay understanding of the terms. From an historical perspective, the multiple estate tax definitions reflect the Code sections' distinct purposes. From a theoretical perspective, they acknowledge the personal and economic interconnectedness within families as well as diversity in the structure of family arrangements. The existing definitions of family fall short, however, in that they fail to recognize the full range of associational arrangements that …

Lucky For Life: A More Realistic And Reasonable Estate Tax Valuation For Nontransferable Lottery Winnings, Kyla C.E. Grogan

Washington Law Review

When a lottery winner dies after receiving only a few annuity payments from the state, the winner's estate must pay federal estate tax on the balance of the annuity. If the lottery prize is not legally transferable, the winner's estate cannot sell or pledge the right to future payments in order to generate funds to pay the estate tax. The estate tax value of an annuity is generally based on valuation tables that discount the future payments to present value. However, these valuation tables do not control when they produce an unrealistic and unreasonable result. The United States Courts of …

Estate Tax Repeal And The Budget Process, Karen C. Burke, Grayson M.P. Mccouch

University of San Diego Law and Economics Research Paper Series

This article examines the Bush Administration’s proposal, as part of its proposed fiscal year 2005 budget, to extend permanently the repeal of the federal estate tax. The article considers the budgetary impact of permanent estate tax repeal and discusses procedural impediments to use of the reconciliation process for permanent tax cuts. The article also notes the possibility of a durable compromise solution involving retention of the estate tax with lower rates and a higher exemption.

The Matthew Effect And Federal Taxation, Martin J. Mcmahon Jr.

UF Law Faculty Publications

The “Matthew Effect” is a synonym for the well-known colloquialism, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” This Article is about the Matthew Effect in the distribution of incomes in the United States and the failure of the federal tax system to address the problem. There has been a strong Matthew Effect in incomes in the United States over the past few decades, with an increasing concentration of income and wealth in the top one percent. Nevertheless, there has been a continuing trend of enacting disproportionately large tax cuts for those at the top of the income pyramid. …

Kimbell V. United States: The Rise And Apparent Fall Of The Section 2036 Argument Against Flps, Brant J. Hellwig

Scholarly Articles

In this report, Professor Hellwig examines the application of section 2036 to family limited partnerships in the context of the Fifth Circuit's recent opinion in Kimbell v. United States. After describing how the government developed section 2036 into an effective tool in combating the use of family limited partnerships to generate transfer tax savings, the report details how the Fifth Circuit's interpretation of the adequate and full consideration exception to section 2036 in Kimbell severely curtails the government's position. The report concludes with criticisms of the Kimbell decision, namely that the court failed to properly follow its own precedent in …

Pslra, Slusa, And Variable Annuities: Overlooked Side Effects Of A Potent Legislative Medicine, Michael J. Borden

Mercer Law Review

This Article highlights a harmful and far-reaching unintended consequence of two major pieces of securities litigation reform legislation1 that were passed as part of the Republican party's Contract with America in the mid-1990s. These reforms were justified, in part, on the grounds that they would benefit investors by improving disclosure of financial information by corporations. However, for many aggrieved investors, the effect of the legislation was just the opposite. Because of inadequate and misleading disclosures made by life insurance companies and their registered representatives, consumers were induced to purchase inappropriate investments carrying excessive fees that reduced the value of their …

Practical Planning Ideas For Distibutions From Iras And Qualified Plans, 37 J. Marshall L. Rev. 807 (2004), Steven R. Lifson

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reconsidering Private Foundation Investment Limitations, Richard L. Schmalbeck

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Family Limited Partnerships: Discounts, Options, And Disappearing Value, Karen C. Burke, Grayson M.P. Mccouch

UF Law Faculty Publications

Family partnerships have been become increasingly popular as a means of avoiding estate and gift taxes. As other estate freezing techniques have been closed off by statutory anti-abuse rules, estate planners have increasingly resorted to partnerships as a vehicle for transferring assets within a family at deeply discounted values. Discounts ranging from one-third to over one-half of the value of the underlying assets are routinely claimed, and often allowed, based on lack of marketability and lack of control, even where these disabilities have no lasting or ascertainable economic effect. Nevertheless, the use of family partnerships to suppress value for transfer …

Abandoning Principles: Qualified Tuition Programs And Wealth Transfer Taxation Doctrine, Wayne M. Gazur

Publications

In 1996 Congress gave its imprimatur to a modest qualified tuition program provision. Over the course of the next five years the provision was expanded, providing additional wealth transfer taxation and income taxation benefits. This essay proposes that unless limited, such benefits are inconsistent with established taxation principles and also have the potential to undermine the integrity of the wealth transfer tax structure and the progressive nature of the income tax.

