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clarification of provisions in the 1962 Act, and changes to rules | | in the prior Acts. |
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| | | New rules. Issues addressed by some of the more significant | | new rules include: |
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| | | (1) The application of the probate administration rules to | | revocable living trusts after the settlor's death and to other | | terminating trusts. Articles 2 and 3. |
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| | | (2) The payment of interest or some other amount on the | | delayed payment of an outright pecuniary gift that is made | | pursuant to a trust agreement instead of a will when the | | agreement or state law does not provide for such a payment. | | Section 201(3). |
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| | | (3) The allocation of net income from partnership interests | | acquired by the trustee other than from a decedent (the old Acts | | deal only with partnership interests acquired from a decedent). | | Section 401. |
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| | | (4) An "unincorporated entity" concept has been introduced to | | deal with businesses operated by a trustee, including farming and | | livestock operations, and investment activities in rental real | | estate, natural resources, timber, and derivatives. Section 403. |
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| | | (5) The allocation of receipts from discount obligations such | | as zero-coupon bonds. Section 406(b). |
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| | | (6) The allocation of net income from harvesting and selling | | timber between principal and income. Section 412. |
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| | | (7) The allocation between principal and income of receipts | | from derivatives, options, and asset-backed securities. Sections | | 414 and 415. |
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| | | (8) Disbursements made because of environmental laws. | | Section 502(a)(7). |
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| | | (9) Income tax obligations resulting from the ownership of S | | corporation stock and interests in partnerships. Section 505. |
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| | | (10) The power to make adjustments between principal and | | income to correct inequities caused by tax elections or | | peculiarities in the way the fiduciary income tax rules apply. | | Section 506. |
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| | | Clarifications and changes in existing rules. A number of | | matters provided for in the prior Acts have been changed or | | clarified in this revision, including the following: |
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| | | (1) An income beneficiary's estate will be entitled to | | receive only net income actually received by a trust before the | | beneficiary's death and not items of accrued income. Section | | 303. |
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| | | (2) Income from a partnership is based on actual | | distributions from the partnership, in the same manner as | | corporate distributions. Section 401. |
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| | | (3) Distributions from corporations and partnerships that | | exceed 20% of the entity's gross assets will be principal whether | | or not intended by the entity to be a partial liquidation. | | Section 401(d)(2). |
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| | | (4) Deferred compensation is dealt with in greater detail in | | a separate section. Section 409. |
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| | | (5) The 1962 Act rule for "property subject to depletion," | | (patents, copyrights, royalties, and the like), which provides | | that a trustee may allocate up to 5% of the asset's inventory | | value to income and the balance to principal, has been replaced | | by a rule that allocates 90% of the amounts received to principal | | and the balance to income. Section 410. |
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| | | (6) The percentage used to allocate amounts received from oil | | and gas has been changed - 90% of those receipts are allocated to | | principal and the balance to income. Section 411. |
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| | | (7) The unproductive property rule has been eliminated for | | trusts other than marital deduction trusts. Section 413. |
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| | | (8) Charging depreciation against income is no longer | | mandatory, and is left to the discretion of the trustee. Section | | 503. |
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| | | Coordination with the Uniform Prudent Investor Act |
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| | | The law of trust investment has been modernized. See Uniform | | Prudent Investor Act (1994); Restatement (Third) of Trusts: | | Prudent Investor Rule (1992) (hereinafter Restatement of Trusts | | 3d: Prudent Investor Rule). Now it is time to update the | | principal and income allocation rules so the two bodies of | | doctrine can work well together. This revision deals | | conservatively with the tension between modern investment theory | | and traditional income allocation. The starting point is to use | | the traditional system. If prudent investing of all the assets | | in a trust viewed as a portfolio and traditional allocation |
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| | | effectuate the intent of the settlor, then nothing need be done. | | The Act, however, helps the trustee who has made a prudent, | | modern portfolio-based investment decision that has the initial | | effect of skewing return from all the assets under management, | | viewed as a portfolio, as between income and principal | | beneficiaries. The Act gives that trustee a power to reallocate | | the portfolio return suitably. To leave a trustee constrained by | | the traditional system would inhibit the trustee's ability to | | fully implement modern portfolio theory. |
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| | | As to modern investing see, e.g., the Preface to, terms of, | | and Comments to the Uniform Prudent Investor Act (1994); the | | discussion and reporter's note by Edward C. Halbach, Jr. in | | Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent Investor Rule; John H. | | Langbein, The Uniform Prudent Investor Act and the Future of | | Trust Investing, 81 Iowa L. Rev. 641 (1996); Bevis Longstreth, | | Modern Investment Management and the Prudent Man Rule (1986); | | John H. Langbein & Richard A. Posner, The Revolution in Trust | | Investment Law, 62 A.B.A.J. 887 (1976); and Jeffrey N. Gordon, | | The Puzzling Persistence of the Constrained Prudent Man Rule, 62 | | N.Y.U. L. Rev. 52 (1987). See also R.A. Brearly, An Introduction | | to Risk and Return from Common Stocks (2d ed. 1983); Jonathan R. | | Macey, An Introduction to Modern Financial Theory (2d ed. 1998). | | As to the need for principal and income reform see, e.g., Joel C. | | Dobris, Real Return, Modern Portfolio Theory and College, | | University and Foundation Decisions on Annual Spending From | | Endowments: A Visit to the World of Spending Rules, 28 Real | | Prop., Prob., & Tr. J. 49 (1993); Joel C. Dobris, The Probate | | World at the End of the Century: Is a New Principal and Income | | Act in Your Future?, 28 Real Prop., Prob., & Tr. J. 393 (1993); | | and Kenneth L. Hirsch, Inflation and the Law of Trusts, 18 Real | | Prop., Prob., & Tr. J. 601 (1983). See also, Jerold I. Horn, The | | Prudent Investor Rule - Impact on Drafting and Administration of | | Trusts, 20 ACTEC Notes 26 (Summer 1994). |
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| | | Sec. 1. 18-A MRSA Art. VII, Pt. 7 is enacted to read: |
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| | | UNIFORM PRINCIPAL AND INCOME ACT OF 1997 |
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| | | DEFINITIONS AND FIDUCIARY DUTIES |
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| | | This Part may be cited as the "Uniform Principal and Income | | Act of 1997." |
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| | | As used in this Part, unless the context otherwise indicates, | | the following terms have the following meanings. |
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| | | (a)__"Accounting period" means a calendar year unless another | | 12-month period is selected by a fiduciary.__The term includes a | | portion of a calendar year or other 12-month period that begins | | when an income interest begins or ends when an income interest | | ends. |
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| | | (b)__"Beneficiary" includes, in the case of a decedent's | | estate, an heir, legatee and devisee and, in the case of a trust, | | an income beneficiary and a remainder beneficiary. |
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| | | (c)__"Fiduciary" means a personal representative or a trustee.__ | | The term includes an executor, administrator, successor personal | | representative, special administrator and a person performing | | substantially the same function. |
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| | | (d)__"Income" means money or property that a fiduciary | | receives as current return from a principal asset.__The term | | includes a portion of receipts from a sale, exchange or | | liquidation of a principal asset, to the extent provided in | | subpart 4. |
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| | | (e)__"Income beneficiary" means a person to whom net income of | | a trust is or may be payable. |
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| | | (f)__"Income interest" means the right of an income | | beneficiary to receive all or part of net income, whether the | | terms of the trust require it to be distributed or authorize it | | to be distributed in the trustee's discretion. |
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| | | (g)__"Mandatory income interest" means the right of an income | | beneficiary to receive net income that the terms of the trust | | require the fiduciary to distribute. |
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| | | (h)__"Net income" means the total receipts allocated to income | | during an accounting period minus the disbursements made from | | income during the period, plus or minus transfers under this Part | | to or from income during the period. |
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| | | (i)__"Person" means an individual; corporation; business | | trust; estate; trust; partnership; limited liability company; | | association; joint venture; government; governmental subdivision, | | agency or instrumentality; public corporation; or any other legal | | or commercial entity. |
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| | | (j)__"Principal" means property held in trust for distribution | | to a remainder beneficiary when the trust terminates. |
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| | | (k)__"Remainder beneficiary" means a person entitled to | | receive principal when an income interest ends. |
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| | | (l)__"Terms of a trust" means the manifestation of the intent | | of a settlor or decedent with respect to the trust, expressed in | | a manner that admits of its proof in a judicial proceeding, | | whether by written or spoken words or by conduct. |
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| | | (m)__"Trustee" includes an original, additional or successor | | trustee, whether or not appointed or confirmed by a court. |
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| | | (This is section 102 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | "Income beneficiary." The definitions of income beneficiary | | (Section 102(5)) and income interest (Section 102(6)) cover both | | mandatory and discretionary beneficiaries and interests. There | | are no definitions for "discretionary income beneficiary" or | | "discretionary income interest" because those terms are not used | | in the Act. |
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| | | Inventory value. There is no definition for inventory value | | in this Act because the provisions in which that term was used in | | the 1962 Act have either been eliminated (in the case of the | | underproductive property provision) or changed in a way that | | eliminates the need for the term (in the case of bonds and other | | money obligations, property subject to depletion, and the method | | for determining entitlement to income distributed from a probate | | estate). |
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| | | "Net income." The reference to "transfers under this Act to | | or from income" means transfers made under Sections 104(a), | | 412(b), 502(b), 503(b), 504(a), and 506. |
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| | | "Terms of a trust." This term was chosen in preference to | | "terms of the trust instrument" (the phrase used in the 1962 Act) | | to make it clear that the Act applies to oral trusts as well as | | those whose terms are expressed in written documents. The | | definition is based on the Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 4 | | (1959) and the Restatement (Third) of Trusts § 4 (Tent. Draft No. | | 1, 1996). Constructional preferences or rules would also apply, | | if necessary, to determine the terms of the trust. |
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| | | §7-703.__Fiduciary duties; general principles |
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| | | (a)__In allocating receipts and disbursements to or between | | principal and income and with respect to any matter within the | | scope of subparts 2 and 3, a fiduciary: |
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| | | (1)__Shall administer a trust or estate in accordance with | | the terms of the trust or the will, even if there is a | | different provision in this Part; |
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| | | (2)__May administer a trust or estate by the exercise of a | | discretionary power of administration given to the fiduciary | | by the terms of the trust or the will, even if the exercise | | of the power produces a result different from a result | | required or permitted by this Part; |
