- 16 - keep the farm together in the family.” It is unclear, however, how the establishment of Oak Hill would accomplish any such objective. Under Article III, Section 8 of the Declaration of Trust, if any trust certificate holder dies before termination of the trust, his shares become “null and void and shall immediately revert to the Board of Trustees, who shall thereupon name a replacement beneficiary or beneficiaries”. Accordingly, the creation of Oak Hill would have provided petitioners no assurance that the farm would remain in their family. To the contrary, under the terms of the Declaration of Trust, absolute power over the disposition of the farm property, either during their lives or upon the death of either petitioner, would have resided with Parnell and Armageddon. In any event, the expectancy of an estate-planning advantage does not establish entitlement to an income tax advantage. See Prindle Intl. Marketing, UBO v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1998-164. Similarly, petitioners argue that the establishment of Oak Hill was motivated by a desire to achieve limited liability with respect to the parts business, in order to protect the farm property. We conclude, however, that any such objective was peripheral to petitioners’ primary objective of deflecting their taxable income. Petitioners’ personal farm property was commingled with the parts business property in Oak Hill, and so was not insulated from liability arising from the parts business.Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011