The Magic Of Disappearing Wealth Revisited: Using Family Limited Partnerships To Reduce Estate And Gift Tax, Ronald H. Jensen

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this article will describe the techniques for using FLPs to reduce gift and estate taxes. Part II will discuss the economic validity of the discounts that are allowed under current law. Part III will examine the current status of the law regarding FLPs. Finally, Part IV will discuss the need for reform and will analyze and evaluate the various proposals for reform put forth to date. Part IV will conclude with a new recommendation for curtailing the abusive use of FLPs.

The 2003 Revised Uniform Estate Tax Apportionment Act, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

Editors' Synopsis: This Article describes the significant sections of the 2003 Uniform Estate Tax Apportionment Act (the "2003 Uniform Act'). The Article explains the purpose and operation of the 2003 Uniform Act's various sections and notes some of the differences between the 2003 Uniform Act and its prior version.

Shape Up Or Ship Out: Accountability To Third Parties For Patent Ambiguities In Testamentary Documents, Angela M. Vallario

All Faculty Scholarship

The attorney's preparation of a testamentary document (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a will or revocable trust) should clearly and accurately reflect the client's last wishes. Although these testamentary documents should reflect the client's intent, they often fall short of accomplishing that goal. There are numerous examples of will and trust construction cases that exhaust tremendous resources in an effort to ascertain the client's wishes or intent. Many of these cases involve the construction of patent and/or latent ambiguities which should have been resolved by appropriate drafting. This article's scope is limited to patent ambiguities caused by the attorney's negligence …

Investing Trust Assets: Prudence Redefined, Mark R. Gillett

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Legislating Morality: The Duty To The Tax System Reconsidered, Watson

Scholarly Works

Four years ago, I presented a paper at a symposium on professionalism jointly sponsored by the University of Kansas Law School and the Kansas Bar Association. That paper espoused the view (contrary to what appears to be the popular view among tax scholars) that tax lawyers owe no special duty to the "tax system" other than to abide by the law and the applicable standards of professional conduct. During the four-year interim since my last visit to Kansas, however, we have witnessed the deleterious effect of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA '98) on IRS enforcement and …

Estate Planning Topics, W. Birch Douglass Iii, Dee Ann Remo, Michael L. Layman

William & Mary Annual Tax Conference

No abstract provided.

Taxation, Craig D. Bell

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Internal Revenue Code As Sodomy Statute, Anthony C. Infanti

ExpressO

This essay attempts to bridge the gap between gay and straight understanding of the Internal Revenue Code’s impact on gay and lesbian couples. Through a combination of personal narrative and legal analysis, I try to explain how, from a gay perspective, the Code can be viewed as discriminating against gay and lesbian couples – regardless of whether, on a net basis, they are required to pay more or less tax than similarly-situated straight couples.

Revisiting Byrum, Brant J. Hellwig

Scholarly Articles

In the landmark case of United States v. Byrum, the Supreme Court determined that a majority shareholder's retention of voting rights over stock transferred in trust did not cause the stock to be included in his gross estate under Section 2036(a)(1) or (a)(2). The Court grounded its decision in the fiduciary duty owed by the board of directors and the majority shareholder to exercise their discretion over corporate distributions to promote the best interests of the entity. Despite legislative action quickly reversing the Court's holding in Byrum, the case continued to influence decisions concerning the estate tax consequences of a …

Level Five Philanthropy: Designing A Plan For Strategic, Effective, Efficient Giving, James Edward Harris

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Spousal Election: Suggested Equitable Reform For The Division Of Property At Death, Angela M. Vallario

All Faculty Scholarship

Testators have traditionally enjoyed immense discretion in directing the disposition of their wealth upon death; however, when a spouse survives the testator, public policy dictates a limitation on the testator's ability to dispose of property. American jurisdictions impose this limitation through the elective share in common law states and by the nature of property ownership in community property states. Ideally, this limitation should ensure equitable financial protection for the surviving spouse and protect his or her interest in assets that were accumulated with the decedent, yet the current elective share methods fall short of these goals.