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| | | (3)__Shall administer a trust or estate in accordance with | | this Part if the terms of the trust or the will do not | | contain a different provision or do not give the fiduciary a | | discretionary power of administration; and |
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| | | (4)__Shall add a receipt or charge a disbursement to | | principal to the extent that the terms of the trust and this | | Part do not provide a rule for allocating the receipt or | | disbursement to or between principal and income. |
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| | | (b)__In exercising the power to adjust under section 7-704, | | subsection (a) or a discretionary power of administration | | regarding a matter within the scope of this Part, whether granted | | by the terms of a trust, a will or this Part, a fiduciary shall | | administer a trust or estate impartially, based on what is fair | | and reasonable to all of the beneficiaries, except to the extent | | that the terms of the trust or the will clearly manifest an | | intention that the fiduciary shall or may favor one or more of | | the beneficiaries.__A determination in accordance with this Part | | is presumed to be fair and reasonable to all of the | | beneficiaries. |
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| | | (This is Section 103 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Act. The rule in Section 2(a) of the 1962 Act is | | restated in Section 103(a), without changing its substance, to | | emphasize that the Act contains only default rules and that | | provisions in the terms of the trust are paramount. However, | | Section 2(a) of the 1962 Act applies only to the allocation of | | receipts and disbursements to or between principal and income. | | In this Act, the first sentence of Section 103(a) states that it | | also applies to matters within the scope of Articles 2 and 3. |
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| | | Section 103(a)(2) incorporates the rule in Section 2(b) of the | | 1962 Act that a discretionary allocation made by the trustee that | | is contrary to a rule in the Act should not give rise to an | | inference of imprudence or partiality by the trustee. |
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| | | The Act deletes the language that appears at the end of 1962 | | Act Section 2(a)(3) - "and in view of the manner in which men of | | ordinary prudence, discretion and judgment would act in the | | management of their affairs" - because persons of ordinary | | prudence, discretion and judgment, acting in the management of | | their own affairs do not normally think in terms of the interests | | of successive beneficiaries. If there is an analogy to an | | individual's decisionmaking process, it is probably the | | individual's decision to spend or to save, but this is not a | | useful guideline for trust administration. No case has been | | found in which a court has relied on the "prudent man" rule of | | the 1962 Act. |
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| | | Fiduciary discretion. The general rule is that if a | | discretionary power is conferred upon a trustee, the exercise of | | that power is not subject to control by a court except to prevent | | an abuse of discretion. Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 187. | | The situations in which a court will control the exercise of a | | trustee's discretion are discussed in the comments to § 187. See | | also id. § 233 Comment p. |
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| | | Questions for which there is no provision. Section 103(a)(4) | | allocates receipts and disbursements to principal when there is | | no provision for a different allocation in the terms of the | | trust, the will or the Act. This may occur because money is | | received from a financial instrument not available at the present | | time (inflation-indexed bonds might have fallen into this | | category had they been announced after this Act was approved by | | the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws) or because a transaction | | is of a type or occurs in a manner not anticipated by the | | Drafting Committee for this Act or the drafter of the trust | | instrument. |
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| | | Allocating to principal a disbursement for which there is no | | provision in the Act or the terms of the trust preserves the | | income beneficiary's level of income in the year it is allocated | | to principal, but thereafter will reduce the amount of income | | produced by the principal. Allocating to principal a receipt for | | which there is no provision will increase the income received by | | the income beneficiary in subsequent years, and will eventually, | | upon termination of the trust, also favor the remainder | | beneficiary. Allocating these items to principal implements the | | rule that requires a trustee to administer the trust impartially, | | based on what is fair and reasonable to both income and remainder | | beneficiaries. However, if the trustee decides that an |
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| | | adjustment between principal and income is needed to enable the | | trustee to comply with Section 103(b), after considering the | | return from the portfolio as a whole, the trustee may make an | | appropriate adjustment under Section 104(a). |
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| | | Duty of impartiality. Whenever there are two or more | | beneficiaries, a trustee is under a duty to deal impartially with | | them. Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent Investor Rule § 183 | | (1992). This rule applies whether the beneficiaries' interests | | in the trust are concurrent or successive. If the terms of the | | trust give the trustee discretion to favor one beneficiary over | | another, a court will not control the exercise of such discretion | | except to prevent the trustee from abusing it. Id. § 183, | | Comment a. "The precise meaning of the trustee's duty of | | impartiality and the balancing of competing interests and | | objectives inevitably are matters of judgment and interpretation. | | Thus, the duty and balancing are affected by the purposes, terms, | | distribution requirements, and other circumstances of the trust, | | not only at the outset but as they may change from time to time." | | Id. § 232, Comment c. |
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| | | The terms of a trust may provide that the trustee, or an | | accountant engaged by the trustee, or a committee of persons who | | may be family members or business associates, shall have the | | power to determine what is income and what is principal. If the | | terms of a trust provide that this Act specifically or principal | | and income legislation in general does not apply to the trust but | | fail to provide a rule to deal with a matter provided for in this | | Act, the trustee has an implied grant of discretion to decide the | | question. Section 103(b) provides that the rule of impartiality | | applies in the exercise of such a discretionary power to the | | extent that the terms of the trust do not provide that one or | | more of the beneficiaries are to be favored. The fact that a | | person is named an income beneficiary or a remainder beneficiary | | is not by itself an indication of partiality for that | | beneficiary. |
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| | | §7-704.__Trustee's power to adjust |
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| | | (a)__A trustee may adjust between principal and income to the | | extent the trustee considers necessary if the trustee invests and | | manages trust assets as a prudent investor, the terms of the | | trust describe the amount that may or must be distributed to a | | beneficiary by referring to the trust's income and the trustee | | determines, after applying the rules in section 7-703, subsection | | (a), that the trustee is unable to comply with section 7-703, | | subsection (b). |
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| | | (b)__In deciding whether and to what extent to exercise the | | power conferred by subsection (a), a trustee shall consider all |
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| | | factors relevant to the trust and its beneficiaries, including | | the following factors to the extent they are relevant: |
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| | | (1)__The nature, purpose and expected duration of the trust; |
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| | | (2)__The intent of the settlor; |
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| | | (3)__The identity and circumstances of the beneficiaries; |
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| | | (4)__The needs for liquidity, regularity of income and | | preservation and appreciation of capital; |
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| | | (5)__The assets held in the trust; the extent to which they | | consist of financial assets, interests in closely held | | enterprises, tangible and intangible personal property or | | real property; the extent to which an asset is used by a | | beneficiary; and whether an asset was purchased by the | | trustee or received from the settlor; |
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| | | (6)__The net amount allocated to income under the other | | sections of this Part and the increase or decrease in the | | value of the principal assets, which the trustee may | | estimate as to assets for which market values are not | | readily available; |
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| | | (7)__Whether and to what extent the terms of the trust give | | the trustee the power to invade principal or accumulate | | income or prohibit the trustee from invading principal or | | accumulating income, and the extent to which the trustee has | | exercised a power from time to time to invade principal or | | accumulate income; |
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| | | (8)__The actual and anticipated effect of economic | | conditions on principal and income and effects of inflation | | and deflation; and |
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| | | (9)__The anticipated tax consequences of an adjustment. |
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| | | (c)__A trustee may not make an adjustment: |
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| | | (1)__That diminishes the income interest in a trust that | | requires all of the income to be paid at least annually to a | | spouse and for which an estate tax or gift tax marital | | deduction would be allowed, in whole or in part, if the | | trustee did not have the power to make the adjustment; |
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| | | (2)__That reduces the actuarial value of the income interest | | in a trust to which a person transfers property with the | | intent to qualify for a gift tax exclusion; |
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| | | (3)__That changes the amount payable to a beneficiary as a | | fixed annuity or a fixed fraction of the value of the trust | | assets; |
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| | | (4)__From any amount that is permanently set aside for | | charitable purposes under a will or the terms of a trust | | unless both income and principal are so set aside; |
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| | | (5)__If possessing or exercising the power to make an | | adjustment causes an individual to be treated as the owner | | of all or part of the trust for income tax purposes and the | | individual would not be treated as the owner if the trustee | | did not possess the power to make an adjustment; |
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| | | (6)__If possessing or exercising the power to make an | | adjustment causes all or part of the trust assets to be | | included for estate tax purposes in the estate of an | | individual who has the power to remove a trustee or appoint | | a trustee, or both, and the assets would not be included in | | the estate of the individual if the trustee did not possess | | the power to make an adjustment; |
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| | | (7)__If the trustee is a beneficiary of the trust; or |
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| | | (8)__If the trustee is not a beneficiary, but the adjustment | | would benefit the trustee directly or indirectly. |
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| | | (d)__If subsection (c), paragraph (5), (6), (7) or (8) applies | | to a trustee and there is more than one trustee, a cotrustee to | | whom the provision does not apply may make the adjustment unless | | the exercise of the power by the remaining trustee or trustees is | | not permitted by the terms of the trust. |
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| | | (e)__A trustee may release the entire power conferred by | | subsection (a) or may release only the power to adjust from | | income to principal or the power to adjust from principal to | | income if the trustee is uncertain about whether possessing or | | exercising the power will cause a result described in subsection | | (c), paragraphs (1) to (6) or paragraph (8) or if the trustee | | determines that possessing or exercising the power will or may | | deprive the trust of a tax benefit or impose a tax burden not | | described in subsection (c).__The release may be permanent or for | | a specified period, including a period measured by the life of an | | individual. |
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| | | (f)__Terms of a trust that limit the power of a trustee to | | make an adjustment between principal and income do not affect the | | application of this section unless it is clear from the terms of | | the trust that the terms are intended to deny the trustee the | | power of adjustment conferred by subsection (a). |
