- 28 -                                         
          of the $9,312,992 present value of the Busch property at the time           
          of decedent’s death.  The need for employing a discount is                  
          dependent on whether decedent’s partial interest would have an              
          effect on marketability.  See generally Propstra v. United                  
          States, 680 F.2d 1248 (9th Cir. 1982); Estate of Bright v. United           
          States, 658 F.2d 999 (5th Cir. 1981).  Petitioner bears the                 
          burden of showing that a discount is appropriate and the amount             
          of any such discount.  See Rule 142(a); Estate of Van Horne v.              
          Commissioner, 78 T.C. 728 (1982), affd. 720 F.2d 1114 (9th Cir.             
          1983).                                                                      
               Both of petitioner’s appraisers selected a 40-percent                  
          discount to adjust the value to account for decedent’s one-half             
          ownership in the Busch property.  Petitioner argues that the                
          expertise they have offered and respondent’s failure to provide             
          expertise to address this point should result in the Court’s                
          adopting a 40-percent discount.  Petitioner also makes the                  
          argument that partition was not a viable option because of the              
          1982 experience of the Busch property owners in failing to obtain           
          a division of the property into less than a 100-acre parcel for             
          agricultural purposes.                                                      
               Respondent counters that the highest and best use of the               
          property was residential development, and the estate and its                
          coowner chose to sell the entire property to a single purchaser.            
          Respondent also notes that among the sales offered as comparables           
          by petitioner’s experts some smaller parcels appeared to be no              
Page:  Previous   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   NextLast modified: May 25, 2011