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Articles & Seminar Materials
- June 5 NYS Tax Litigation Seminar: Completion Certificate June 2, 2025
- June 5 NYS Tax Litigation Seminar — Outline May 31, 2025
- June 5 Tax Litigation Seminar — Supplementary Materials May 14, 2025
- June 5 CPE Seminar: NYS Tax Litigation — Practice & Procedure April 28, 2025
- March 13 CPE Seminar: Supplementary Materials March 4, 2025
- Income Taxation of New York Trusts & 2025 Planning Strategies March 4, 2025
- Webinar Recording of 1031 Final Regulations Seminar January 16, 2025
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- Distributable Net Income and Income in Respect of a Decedent
- Use of Disclaimers in Pre and Post-Mortem Estate Planning
- Defeating The Right of Election in EPTL § 5-1.1-A
- Wash Sales
- Challenging The Account of a Fiduciary
- Avoiding Boot Gain in Like Kind Exchanges
- Defining the Scope of Trustee Powers
Author Archives: David L. Silverman, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation)
Special Needs Trusts
Elderly and disabled persons are peculiarly prone to significant and continuing costs for long-term care. Since many governmental benefits are need-based, ownership of substantial assets may preclude qualification under these programs.
A Special Needs Trust (SNT) established for a person with severe and chronic disabilities may enable a parent or family member to supplement Medicare or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), without adversely affecting eligibility under these programs, both of which impose restrictions on the amount of “income” or “resources” which the beneficiary may possess. 42 U.S.C. § 1382a. Continue reading
Posted in Elder Law, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Trusts
Tagged EPTL § 7-1.12, Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, supplemental needs trusts
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Tax and Legal Issues Arising In Connection With the Preparation of the Federal Gift Tax Return, Form 709 — Treatise
With little Congressional interest in increasing the $1 million lifetime exemption, familiarity with gift tax is important in estate planning. This seminar will first consider legal requirements for a completed gift. Filing requirements will then be reviewed. Gifts exempt from the gift tax, gifts for which a deduction is available, and split gifts will be discussed. Current valuation issues will be examined in connection with determining the value of gifted assets. The importance of expert appraisals and adequate disclosure will be emphasized. Penalties, deficiencies and preparer penalties will be reviewed, as will issues involving compliance, collection and liens. The relationship with the estate tax will be analyzed. Finally, a completed Form 709, illustrating concepts presented, will be studied in detail.
The Federal Gift Tax Return Form 709: Tax & Legal Issues
1. Nature of gift tax; filing requirements; extensions; bond 8. Valuing gifts of real estate & closely held companies
2. Whether to file if uncertain as to whether gift complete 9. Valuation discounts and adequate disclosure
3. Statute of limitations on assessment and collection 10. Importance of expert appraisal; preparer penalties
4. Annual exclusion gifts; reciprocal transfers; minors 11. Penalties, interest, liens and transferee liability
5. Exempted transfers: political, educational & medical 12. Assessment, deficiencies & collection; basis issues
6. Gifts to spouses and marital deduction; charitable gifts 13. Relationship with the Estate Tax; “gross up” rule
7. Split gifts: manner and time of consent, liability issues 14. Review of completed Form 709 gift tax return Continue reading
INSTALLMENT SALES OF ASSETS TO “DEFECTIVE” GRANTOR TRUSTS
Installment sales of assets to grantor trusts indirectly exploit income tax provisions enacted to prevent income shifting at a time when trust income tax rates were much lower than individual tax rates. Specifically, the technique capitalizes on different definitions of “transfer” for transfer tax and grantor trust income tax purposes. The resulting trusts are termed “defective” because the different definitions of “transfer” result in a serendipitous divergence in income and transfer tax treatment when assets are sold by the grantor to his own grantor trust. Continue reading
Use of Disclaimers in Pre and Post-Mortem Estate Planning
Disclaimers can be extremely useful in estate planning. A person who disclaims property is treated as never having received the property for gift, estate or income tax purposes. This is significant, since the actual receipt of the same property followed by a gratuitous transfer would result in a taxable gift. Although Wills frequently contain express language advising a beneficiary of a right to disclaim, such language is gratuitous, since a beneficiary may always disclaim.