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| | | (This is Section 104 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Purpose and Scope of Provision. The purpose of Section 104 is | | to enable a trustee to select investments using the standards of | | a prudent investor without having to realize a particular portion | | of the portfolio's total return in the form of traditional trust | | accounting income such as interest, dividends, and rents. | | Section 104(a) authorizes a trustee to make adjustments between | | principal and income if three conditions are met: (1) the trustee | | must be managing the trust assets under the prudent investor | | rule; (2) the terms of the trust must express the income | | beneficiary's distribution rights in terms of the right to | | receive "income" in the sense of traditional trust accounting | | income; and (3) the trustee must determine, after applying the | | rules in Section 103(a), that he is unable to comply with Section | | 103(b). In deciding whether and to what extent to exercise the | | power to adjust, the trustee is required to consider the factors | | described in Section 104(b), but the trustee may not make an | | adjustment in circumstances described in Section 104(c). |
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| | | Section 104 does not empower a trustee to increase or decrease | | the degree of beneficial enjoyment to which a beneficiary is | | entitled under the terms of the trust; rather, it authorizes the | | trustee to make adjustments between principal and income that may | | be necessary if the income component of a portfolio's total | | return is too small or too large because of investment decisions | | made by the trustee under the prudent investor rule. The | | paramount consideration in applying Section 104(a) is the | | requirement in Section 103(b) that "a fiduciary must administer a | | trust or estate impartially, based on what is fair and reasonable | | to all of the beneficiaries, except to the extent that the terms | | of the trust or the will clearly manifest an intention that the | | fiduciary shall or may favor one or more of the beneficiaries." | | The power to adjust is subject to control by the court to prevent | | an abuse of discretion. Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 187 | | (1959). See also id. §§ 183, 232, 233, Comment p (1959). |
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| | | Section 104 will be important for trusts that are irrevocable | | when a State adopts the prudent investor rule by statute or | | judicial approval of the rule in Restatement of Trusts 3d: | | Prudent Investor Rule. Wills and trust instruments executed | | after the rule is adopted can be drafted to describe a | | beneficiary's distribution rights in terms that do not depend | | upon the amount of trust accounting income, but to the extent |
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| | | that drafters of trust documents continue to describe an income | | beneficiary's distribution rights by referring to trust | | accounting income, Section 104 will be an important tool in trust | | administration. |
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| | | Three conditions to the exercise of the power to adjust. The | | first of the three conditions that must be met before a trustee | | can exercise the power to adjust - that the trustee invest and | | manage trust assets as a prudent investor - is expressed in this | | Act by language derived from the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, | | but the condition will be met whether the prudent investor rule | | applies because the Uniform Act or other prudent investor | | legislation has been enacted, the prudent investor rule has been | | approved by the courts, or the terms of the trust require it. | | Even if a State's legislature or courts have not formally adopted | | the rule, the Restatement establishes the prudent investor rule | | as an authoritative interpretation of the common law prudent man | | rule, referring to the prudent investor rule as a "modest | | reformulation of the Harvard College dictum and the basic rule of | | prior Restatements." Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent Investor | | Rule, Introduction, at 5. As a result, there is a basis for | | concluding that the first condition is satisfied in virtually all | | States except those in which a trustee is permitted to invest | | only in assets set forth in a statutory "legal list." |
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| | | The second condition will be met when the terms of the trust | | require all of the "income" to be distributed at regular | | intervals; or when the terms of the trust require a trustee to | | distribute all of the income, but permit the trustee to decide | | how much to distribute to each member of a class of | | beneficiaries; or when the terms of a trust provide that the | | beneficiary shall receive the greater of the trust accounting | | income and a fixed dollar amount (an annuity), or of trust | | accounting income and a fractional share of the value of the | | trust assets (a unitrust amount). If the trust authorizes the | | trustee in its discretion to distribute the trust's income to the | | beneficiary or to accumulate some or all of the income, the | | condition will be met because the terms of the trust do not | | permit the trustee to distribute more than the trust accounting | | income. |
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| | | To meet the third condition, the trustee must first meet the | | requirements of Section 103(a), i.e., she must apply the terms of | | the trust, decide whether to exercise the discretionary powers | | given to the trustee under the terms of the trust, and must apply | | the provisions of the Act if the terms of the trust do not | | contain a different provision or give the trustee discretion. | | Second, the trustee must determine the extent to which the terms | | of the trust clearly manifest an intention by the settlor that |
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| | | the trustee may or must favor one or more of the beneficiaries. | | To the extent that the terms of the trust do not require | | partiality, the trustee must conclude that she is unable to | | comply with the duty to administer the trust impartially. To the | | extent that the terms of the trust do require or permit the | | trustee to favor the income beneficiary or the remainder | | beneficiary, the trustee must conclude that she is unable to | | achieve the degree of partiality required or permitted. If the | | trustee comes to either conclusion - that she is unable to | | administer the trust impartially or that she is unable to achieve | | the degree of partiality required or permitted - she may exercise | | the power to adjust under Section 104(a). |
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| | | Impartiality and productivity of income. The duty of | | impartiality between income and remainder beneficiaries is linked | | to the trustee's duty to make the portfolio productive of trust | | accounting income whenever the distribution requirements are | | expressed in terms of distributing the trust's "income." The | | 1962 Act implies that the duty to produce income applies on an | | asset by asset basis because the right of an income beneficiary | | to receive "delayed income" from the sale proceeds of | | underproductive property under Section 12 of that Act arises if | | "any part of principal ... has not produced an average net income | | of a least 1% per year of its inventory value for more than a | | year ... ." Under the prudent investor rule, "[t]o whatever | | extent a requirement of income productivity exists, ... the | | requirement applies not investment by investment but to the | | portfolio as a whole." Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent | | Investor Rule § 227, Comment i, at 34. The power to adjust under | | Section 104(a) is also to be exercised by considering net income | | from the portfolio as a whole and not investment by investment. | | Section 413(b) of this Act eliminates the underproductive | | property rule in all cases other than trusts for which a marital | | deduction is allowed; the rule applies to a marital deduction | | trust if the trust's assets "consist substantially of property | | that does not provide the spouse with sufficient income from or | | use of the trust assets ..." - in other words, the section | | applies by reference to the portfolio as a whole. |
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| | | While the purpose of the power to adjust in Section 104(a) is | | to eliminate the need for a trustee who operates under the | | prudent investor rule to be concerned about the income component | | of the portfolio's total return, the trustee must still determine | | the extent to which a distribution must be made to an income | | beneficiary and the adequacy of the portfolio's liquidity as a | | whole to make that distribution. |
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| | | For a discussion of investment considerations involving | | specific investments and techniques under the prudent investor |
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| | | rule, see Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent Investor Rule § 227, | | Comments k-p. |
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| | | Factors to consider in exercising the power to adjust. | | Section 104(b) requires a trustee to consider factors relevant to | | the trust and its beneficiaries in deciding whether and to what | | extent the power to adjust should be exercised. Section 2(c) of | | the Uniform Prudent Investor Act sets forth circumstances that a | | trustee is to consider in investing and managing trust assets. | | The circumstances in Section 2(c) of the Uniform Prudent Investor | | Act are the source of the factors in paragraphs (3) through (6) | | and (8) of Section 104(b) (modified where necessary to adapt them | | to the purposes of this Act) so that, to the extent possible, | | comparable factors will apply to investment decisions and | | decisions involving the power to adjust. If a trustee who is | | operating under the prudent investor rule decides that the | | portfolio should be composed of financial assets whose total | | return will result primarily from capital appreciation rather | | than dividends, interest, and rents, the trustee can decide at | | the same time the extent to which an adjustment from principal to | | income may be necessary under Section 104. On the other hand, if | | a trustee decides that the risk and return objectives for the | | trust are best achieved by a portfolio whose total return | | includes interest and dividend income that is sufficient to | | provide the income beneficiary with the beneficial interest to | | which the beneficiary is entitled under the terms of the trust, | | the trustee can decide that it is unnecessary to exercise the | | power to adjust. |
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| | | Assets received from the settlor. Section 3 of the Uniform | | Prudent Investor Act provides that "[a] trustee shall diversify | | the investments of the trust unless the trustee reasonably | | determines that, because of special circumstances, the purposes | | of the trust are better served without diversifying." The | | special circumstances may include the wish to retain a family | | business, the benefit derived from deferring liquidation of the | | asset in order to defer payment of income taxes, or the | | anticipated capital appreciation from retaining an asset such as | | undeveloped real estate for a long period. To the extent the | | trustee retains assets received from the settlor because of | | special circumstances that overcome the duty to diversify, the | | trustee may take these circumstances into account in determining | | whether and to what extent the power to adjust should be | | exercised to change the results produced by other provisions of | | this Act that apply to the retained assets. See Section | | 104(b)(5); Uniform Prudent Investor Act § 3, Comment, 7B U.L.A. | | 18, at 2526 (Supp. 1997); Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent | | Investor Rule § 229 and Comments a-e. |
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| | | Limitations on the power to adjust. The purpose of | | subsections (c)(1) through (4) is to preserve tax benefits that | | may have been an important purpose for creating the trust. | | Subsections (c)(5), (6), and (8) deny the power to adjust in the | | circumstances described in those subsections in order to prevent | | adverse tax consequences, and subsection (c)(7) denies the power | | to adjust to any beneficiary, whether or not possession of the | | power may have adverse tax consequences. |
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| | | Under subsection (c)(1), a trustee cannot make an adjustment | | that diminishes the income interest in a trust that requires all | | of the income to be paid at least annually to a spouse and for | | which an estate tax or gift tax marital deduction is allowed; but | | this subsection does not prevent the trustee from making an | | adjustment that increases the amount of income paid from a | | marital deduction trust to the spouse. Subsection (c)(1) applies | | to a trust that qualifies for the marital deduction because the | | spouse has a general power of appointment over the trust, but it | | applies to a qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust | | only if and to the extent that the fiduciary makes the election | | required to obtain the tax deduction. Subsection (c)(1) does not | | apply to a so-called "estate" trust. This type of trust | | qualifies for the marital deduction because the terms of the | | trust require the principal and undistributed income to be paid | | to the surviving spouse's estate when the spouse dies; it is not | | necessary for the terms of an estate trust to require the income | | to be distributed annually. Reg. § 20.2056(c)2(b)(1)(iii). |
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| | | Subsection (c)(3) applies to annuity trusts and unitrusts with | | no charitable beneficiaries as well as to trusts with charitable | | income or remainder beneficiaries; its purpose is to make it | | clear that a beneficiary's right to receive a fixed annuity or a | | fixed fraction of the value of a trust's assets is not subject to | | adjustment under Section 104(a). Subsection (c)(3) does not | | apply to any additional amount to which the beneficiary may be | | entitled that is expressed in terms of a right to receive income | | from the trust. For example, if a beneficiary is to receive a | | fixed annuity or the trust's income, whichever is greater, | | subsection (c)(3) does not prevent a trustee from making an | | adjustment under Section 104(a) in determining the amount of the | | trust's income. |
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| | | If subsection (c)(5), (6), (7), or (8), prevents a trustee | | from exercising the power to adjust, subsection (d) permits a | | cotrustee who is not subject to the provision to exercise the | | power unless the terms of the trust do not permit the cotrustee | | to do so. |
