State v. Galloway
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State v. Galloway
Opinion of the Court
The opinion heretofore filed herein is withdrawn, being incorrect in its statement of facts, and the following substituted in place thereof.
The state appeals from an order of the probate court of Ramsey county denying the application of the attorney general to impose an inheritance or succession tax upon “a gain of $2,822.50 on assets sold to pay expenses” of the administration of the estate of Herbert
In State ex rel. Gage v. Probate Court, 112 Minn. 279, 285, 128 N. W. 18, 20, the court in construing 1 Mason Minn. St. 1927, §§ 2292, 2293, 2294, and 2306, with reference to the time at which the value of the property transferred by the death of its owner is to be determined for the purpose of imposing a succession tax upon the ones receiving it, said:
“We agree with the contention of relator’s counsel that, no matter when the valuation takes place, it is to be made as of the date of testator’s death.”
The amendments made by L. 1911, c. 209, do not appear to affect the question now presented. In State ex rel. Hilton v. Probate Court, 143 Minn. 77, 80, 172 N. W. 902, 903, the court said:
“True, theoretically the transfer occurs upon the death of decedent, when it is áccomplished either by will or the intestate law. And the act provides that the basis of computing the tax shall be upon the money value of the portion received as of the time of decedent’s*241 death, or as soon thereafter as it is practicable to ascertain its then true value.”
The death transfers the property of a decedent to his heirs, dev-isees, or legatees subject to such claims as may be asserted against the same in the course of administration. For the privilege . of receiving the residue the succession tax is imposed. If after decedent’s death there is a gain in the estate, whether from increase in market value or from interest, dividends, rent, or income from the property, such gain or enhancement occurred after the transfer to the heirs, devisees, or legatees took place, and hence no succession tax attaches thereto unless there is an express provision in the law to that effect, as appears to be the case in Montana. In re Touhy’s Estate, 35 Mont. 431, 90 P. 170. The entire plan of the succession tax is not a tax on the property a decedent leaves but upon the privilege those have who receive it. The privilege is computed upon the value of the property received at the time of the transfer, to-wit, the death. Of course the exact amount transferred is not known until the administration of the estate is completed.- Claims allowed against the estate, taxes, funeral expenses, and expenses of administration are deductible — subject to which the heirs, devisees, and legatees take. It is clear that had there been no necessity of selling these municipal bonds, or had they been specifically bequeathed to a legatee, and there had been cash and other assets sufficient to pay all the expenses of administration and claims allowed, surely the state would not have contended for an additional succession tax because of the rise in the market value of the bequeathed bonds after testator’s death. Nor could there have been a reduction in the tax no matter how much their decrease in market value between testator’s death and the decree of distribution, if these bonds had been specifically bequeathed to a legatee. In Massachusetts, at a time when there were less specific statutes than ours touching the question here for decision, it was held that the tax should be computed upon the value of the property transferred as of the date of the owner’s death, the right of succession then occurring, and that gain therein afterward was not subject to the tax. Hooper v. Bradford,
The state relies on the decision of In re Estate of Bowlin, 189 Minn. 196, 248 N. W. 741, approving and following In re Ferguson’s Estate, 113 Wash. 598, 600, 194 P. 771, 772, 13 A. L. R. 122. In the Ferguson decision the court recognized the general rule—
“that the tax is to be measured by the value of the estate as of the death of the decedent, not as of the date of the probate of the will, the distribution of the estate, or any other proceeding, looking toward the administration of the estate and the collection of the tax.”
The court then says of the rule [113 Wash. 600]:
“It does not, however, cover the situation presented by the facts in the case before us. Here the devisees under the will did not receive the property which was inventoried, but received, in lieu of that, cash which was the balance remaining after the real property of the estate had been sold to meet the debts and expenses of the estate and the expense of administration.”
So we held in In re Estate of Bowlin, 189 Minn. 196, 248 N. W. 741, that the tax is to' be computed after deducting the expenses of administration from the value at which the estate was appraised for the purpose of determining the tax. It was considered that the loss sustained by reason of being compelled to sell assets of the
The order is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE ESTATE OF HERBERT H. BIGELOW. STATE v. HELEN BIGELOW GALLOWAY AND OTHERS
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published