For a disclaimer to achieve the intended federal tax result, it must constitute a qualified disclaimer under IRC §2518. If the disclaimer is not a qualified disclaimer, the disclaimant is treated as having received the property and then having made a taxable gift. Treas. Regs. §25.2518-1(b). Under the EPTL, as well as under most states’ laws, the person disclaiming is treated as if he had predeceased the donor, or died before the date on which the transfer creating the interest was made. Neither New York nor Florida is among the ten states which have adopted the Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act (UDPIA). Continue reading
Posted in Disclaimers, Estate Planning, Post Mortem Estate Planning, Post Mortem Estate Planning
Tagged accepence of benefits, charitable disclaimers, credit shelter trust, disclaim within 9 months, disclaimant, disclaimer of fiduciary powers, disclaimers, disclaimers by infants, disclaiming applicable exclusion amount, disclaiming jointly owned property, EPTL 2-11(b)(2), exercise of general power of appointment, general power of appointment, interest passing without direction, IRC 2518, marital disclaimers, minors and incompetents, QTIP election, qualified disclaimers, separate and severable interests, surviving spouse
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NYS Department of Taxation and Finance Announces It Will Allow Separate QTIP Election
In certain cases, an estate is required to file a return for New York State estate tax but is not required to file a federal return. This may occur if there is no federal estate tax in effect on the decedent’s date of death or if the decedent died while the federal estate tax was in effect but the value of his or her gross estate was too low to require the filing of a federal estate tax return. In either instance, and if applicable, the estate may still elect to take a marital deduction for Qualified Terminal Interest Property (QTIP) on a pro-forma federal estate tax return that is attached to the New York State estate tax return. Continue reading
Avoiding Liability Risks of Single-Member LLCs
Businesses have traditionally limited exposure to liabilities by forming a group of corporations or subsidiaries to insulate assets. Although effective, these structures are complicated and burdensome, often requiring separate boards of directors and annual meetings. Single-member LLCs (SMLLCs), which require few formalities, can also be utilized to insulate liabilities of various divisions of a business, or even the assets of a single taxpayer, such as an individual or corporation. Continue reading
Posted in Estate Planning, Family Entities
Tagged disregarded entity, liability risk, single member LLC, SMLLC, veil piercing
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DELAWARE ASSET PROTECTION TRUSTS ECLIPSE OFFSHORE ENTITIES
EPTL § 7-1.3 provides in stark language that “[a] disposition in trust for the use of the creator is void as against the existing or subsequent creditors of the creator.” This prohibition against self settled spendthrift trusts has led some New York residents to create asset protection trusts in exotic places such as the Cayman or Cook Islands, or in less exotic ones, such as Bermuda or Switzerland. Continue reading
ATTORNEY-CLIENT AND TAX PRACTITIONER PRIVILEGES
The attorney-client privilege protects the confidentiality of communications arising from the attorney-client relationship. Although there is no traditional “accountant-client” privilege, certain communications made by the client to an accountant hired by an attorney to assist in providing legal services may be privileged. U.S. v. Kovel, 296 F.2d 918 (1961). Continue reading
Operation of New Carryover Basis Rules
Enacted as part of the 2001 Tax Act, IRC § 1022 repeals the current basis step-up at death for property owned by a decedent, and replaces it with a carryover basis provision effective on January 1, 2010. If estate tax repeal occurs as scheduled on December 31, 2009, the new basis rules must be planned for, as they will effect a sea change in income and estate taxation. Congress is unlikely to repeal the estate tax without a return to carryover basis. Continue reading
Life Insurance Trusts
Life insurance trusts have long assumed a position of importance in estate planning, especially for larger estates, since insurance proceeds may be excluded from the settlor’s gross estate, thereby reducing or eliminating estate taxes. These tax savings may be achieved if the trust is drafted to authorize (but not require) the trustee to purchase assets from, or loan money to, the estate. Continue reading
Defeating a Will Contest
Without a Will, one’s property passes by the laws of intestacy. “Distributees” (i.e., those who would take under intestacy) have a right to be “cited” by the Surrogate’s Court prior to a Will’s admission to probate. For example, children of a decedent whose Will leaves everything to the wife must be cited, or waive citation, since as distributees they would be entitled to nearly half the estate if the decedent died without a will. Continue reading
Posted in Will Contests, Wills
Tagged testamentary capacity, undue influence, will contest
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Asset Protection Seminar: July 27, 2010 in Lake Success, NY
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Declaratory Relief Against NYS Department of Taxation & Finance in State Supreme Court
Tax disputes involving New York State are normally adjudicated in the New York State administrative tax tribunals. A “conciliation conference,” presided over by a “conferree” who is actually an employee of the Department of Taxation, usually commences the pas de deux. From there, the taxpayer may seek a hearing before an administrative law judge in the Division of Tax Appeals. An exception to an adverse decision by the ALJ may be taken to the Tax Appeals Tribunal. If the taxpayer loses, he may roll the dice again and appeal to the Appellate Division, Third Department, in Albany via an Article 78 proceeding. Leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals, rarely granted, may be sought if the taxpayer in the Appellate Division. In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari to relatively few petitioners involving substantive state tax issues. Continue reading
Asset Protection for Professionals
Asset protection is best implemented before a creditor — judgment or otherwise — appears, since a transfer made with the intent to hinder, delay or defraud a creditor may be deemed a “fraudulent conveyance” subject to rescission. Asset protection may consist of simply gifting or consuming the asset. Continue reading
REMOVING FEDERAL TAX LIENS
The filing of a federal tax lien can adversely affect the taxpayer’s ability to secure credit, dispose of property and conduct business. Ultimately, the property may be levied upon by the IRS and sold to satisfy the underlying tax liability. Fortunately, in many cases the filing of a tax lien is not a fait accomplis. For example, at times IRS will voluntarily withdraw a notice of tax lien: Continue reading →