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| | | Release of the power to adjust. Section 104(e) permits a | | trustee to release all or part of the power to adjust in |
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| | | circumstances in which the possession or exercise of the power | | might deprive the trust of a tax benefit or impose a tax burden. | | For example, if possessing the power would diminish the actuarial | | value of the income interest in a trust for which the income | | beneficiary's estate may be eligible to claim a credit for | | property previously taxed if the beneficiary dies within ten | | years after the death of the person creating the trust, the | | trustee is permitted under subsection (e) to release just the | | power to adjust from income to principal. |
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| | | Trust terms that limit a power to adjust. Section 104(f) | | applies to trust provisions that limit a trustee's power to | | adjust. Since the power is intended to enable trustees to employ | | the prudent investor rule without being constrained by | | traditional principal and income rules, an instrument executed | | before the adoption of this Act whose terms describe the amount | | that may or must be distributed to a beneficiary by referring to | | the trust's income or that prohibit the invasion of principal or | | that prohibit equitable adjustments in general should not be | | construed as forbidding the use of the power to adjust under | | Section 104(a) if the need for adjustment arises because the | | trustee is operating under the prudent investor rule. | | Instruments containing such provisions that are executed after | | the adoption of this Act should specifically refer to the power | | to adjust if the settlor intends to forbid its use. See | | generally, Joel C. Dobris, Limits on the Doctrine of Equitable | | Adjustment in Sophisticated Postmortem Tax Planning, 66 Iowa L. | | Rev. 273 (1981). |
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| | | Examples. The following examples illustrate the application | | of Section 104: |
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| | | Example (1) - T is the successor trustee of a trust that | | provides income to A for life, remainder to B. T has received | | from the prior trustee a portfolio of financial assets invested | | 20% in stocks and 80% in bonds. Following the prudent investor | | rule, T determines that a strategy of investing the portfolio 50% | | in stocks and 50% in bonds has risk and return objectives that | | are reasonably suited to the trust, but T also determines that | | adopting this approach will cause the trust to receive a smaller | | amount of dividend and interest income. After considering the | | factors in Section 104(b), T may transfer cash from principal to | | income to the extent T considers it necessary to increase the | | amount distributed to the income beneficiary. |
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| | | Example (2) - T is the trustee of a trust that requires the | | income to be paid to the settlor's son C for life, remainder to | | C's daughter D. In a period of very high inflation, T purchases | | bonds that pay double-digit interest and determines that a | | portion of the interest, which is allocated to income under |
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| | | Section 406 of this Act, is a return of capital. In | | consideration of the loss of value of principal due to inflation | | and other factors that T considers relevant, T may transfer part | | of the interest to principal. |
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| | | Example (3) - T is the trustee of a trust that requires the | | income to be paid to the settlor's sister E for life, remainder | | to charity F. E is a retired schoolteacher who is single and has | | no children. E's income from her social security, pension, and | | savings exceeds the amount required to provide for her accustomed | | standard of living. The terms of the trust permit T to invade | | principal to provide for E's health and to support her in her | | accustomed | | manner of living, but do not otherwise indicate that T should | | favor E or F. Applying the prudent investor rule, T determines | | that the trust assets should be invested entirely in growth | | stocks that produce very little dividend income. Even though it | | is not necessary to invade principal to maintain E's accustomed | | standard of living, she is entitled to receive from the trust the | | degree of beneficial enjoyment normally accorded a person who is | | the sole income beneficiary of a trust, and T may transfer cash | | from principal to income to provide her with that degree of | | enjoyment. |
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| | | Example (4) - T is the trustee of a trust that is governed by | | the law of State X. The trust became irrevocable before State X | | adopted the prudent investor rule. The terms of the trust | | require all of the income to be paid to G for life, remainder to | | H, and also give T the power to invade principal for the benefit | | of G for "dire emergencies only." The terms of the trust limit | | the aggregate amount that T can distribute to G from principal | | during G's life to 6% of the trust's value at its inception. The | | trust's portfolio is invested initially 50% in stocks and 50% in | | bonds, but after State X adopts the prudent investor rule T | | determines that, to achieve suitable risk and return objectives | | for the trust, the assets should be invested 90% in stocks and | | 10% in bonds. This change increases the total return from the | | portfolio and decreases the dividend and interest income. | | Thereafter, even though G does not experience a dire emergency, T | | may exercise the power to adjust under Section 104(a) to the | | extent that T determines that the adjustment is from only the | | capital appreciation resulting from the change in the portfolio's | | asset allocation. If T is unable to determine the extent to | | which capital appreciation resulted from the change in asset | | allocation or is unable to maintain adequate records to determine | | the extent to which principal distributions to G for dire | | emergencies do not exceed the 6% limitation, T may not exercise | | the power to adjust. See Joel C. Dobris, Limits on the Doctrine | | of Equitable Adjustment in Sophisticated Postmortem Tax Planning, | | 66 Iowa L. Rev. 273 (1981). |
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| | | Example (5) - T is the trustee of a trust for the settlor's | | child. The trust owns a diversified portfolio of marketable | | financial assets with a value of $600,000, and is also the sole | | beneficiary of the settlor's IRA, which holds a diversified | | portfolio of marketable financial assets with a value of | | $900,000. The trust receives a distribution from the IRA that is | | the minimum amount required to be distributed under the Internal | | Revenue Code, and T allocates 10% of the distribution to income | | under Section 409(c) of this Act. The total return on the IRA's | | assets exceeds the amount distributed to the trust, and the value | | of the IRA at the end of the year is more than its value at the | | beginning of the year. Relevant factors that T may consider in | | determining whether to exercise the power to adjust and the | | extent to which an adjustment should be made to comply with | | Section 103(b) include the total | | return from all of the trust's assets, those owned directly as | | well as its interest in the IRA, the extent to which the trust | | will be subject to income tax on the portion of the IRA | | distribution that is allocated to principal, and the extent to | | which the income beneficiary will be subject to income tax on the | | amount that T distributes to the income beneficiary. |
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| | | Example (6) - T is the trustee of a trust whose portfolio | | includes a large parcel of undeveloped real estate. T pays real | | property taxes on the undeveloped parcel from income each year | | pursuant to Section 501(3). After considering the return from | | the trust's portfolio as a whole and other relevant factors | | described in Section 104(b), T may exercise the power to adjust | | under Section 104(a) to transfer cash from principal to income in | | order to distribute to the income beneficiary an amount that T | | considers necessary to comply with Section 103(b). |
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| | | Example (7) - T is the trustee of a trust whose portfolio | | includes an interest in a mutual fund that is sponsored by T. As | | the manager of the mutual fund, T charges the fund a management | | fee that reduces the amount available to distribute to the trust | | by $2,000. If the fee had been paid directly by the trust, one- | | half of the fee would have been paid from income under Section | | 501(1) and the other one-half would have been paid from principal | | under Section 502(a)(1). After considering the total return from | | the portfolio as a whole and other relevant factors described in | | Section 104(b), T may exercise its power to adjust under Section | | 104(a) by transferring $1,000, or half of the trust's | | proportionate share of the fee, from principal to income. |
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| | | TERMINATING INCOME INTEREST |
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| | | §7-721.__Determination and distribution of net income |
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| | | After a decedent dies, in the case of an estate, or after an | | income interest in a trust ends, the following rules apply. |
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| | | (a)__A fiduciary of an estate or of a terminating income | | interest shall determine the amount of net income and net | | principal receipts received from property specifically given to a | | beneficiary under the rules in subparts 3 to 5 that apply to | | trustees and the rules in subsection (e).__The fiduciary shall | | distribute the net income and net principal receipts to the | | beneficiary who is to receive the specific property. |
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| | | (b)__A fiduciary shall determine the remaining net income of a | | decedent's estate or a terminating income interest under the | | rules in subparts 3 to 5 that apply to trustees and by: |
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| | | (1)__Including in net income all income from property used | | to discharge liabilities; |
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| | | (2)__Paying from income or principal, in the fiduciary's | | discretion, fees of attorneys, accountants and fiduciaries; | | court costs and other expenses of administration; and | | interest on death taxes; but the fiduciary may pay those | | expenses from income of property passing to a trust for | | which the fiduciary claims an estate tax marital or | | charitable deduction only to the extent that the payment of | | those expenses from income will not cause the reduction or | | loss of the deduction; and |
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| | | (3)__Paying from principal all other disbursements made or | | incurred in connection with the settlement of a decedent's | | estate or the winding up of a terminating income interest, | | including debts, funeral expenses, disposition of remains, | | family allowances and death taxes and related penalties that | | are apportioned to the estate or terminating income interest | | by the will, the terms of the trust or applicable law. |
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| | | (c)__A fiduciary shall distribute to a beneficiary who | | receives a pecuniary amount outright the interest or any other | | amount provided by the will, the terms of the trust or applicable | | law from net income determined under subsection (b) or from | | principal to the extent that net income is insufficient.__If a | | beneficiary is to receive a pecuniary amount outright from a | | trust after an income interest ends and no interest or other | | amount is provided for by the terms of the trust or applicable | | law, the fiduciary shall distribute the interest or other amount | | to which the beneficiary would be entitled under applicable law | | if the pecuniary amount were required to be paid under a will. |
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| | | (d)__A fiduciary shall distribute the net income remaining | | after distributions required by subsection (c) in the manner | | described in section 7-722 to all other beneficiaries, including | | a beneficiary who receives a pecuniary amount in trust, even if | | the beneficiary holds an unqualified power to withdraw assets | | from the trust or other presently exercisable general power of | | appointment over the trust. |
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| | | (e)__A fiduciary may not reduce principal or income receipts | | from property described in subsection (a) because of a payment | | described in section 7-761 or 7-762 to the extent that the will, | | the terms of the trust or applicable law requires the fiduciary | | to make the payment from assets other than the property or to the | | extent that the fiduciary recovers or expects to recover the | | payment from a 3rd party.__The net income and principal receipts | | from the property | | are determined by including all of the amounts the fiduciary | | receives or pays with respect to the property, whether those | | amounts accrued or became due before, on or after the date of a | | decedent's death or an income interest's terminating event, and | | by making a reasonable provision for amounts that the fiduciary | | believes the estate or terminating income interest may become | | obligated to pay after the property is distributed. |
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| | | (This is Section 201 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Terminating income interests and successive income interests. | | A trust that provides for a single income beneficiary and an | | outright distribution of the remainder ends when the income | | interest ends. A more complex trust may have a number of income | | interests, either concurrent or successive, and the trust will | | not necessarily end when one of the income interests ends. For | | that reason, the Act speaks in terms of income interests ending | | and beginning rather than trusts ending and beginning. When an | | income interest in a trust ends, the trustee's powers continue | | during the winding up period required to complete its | | administration. A terminating income interest is one that has | | ended but whose administration is not complete. |
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| | | If two or more people are given the right to receive specified | | percentages or fractions of the income from a trust concurrently | | and one of the concurrent interests ends, e.g., when a | | beneficiary dies, the beneficiary's income interest ends but the | | trust does not. Similarly, when a trust with only one income | | beneficiary ends upon the beneficiary's death, the trust | | instrument may provide that part or all of the trust assets shall |
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| | | continue in trust for another income beneficiary. While it is | | common to think and speak of this (and even to characterize it in | | a trust instrument) as a "new" trust, it is a continuation of the | | original trust for a remainder beneficiary who has an income | | interest in the trust assets instead of the right to receive them | | outright. For purposes of this Act, this is a successive income | | interest in the same trust. The fact that a trust may or may not | | end when an income interest ends is not significant for purposes | | of this Act. |
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| | | If the assets that are subject to a terminating income | | interest pass to another trust because the income beneficiary | | exercises a general power of appointment over the trust assets, | | the recipient trust would be a new trust; and if they pass to | | another trust because the beneficiary exercises a nongeneral | | power of appointment over the trust assets, the recipient trust | | might be a new trust | | in some States (see 5A Austin W. Scott & William F. Fratcher, The | | Law of Trusts § 640, at 483 (4th ed. 1989)); but for purposes of | | this Act a new trust created in these circumstances is also a | | successive income interest. |
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| | | Gift of a pecuniary amount. Section 201(3) and (4) provide | | different rules for an outright gift of a pecuniary amount and a | | gift in trust of a pecuniary amount; this is the same approach | | used in Section 5(b)(2) of the 1962 Act. |
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| | | Interest on pecuniary amounts. Section 201(3) provides that | | the beneficiary of an outright pecuniary amount is to receive the | | interest or other amount provided by applicable law if there is | | no provision in the will or the terms of the trust. Many States | | have no applicable law that provides for interest or some other | | amount to be paid on an outright pecuniary gift under an inter | | vivos trust; this section provides that in such a case the | | interest or other amount to be paid shall be the same as the | | interest or other amount required to be paid on testamentary | | pecuniary gifts. This provision is intended to accord gifts | | under inter vivos instruments the same treatment as testamentary | | gifts. The various state authorities that provide for the amount | | that a beneficiary of an outright pecuniary amount is entitled to | | receive are collected in Richard B. Covey, Marital Deduction and | | Credit Shelter Dispositions and the Use of Formula Provisions, | | App. B (4th ed. 1997). |
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| | | Administration expenses and interest on death taxes. Under | | Section 201(2)(B) a fiduciary may pay administration expenses and | | interest on death taxes from either income or principal. An | | advantage of permitting the fiduciary to choose the source of the | | payment is that, if the fiduciary's decision is consistent with | | the decision to deduct these expenses for income tax purposes or | | estate tax purposes, it eliminates the need to adjust between |
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| | | principal and income that may arise when, for example, an expense | | that is paid from principal is deducted for income tax purposes | | or an expense that is paid from income is deducted for estate tax | | purposes. |
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| | | The United States Supreme Court has considered the question of | | whether an estate tax marital deduction or charitable deduction | | should be reduced when administration expenses are paid from | | income produced by property passing in trust for a surviving | | spouse or for charity and deducted for income tax purposes. The | | Court rejected the IRS position that administration expenses | | properly paid from income under the terms of the trust or state | | law must reduce the amount of a marital or charitable transfer, | | and held that the value of the transferred property is not | | reduced for estate tax purposes unless the administration | | expenses are material in light of the income the trust corpus | | could have been expected to generate. Commissioner v. Estate of | | Otis C. Hubert, 117 S.Ct. 1124 (1997). | | The provision in Section 201(2)(B) permits a fiduciary to pay and | | deduct administration expenses from income only to the extent | | that it will not cause the reduction or loss of an estate tax | | marital or charitable contributions deduction, which means that | | the limit on the amount payable from income will be established | | eventually by Treasury Regulations. |
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| | | Interest on estate taxes. The IRS agrees that interest on | | estate and inheritance taxes may be deducted for income tax | | purposes without having to reduce the estate tax deduction for | | amounts passing to a charity or surviving spouse, whether the | | interest is paid from principal or income. Rev. Rul. 9348, 932 | | C.B. 270. For estates of persons who died before 1998, a | | fiduciary may not want to deduct for income tax purposes interest | | on estate tax that is deferred under Section 6166 or 6163 because | | deducting that interest for estate tax purposes may produce more | | beneficial results, especially if the estate has little or no | | income or the income tax bracket is significantly lower than the | | estate tax bracket. For estates of persons who die after 1997, | | no estate tax or income tax deduction will be allowed for | | interest paid on estate tax that is deferred under Section 6166. | | However, interest on estate tax deferred under Section 6163 will | | continue to be deductible for both purposes, and interest on | | estate tax deficiencies will continue to be deductible for estate | | tax purposes if an election under Section 6166 is not in effect. |
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| | | Under the 1962 Act, Section 13(c)(5) charges interest on | | estate and inheritance taxes to principal. The 1931 Act has no | | provision. Section 501(3) of this Act provides that, except to | | the extent provided in Section 201(2)(B) or (C), all interest | | must be paid from income. |
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| | | §7-722.__Distribution to residuary and remainder beneficiaries |
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| | | (a)__Each beneficiary described in section 7-721, subsection | | (d) is entitled to receive a portion of the net income equal to | | the beneficiary's fractional interest in undistributed principal | | assets, using values as of the distribution date.__If a fiduciary | | makes more than one distribution of assets to beneficiaries to | | whom this section applies, each beneficiary, including one who | | does not receive part of the distribution, is entitled, as of | | each distribution date, to the net income the fiduciary has | | received after the date of death or terminating event or earlier | | distribution date but has not distributed as of the current | | distribution date. |
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| | | (b)__In determining a beneficiary's share of net income, the | | following rules apply. |
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| | | (1)__The beneficiary is entitled to receive a portion of the | | net income equal to the beneficiary's fractional interest in | | the undistributed principal assets immediately before the | | distribution date, including assets that later may be sold | | to meet principal obligations. |
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| | | (2)__The beneficiary's fractional interest in the | | undistributed principal assets must be calculated without | | regard to property specifically given to a beneficiary and | | property required to pay pecuniary amounts not in trust. |
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| | | (3)__The beneficiary's fractional interest in the | | undistributed principal assets must be calculated on the | | basis of the aggregate value of those assets as of the | | distribution date without reducing the value by any unpaid | | principal obligation. |
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| | | (4)__The distribution date for purposes of this section may | | be the date as of which the fiduciary calculates the value | | of the assets if that date is reasonably near the date on | | which assets are actually distributed. |
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| | | (c)__If a fiduciary does not distribute all of the collected | | but undistributed net income to each person as of a distribution | | date, the fiduciary shall maintain appropriate records showing | | the interest of each beneficiary in that net income. |
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| | | (d)__A fiduciary may apply the rules in this section, to the | | extent that the fiduciary considers it appropriate, to net gain | | or loss realized after the date of death or terminating event or | | earlier distribution date from the disposition of a principal | | asset if this section applies to the income from the asset. |
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| | | (This is Section 202 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Relationship to prior Acts. Section 202 retains the concept | | in Section 5(b)(2) of the 1962 Act that the residuary legatees of | | estates are to receive net income earned during the period of | | administration on the basis of their proportionate interests in | | the undistributed assets when distributions are made. It changes | | the basis for determining their proportionate interests by using | | asset values as of a date reasonably near the time of | | distribution instead of inventory values; it extends the | | application of these rules to distributions from terminating | | trusts; and it extends these rules to gain or loss realized from | | the disposition of assets during administration, an omission in | | the 1962 Act that has been noted by several commentators. See, | | e.g., Richard B. Covey, | | Marital Deduction and Credit Shelter Dispositions and the Use of | | Formula Provisions 91 (4th ed. 1998); Thomas H. Cantrill, | | Fractional or Percentage Residuary Bequests: Allocation of | | Postmortem Income, Gain and Unrealized Appreciation, 10 Prob. | | Notes 322, 327 (1985). |
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| | | APPORTIONMENT AT BEGINNING |
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| | | AND END OF INCOME INTEREST |
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| | | §7-731.__When right to income begins and ends |
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| | | (a)__An income beneficiary is entitled to net income from the | | date on which the income interest begins.__An income interest | | begins on the date specified in the terms of the trust or, if no | | date is specified, on the date an asset becomes subject to a | | trust or successive income interest. |
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| | | (b)__An asset becomes subject to a trust: |
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| | | (1)__On the date it is transferred to the trust in the case | | of an asset that is transferred to a trust during the | | transferor's life; |
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| | | (2)__On the date of a testator's death in the case of an | | asset that becomes subject to a trust by reason of a will, | | even if there is an intervening period of administration of | | the testator's estate; or |
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| | | (3)__On the date of an individual's death in the case of an | | asset that is transferred to a fiduciary by a 3rd party | | because of the individual's death. |
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| | | (c)__An asset becomes subject to a successive income interest | | on the day after the preceding income interest ends, as | | determined under subsection (d), even if there is an intervening | | period of administration to wind up the preceding income | | interest. |
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| | | (d)__An income interest ends on the day before an income | | beneficiary dies or another terminating event occurs or on the | | last day of a period during which there is no beneficiary to whom | | a trustee may distribute income. |
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| | | (This is Section 301 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Period during which there is no beneficiary. The purpose of | | the second part of subsection (d) is to provide that, at the end | | of a period during which there is no beneficiary to whom a | | trustee may distribute income, the trustee must apply the same | | apportionment rules that apply when a mandatory income interest | | ends. This provision would apply, for example, if a settlor | | creates a trust for grandchildren before any grandchildren are | | born. When the first grandchild is born, the period preceding | | the date of birth is treated as having ended, followed by a | | successive income interest, and the apportionment rules in | | Sections 302 and 303 apply accordingly if the terms of the trust | | do not contain different provisions. |
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| | | §7-732.__Apportionment of receipts and disbursements when |
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| | | decedent dies or income interest begins |
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| | | (a)__A trustee shall allocate an income receipt or | | disbursement other than one to which section 7-721, subsection | | (a) applies to principal if its due date occurs before a decedent | | dies in the case of an estate or before an income interest begins | | in the case of a trust or successive income interest. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee shall allocate an income receipt or | | disbursement to income if its due date occurs on or after the | | date on which a decedent dies or an income interest begins and it | | is a periodic due date.__An income receipt or disbursement must | | be treated as accruing from day to day if its due date is not | | periodic or it has no due date.__The portion of the receipt or | | disbursement accruing before the date on which a decedent dies or |
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| | | an income interest begins must be allocated to principal and the | | balance must be allocated to income. |
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| | | (c)__An item of income or an obligation is due on the date the | | payor is required to make a payment.__If a payment date is not | | stated, there is no due date for the purposes of this Part.__ | | Distributions to shareholders or other owners from an entity to | | which section 7-741 applies are deemed to be due on the date | | fixed by the entity for determining who is entitled to receive | | the distribution or, if no date is fixed, on the declaration date | | for the distribution.__A due date is periodic for receipts or | | disbursements that must be paid at regular intervals under a | | lease or an obligation to pay interest or if an entity | | customarily makes distributions at regular intervals. |
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| | | (This is Section 302 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. Professor Bogert stated that "Section 4 of the | | [1962] Act makes a change with respect to the apportionment of | | the income of trust property not due until after the trust began | | but which accrued in part before the commencement of the trust. | | It treats such income as to be credited entirely to the income | | account in the case of a living trust, but to be apportioned | | between capital and income in the case of a testamentary trust. | | The [1931] Act apportions such income in the case of both types | | of trusts, except in the case of corporate dividends." George G. | | Bogert, The Revised Uniform Principal and Income Act, 38 Notre | | Dame Law. 50, 52 (1962). The 1962 Act also provides that an | | asset passing to an inter vivos trust by a bequest in the | | settlor's will is governed by the rule that applies to a | | testamentary trust, so that different rules apply to assets | | passing to an inter vivos trust depending upon whether they were | | transferred to the trust during the settlor's life or by his | | will. |
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| | | Having several different rules that apply to similar | | transactions is confusing. In order to simplify administration, | | Section 302 applies the same rule to inter vivos trusts | | (revocable and irrevocable), testamentary trusts, and assets that | | become subject to an inter vivos trust by a testamentary bequest. |
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| | | Periodic payments. Under Section 302, a periodic payment is | | principal if it is due but unpaid before a decedent dies or | | before an asset becomes subject to a trust, but the next payment | | is allocated entirely to income and is not apportioned. Thus, | | periodic receipts such as rents, dividends, interest, and | | annuities, and disbursements such as the interest portion of a |
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| | | mortgage payment, are not apportioned. This is the original | | common law rule. Edwin A. Howes, Jr., The American Law Relating | | to Income and Principal 70 (1905). In trusts in which a | | surviving spouse is dependent upon a regular flow of cash from | | the decedent's securities portfolio, this rule will help to | | maintain payments to the spouse at the same level as before the | | settlor's death. Under the 1962 Act, the pre-death portion of | | the first periodic payment due after death is apportioned to | | principal in the case of a testamentary trust or securities | | bequeathed by will to an inter vivos trust. |
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| | | Nonperiodic payments. Under the second sentence of Section | | 302(b), interest on an obligation that does not provide a due | | date for the interest payment, such as interest on an income tax | | refund, would be apportioned to principal to the extent it | | accrues before a person dies or an income interest begins unless | | the obligation is specifically given to a devisee or remainder | | beneficiary, in which case all of the accrued interest passes | | under Section 201(1) to the person who receives the obligation. | | The same rule applies to | | interest on an obligation that has a due date but does not | | provide for periodic payments. If there is no stated interest on | | the obligation, such as a zero coupon bond, and the proceeds from | | the obligation are received more than one year after it is | | purchased or acquired by the trustee, the entire amount received | | is principal under Section 406. |
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| | | §7-733.__Apportionment when income interest ends |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "undistributed income" means net income | | received before the date on which an income interest ends.__The | | term does not include an item of income or expense that is due or | | accrued or net income that has been added or is required to be | | added to principal under the terms of the trust. |
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| | | (b)__When a mandatory income interest ends, the trustee shall | | pay to a mandatory income beneficiary who survives that date, or | | the estate of a deceased mandatory income beneficiary whose death | | causes the interest to end, the beneficiary's share of the | | undistributed income that is not disposed of under the terms of | | the trust unless the beneficiary has an unqualified power to | | revoke more than 5% of the trust immediately before the income | | interest ends.__In the latter case, the undistributed income from | | the portion of the trust that may be revoked must be added to | | principal. |
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| | | (c)__When a trustee's obligation to pay a fixed annuity or a | | fixed fraction of the value of the trust's assets ends, the | | trustee shall prorate the final payment to the extent required by | | applicable law to accomplish a purpose of the trust or its |
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| | | settlor relating to income, gift, estate or other tax | | requirements. |
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| | | (This is Section 303 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. Both the 1931 Act (Section 4) and the 1962 Act | | (Section 4(d)) provide that a deceased income beneficiary's | | estate is entitled to the undistributed income. The Drafting | | Committee concluded that this is probably not what most settlors | | would want, and that, with respect to undistributed income, most | | settlors would favor the income beneficiary first, the remainder | | beneficiaries second, and the income beneficiary's heirs last, if | | at all. However, it decided not to eliminate this provision to | | avoid causing disputes about whether the trustee should have | | distributed collected cash before the income beneficiary died. |
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| | | Accrued periodic payments. Under the prior Acts, an income | | beneficiary or his estate is entitled to receive a portion of any | | payments, other than dividends, that are due or that have accrued | | when the income interest terminates. The last sentence of | | subsection (a) changes that rule by providing that such items are | | not included in undistributed income. The items affected include | | periodic payments of interest, rent, and dividends, as well as | | items of income that accrue over a longer period of time; the | | rule also applies to expenses that are due or accrued. |
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| | | Example - accrued periodic payments. The rules in Section 302 | | and Section 303 work in the following manner: Assume that a | | periodic payment of rent that is due on July 20 has not been paid | | when an income interest ends on July 30; the successive income | | interest begins on July 31, and the rent payment that was due on | | July 20 is paid on August 3. Under Section 302(a), the July 20 | | payment is added to the principal of the successive income | | interest when received. Under Section 302(b), the entire | | periodic payment of rent that is due on August 20 is income when | | received by the successive income interest. Under Section 303, | | neither the income beneficiary of the terminated income interest | | nor the beneficiary's estate is entitled to any part of either | | the July 20 or the August 20 payments because neither one was | | received before the income interest ended on July 30. The same | | principles apply to expenses of the trust. |
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| | | Beneficiary with an unqualified power to revoke. The | | requirement in subsection (b) to pay undistributed income to a | | mandatory income beneficiary or her estate does not apply to the | | extent the beneficiary has an unqualified power to revoke more |
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| | | than five percent of the trust immediately before the income | | interest ends. Without this exception, subsection (b) would | | apply to a revocable living trust whose settlor is the mandatory | | income beneficiary during her lifetime, even if her will provides | | that all of the assets in the probate estate are to be | | distributed to the trust. |
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| | | If a trust permits the beneficiary to withdraw all or a part | | of the trust principal after attaining a specified age and the | | beneficiary attains that age but fails to withdraw all of the | | principal that she is permitted to withdraw, a trustee is not | | required to pay her or her estate the undistributed income | | attributable to the portion of the principal that she left in the | | trust. The assumption underlying this rule is that the | | beneficiary has either provided for the disposition of the trust | | assets (including the undistributed income) by exercising a power | | of appointment that she has been given or has not withdrawn the | | assets because she is willing to have the principal and | | undistributed income be distributed under the terms of the trust. | | If the beneficiary has the power to withdraw 25% of the trust | | principal, | | the trustee must pay to her or her estate the undistributed | | income from the 75% that she cannot withdraw. |
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| | | ALLOCATION OF RECEIPTS DURING |
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| | | §7-741.__Character of receipts |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "entity" means a corporation, | | partnership, limited liability company, regulated investment | | company, real estate investment trust, common trust fund or any | | other organization in which a trustee has an interest other than | | a trust or estate to which section 7-742 applies, a business or | | activity to which section 7-743 applies or an asset-backed | | security to which section 7-755 applies. |
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| | | (b)__Except as otherwise provided in this section, a trustee | | shall allocate to income money received from an entity. |
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| | | (c)__A trustee shall allocate the following receipts from an | | entity to principal: |
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| | | (1)__Property other than money; |
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| | | (2)__Money received in one distribution or a series of | | related distributions in exchange for part or all of a | | trust's interest in the entity; |
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| | | (3)__Money received in total or partial liquidation of the | | entity; and |
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| | | (4)__Money received from an entity that is a regulated | | investment company or a real estate investment trust if the | | money distributed is a capital gain dividend for federal | | income tax purposes. |
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| | | (d)__Money is received in partial liquidation: |
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| | | (1)__To the extent that the entity, at or near the time of a | | distribution, indicates that it is a distribution in partial | | liquidation; or |
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| | | (2)__If the total amount of money and property received in a | | distribution or series of related distributions is greater | | than 20% of the entity's gross assets, as shown by the | | entity's year-end financial statements immediately preceding | | the initial receipt. |
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| | | (e)__Money is not received in partial liquidation, nor may it | | be taken into account under subsection (d), paragraph (2), to the | | extent that it does not exceed the amount of income tax that a | | trustee or beneficiary must pay on taxable income of the entity | | that distributes the money. |
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| | | (f)__A trustee may rely upon a statement made by an entity | | about the source or character of a distribution if the statement | | is made at or near the time of distribution by the entity's board | | of directors or other person or group of persons authorized to | | exercise powers to pay money or transfer property comparable to | | those of a corporation's board of directors. |
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| | | (This is Section 401 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Entities to which Section 401 applies. The reference to | | partnerships in Section 401(a) is intended to include all forms | | of partnerships, including limited partnerships, limited | | liability partnerships, and variants that have slightly different | | names and characteristics from State to State. The section does | | not apply, however, to receipts from an interest in property that | | a trust owns as a tenant in common with one or more co-owners, | | nor would it apply to an interest in a joint venture if, under | | applicable law, the trust's interest is regarded as that of a | | tenant in common. |
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| | | Capital gain dividends. Under the Internal Revenue Code and | | the Income Tax Regulations, a "capital gain dividend" from a | | mutual fund or real estate investment trust is the excess of the | | fund's or trust's net long-term capital gain over its net short- | | term capital loss. As a result, a capital gain dividend does not | | include any net short-term capital gain, and cash received by a | | trust because of a net short-term capital gain is income under | | this Act. |
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| | | Reinvested dividends. If a trustee elects (or continues an | | election made by its predecessor) to reinvest dividends in shares | | of stock of a distributing corporation or fund, whether evidenced | | by new certificates or entries on the books of the distributing | | entity, the new shares would be principal. Making or continuing | | such an election would be equivalent to deciding under Section | | 104 to transfer income to principal in order to comply with | | Section 103(b). However, if the trustee makes or continues the | | election for a reason other than to comply with Section 103(b), | | e.g., to make an investment without incurring brokerage | | commissions, the trustee should transfer cash from principal to | | income in an amount equal to the reinvested dividends. |
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| | | Distribution of property. The 1962 Act describes a number of | | types of property that would be principal if distributed by a | | corporation. This becomes unwieldy in a section that applies to | | both corporations and all other entities. By stating that | | principal includes the distribution of any property other than | | money, Section 401 embraces all of the items enumerated in | | Section 6 of the 1962 Act as well as any other form of | | nonmonetary distribution not specifically mentioned in that Act. |
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| | | Partial liquidations. Under subsection (d)(1), any | | distribution designated by the entity as a partial liquidating | | distribution is principal regardless of the percentage of total | | assets that it represents. If a distribution exceeds 20% of the | | entity's gross assets, the entire distribution is a partial | | liquidation under subsection (d)(2) whether or not the entity | | describes it as a partial liquidation. In determining whether a | | distribution is greater than 20% of the gross assets, the portion | | of the distribution that does not exceed the amount of income tax | | that the trustee or a beneficiary must pay on the entity's | | taxable income is ignored. |
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| | | Other large distributions. A cash distribution may be quite | | large (for example, more than 10% but not more than 20% of the | | entity's gross assets) and have characteristics that suggest it | | should be treated as principal rather than income. For example, | | an entity may have received cash from a source other than the | | conduct of its normal business operations because it sold an | | investment asset; or because it sold a business asset other than |
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| | | one held for sale to customers in the normal course of its | | business and did not replace it; or it borrowed a large sum of | | money and secured the repayment of the loan with a substantial | | asset; or a principal source of its cash was from assets such as | | mineral interests, 90% of which would have been allocated to | | principal if the trust had owned the assets directly. In such a | | case the trustee, after considering the total return from the | | portfolio as a whole and the income component of that return, may | | decide to exercise the power under Section 104(a) to make an | | adjustment between income and principal, subject to the | | limitations in Section 104(c). |
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| | | §7-742.__Distribution from trust or estate |
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| | | A trustee shall allocate to income an amount received as a | | distribution of income from a trust or an estate in which the | | trust has an interest other than a purchased interest, and shall | | allocate to principal an amount received as a distribution of | | principal from such a trust or estate.__If a trustee purchases an | | interest in a trust that is an investment entity, or a decedent | | or donor transfers an interest in such a trust to a trustee, | | section 7-741 | | or 7-755 applies to a receipt from the trust. |
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| | | (This is Section 402 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Terms of the distributing trust or estate. Under Section | | 103(a), a trustee is to allocate receipts in accordance with the | | terms of the recipient trust or, if there is no provision, in | | accordance with this Act. However, in determining whether a | | distribution from another trust or an estate is income or | | principal, the trustee should also determine what the terms of | | the distributing trust or estate say about the distribution - for | | example, whether they direct that the distribution, even though | | made from the income of the distributing trust or estate, is to | | be added to principal of the recipient trust. Such a provision | | should override the terms of this Act, but if the terms of the | | recipient trust contain a provision requiring such a distribution | | to be allocated to income, the trustee may have to obtain a | | judicial resolution of the conflict between the terms of the two | | documents. |
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| | | Investment trusts. An investment entity to which the second | | sentence of this section applies includes a mutual fund, a common | | trust fund, a business trust or other entity organized as a trust | | for the purpose of receiving capital contributed by investors, |
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| | | investing that capital, and managing investment assets, including | | asset-backed security arrangements to which Section 415 applies. | | See John H. Langbein, The Secret Life of the Trust: The Trust as | | an Instrument of Commerce, 107 Yale L.J. 165 (1997). |
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| | | §7-743.__Business and other activities conducted by trustee |
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| | | (a)__If a trustee who conducts a business or other activity | | determines that it is in the best interest of all the | | beneficiaries to account separately for the business or activity | | instead of accounting for it as part of the trust's general | | accounting records, the trustee may maintain separate accounting | | records for its transactions, whether or not its assets are | | segregated from other trust assets. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee who accounts separately for a business or other | | activity may determine the extent to which its net cash receipts | | must be retained for working capital, the acquisition or | | replacement of fixed assets, and other reasonably foreseeable | | needs of the business or activity, and the extent to which the | | remaining net cash receipts are accounted for as principal or | | income in the trust's general accounting records.__If a trustee | | sells assets of the business or other activity, other than in the | | ordinary course | | of the business or activity, the trustee shall account for the | | net amount received as principal in the trust's general | | accounting records to the extent the trustee determines that the | | amount received is no longer required in the conduct of the | | business. |
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| | | (c)__Activities for which a trustee may maintain separate | | accounting records include: |
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| | | (1)__Retail, manufacturing, service and other traditional | | business activities; |
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| | | (3)__Raising and selling livestock and other animals; |
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| | | (4)__Management of rental properties; |
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| | | (5)__Extraction of minerals and other natural resources; |
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| | | (6)__Timber operations; and |
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| | | (7)__Activities to which section 7-754 applies. |
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| | | (This is Section 403 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Purpose and scope. The provisions in Section 403 are intended | | to give greater flexibility to a trustee who operates a business | | or other activity in proprietorship form rather than in a wholly- | | owned corporation (or, where permitted by state law, a single- | | member limited liability company), and to facilitate the | | trustee's ability to decide the extent to which the net receipts | | from the activity should be allocated to income, just as the | | board of directors of a corporation owned entirely by the trust | | would decide the amount of the annual dividend to be paid to the | | trust. It permits a trustee to account for farming or livestock | | operations, rental properties, oil and gas properties, timber | | operations, and activities in derivatives and options as though | | they were held by a separate entity. It is not intended, | | however, to permit a trustee to account separately for a | | traditional securities portfolio to avoid the provisions of this | | Act that apply to such securities. |
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| | | Section 403 permits the trustee to account separately for each | | business or activity for which the trustee determines separate | | accounting is appropriate. A trustee with a computerized | | accounting system may account for these activities in a | | "subtrust"; an individual trustee may continue to use the | | business and | | record-keeping methods employed by the decedent or transferor who | | may have conducted the business under an assumed name. The | | intent of this section is to give the trustee broad authority to | | select business record-keeping methods that best suit the | | activity in which the trustee is engaged. |
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| | | If a fiduciary liquidates a sole proprietorship or other | | activity to which Section 403 applies, the proceeds would be | | added to principal, even though derived from the liquidation of | | accounts receivable, because the proceeds would no longer be | | needed in the conduct of the business. If the liquidation occurs | | during probate or during an income interest's winding up period, | | none of the proceeds would be income for purposes of Section 201. |
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| | | Separate accounts. A trustee may or may not maintain separate | | bank accounts for business activities that are accounted for | | under Section 403. A professional trustee may decide not to | | maintain separate bank accounts, but an individual trustee, | | especially one who has continued a decedent's business practices, | | may continue the same banking arrangements that were used during | | the decedent's lifetime. In either case, the trustee is | | authorized to decide to what extent cash is to be retained as | | part of the business assets and to what extent it is to be | | transferred to the trust's general accounts, either as income or | | principal. |
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| | | §7-744.__Principal receipts |
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| | | A trustee shall allocate to principal: |
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| | | (a)__To the extent not allocated to income under this Part, | | assets received from a transferor during the transferor's | | lifetime, a decedent's estate, a trust with a terminating income | | interest or a payor under a contract naming the trust or its | | trustee as beneficiary; |
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| | | (b)__Money or other property received from the sale, exchange, | | liquidation or change in form of a principal asset, including | | realized profit, subject to this subpart; |
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| | | (c)__Amounts recovered from 3rd parties to reimburse the trust | | because of disbursements described in section 7-762, subsection | | (a), paragraph (7) or for other reasons to the extent not based | | on the loss of income; |
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| | | (d)__Proceeds of property taken by eminent domain, but a | | separate award made for the loss of income with respect to an | | accounting period during which a current income beneficiary had a | | mandatory income interest is income; |
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| | | (e)__Net income received in an accounting period during which | | there is no beneficiary to whom a trustee may or must distribute | | income; and |
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| | | (f)__Other receipts as provided in sections 7-748 to 7-755. |
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| | | (This is Section 404 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Eminent domain awards. Even though the award in an eminent | | domain proceeding may include an amount for the loss of future | | rent on a lease, if that amount is not separately stated the | | entire award is principal. The rule is the same in the 1931 and | | 1962 Acts. |
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| | | To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from rental | | property pursuant to this section, the trustee shall allocate to | | income an amount received as rent of real or personal property, | | including an amount received for cancellation or |
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| | | renewal of a lease.__An amount received as a refundable deposit, | | including a security deposit or a deposit that is to be applied | | as rent for future periods, must be added to principal and held | | subject to the terms of the lease and is not available for | | distribution to a beneficiary until the trustee's contractual | | obligations have been satisfied with respect to that amount. |
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| | | (This is Section 405 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Application of Section 403. This section applies to the | | extent that the trustee does not account separately under Section | | 403 for the management of rental properties owned by the trust. |
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| | | Receipts that are capital in nature. A portion of the payment | | under a lease may be a reimbursement of principal expenditures | | for improvements to the leased property that is characterized as | | rent for purposes of invoking contractual or statutory remedies | | for nonpayment. If the trustee is accounting for rental income | | under Section 405, a transfer from income to reimburse principal | | may be appropriate under Section 504 to the extent that some of | | the "rent" is really a reimbursement for improvements. This set | | of facts could also be a relevant factor for a trustee to | | consider under Section 104(b) in deciding whether and to what | | extent to make an | | adjustment between principal and income under Section 104(a) | | after considering the return from the portfolio as a whole. |
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| | | §7-746.__Obligation to pay money |
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| | | (a)__An amount received as interest, whether determined at a | | fixed, variable or floating rate, on an obligation to pay money | | to the trustee, including an amount received as consideration for | | prepaying principal, must be allocated to income without any | | provision for amortization of premium. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee shall allocate to principal an amount received | | from the sale, redemption or other disposition of an obligation | | to pay money to the trustee more than one year after it is | | purchased or acquired by the trustee, including an obligation | | whose purchase price or value when it is acquired is less than | | its value at maturity.__If the obligation matures within one year | | after it is purchased or acquired by the trustee, an amount | | received in excess of its purchase price or its value when | | acquired by the trust must be allocated to income. |
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| | | (c)__This section does not apply to an obligation to which | | section 7-749, 7-750, 7-751, 7-752, 7-754 or 7-755 applies. |
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| | | (This is Section 406 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Variable or floating interest rates. The reference in | | subsection (a) to variable or floating interest rate obligations | | is intended to clarify that, even though an obligation's interest | | rate may change from time to time based upon changes in an index | | or other market indicator, an obligation to pay money containing | | a variable or floating rate provision is subject to this section | | and is not to be treated as a derivative financial instrument | | under Section 414. |
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| | | Discount obligations. Subsection (b) applies to all | | obligations acquired at a discount, including short-term | | obligations such as U.S. Treasury Bills, long-term obligations | | such as U.S. Savings Bonds, zero-coupon bonds, and discount bonds | | that pay interest during part, but not all, of the period before | | maturity. Under subsection (b), the entire increase in value of | | these obligations is principal when the trustee receives the | | proceeds from the disposition unless the obligation, when | | acquired, has a maturity of less than one year. In order to have | | one rule that applies to all discount obligations, the Act | | eliminates the provision in the 1962 Act for the payment from | | principal of an amount equal to the increase in the value of U.S. | | Series E bonds. The provision for | | bonds that mature within one year after acquisition by the | | trustee is derived from the Illinois act. 760 ILCS 15/8 (1996). |
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| | | Subsection (b) also applies to inflation-indexed bonds - any | | increase in principal due to inflation after issuance is | | principal upon redemption if the bond matures more than one year | | after the trustee acquires it; if it matures within one year, all | | of the increase, including any attributable to an inflation | | adjustment, is income. |
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| | | Effect of Section 104. In deciding whether and to what extent | | to exercise the power to adjust between principal and income | | granted by Section 104(a), a relevant factor for the trustee to | | consider is the effect on the portfolio as a whole of having a | | portion of the assets invested in bonds that do not pay interest | | currently. |
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| | | §7-747.__Insurance policies and similar contracts |
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| | | (a)__Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), a trustee | | shall allocate to principal the proceeds of a life insurance | | policy or other contract in which the trust or its trustee is | | named as beneficiary, including a contract that insures the trust | | or its trustee against loss for damage to, destruction of or loss | | of title to a trust asset.__The trustee shall allocate dividends | | on an insurance policy to income if the premiums on the policy | | are paid from income, and to principal if the premiums are paid | | from principal. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee shall allocate to income proceeds of a contract | | that insures the trustee against loss of occupancy or other use | | by an income beneficiary, loss of income or, subject to section | | 7-743, loss of profits from a business. |
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| | | (c)__This section does not apply to a contract to which | | section 7-749 applies. |
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| | | (This is Section 407 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | §7-748.__Insubstantial allocations not required |
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| | | If a trustee determines that an allocation between principal | | and income required by section 7-749, 7-750, 7-751, 7-752 or 7- | | 755 is insubstantial, the trustee may allocate the entire amount | | to principal unless one of the circumstances described in section | | 7-704, subsection (c) applies to the allocation.__This power may | | be exercised by a cotrustee in the circumstances described in | | section 7-704, subsection (d) and may be released for the reasons | | and in | | the manner described in section 7-704, subsection (e).__An | | allocation is presumed to be insubstantial if: |
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| | | (a)__The amount of the allocation would increase or decrease | | net income in an accounting period, as determined before the | | allocation, by less than 10%; or |
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| | | (b)__The value of the asset producing the receipt for which | | the allocation would be made is less than 10% of the total value | | of the trust's assets at the beginning of the accounting period. |
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| | | (This is Section 408 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | This section is intended to relieve a trustee from making | | relatively small allocations while preserving the trustee's right | | to do so if an allocation is large in terms of absolute dollars. |
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| | | For example, assume that a trust's assets, which include a | | working interest in an oil well, have a value of $1,000,000; the | | net income from the assets other than the working interest is | | $40,000; and the net receipts from the working interest are $400. | | The trustee may allocate all of the net receipts from the working | | interest to principal instead of allocating 10%, or $40, to | | income under Section 411. If the net receipts from the working | | interest are $35,000, so that the amount allocated to income | | under Section 411 would be $3,500, the trustee may decide that | | this amount is sufficiently significant to the income beneficiary | | that the allocation provided for by Section 411 should be made, | | even though the trustee is still permitted under Section 408 to | | allocate all of the net receipts to principal because the $3,500 | | would increase the net income of $40,000, as determined before | | making an allocation under Section 411, by less than 10%. | | Section 408 will also relieve a trustee from having to allocate | | net receipts from the sale of trees in a small woodlot between | | principal and income. |
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| | | While the allocation to principal of small amounts under this | | section should not be a cause for concern for tax purposes, | | allocations are not permitted under this section in circumstances | | described in Section 104(c) to eliminate claims that the power in | | this section has adverse tax consequences. |
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| | | §7-749.__Deferred compensation, annuities and similar payments |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "payment" means a payment that a trustee | | may receive over a fixed number of years or during the life of | | one or more individuals because of services rendered or property | | transferred to the payor in exchange for future payments.__The | | term includes a payment made in money or property from the | | payor's general assets or from a separate fund created by the | | payor, including a private or commercial annuity, an individual | | retirement account and a pension, profit-sharing, stock-bonus or | | stock-ownership plan. |
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| | | (b)__To the extent that a payment is characterized as interest | | or a dividend or a payment made in lieu of interest or a | | dividend, a trustee shall allocate it to income.__The trustee | | shall allocate to principal the balance of the payment and any | | other payment received in the same accounting period that is not | | characterized as interest, a dividend or an equivalent payment. |
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| | | (c)__If no part of a payment is characterized as interest, a | | dividend or an equivalent payment, and all or part of the payment |
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| | | is required to be made, a trustee shall allocate to income 10% of | | the part that is required to be made during the accounting period | | and the balance to principal.__If no part of a payment is | | required to be made or the payment received is the entire amount | | to which the trustee is entitled, the trustee shall allocate the | | entire payment to principal.__For purposes of this subsection, a | | payment is not "required to be made" to the extent that it is | | made because the trustee exercises a right of withdrawal. |
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| | | (d)__If, to obtain an estate tax marital deduction for a | | trust, a trustee must allocate more of a payment to income than | | provided for by this section, the trustee shall allocate to | | income the additional amount necessary to obtain the marital | | deduction. |
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| | | (e)__This section does not apply to payments to which section | | 7-750 applies. |
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| | | (This is Section 409 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Scope. Section 409 applies to amounts received under | | contractual arrangements that provide for payments to a third | | party beneficiary as a result of services rendered or property | | transferred to the payer. While the right to receive such | | payments is a liquidating asset of the kind described in Section | | 410 (i.e., "an asset whose value will diminish or terminate | | because the asset is expected to produce receipts for a period of | | limited duration"), these payment rights are covered separately | | in Section 409 because of their special characteristics. |
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| | | Section 409 applies to receipts from all forms of annuities | | and deferred compensation arrangements, whether the payment will | | be received by the trust in a lump sum or in installments over a | | period of years. It applies to bonuses that may be received over | | two or three years and payments that may last for much longer | | periods, including payments from an individual retirement account | | (IRA), deferred compensation plan (whether qualified or not | | qualified for special federal income tax treatment), and | | insurance renewal commissions. It applies to a retirement plan | | to which the settlor has made contributions, just as it applies | | to an annuity policy that the settlor may have purchased | | individually, and it applies to variable annuities, deferred | | annuities, annuities issued by commercial insurance companies, | | and "private annuities" arising from the sale of property to | | another individual or entity in exchange for payments that are to |
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| | | be made for the life of one or more individuals. The section | | applies whether the payments begin when the payment right becomes | | subject to the trust or are deferred until a future date, and it | | applies whether payments are made in cash or in kind, such as | | employer stock (in-kind payments usually will be made in a single | | distribution that will be allocated to principal under the second | | sentence of subsection (c)). |
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| | | The 1962 Act. Under Section 12 of the 1962 Act, receipts from | | "rights to receive payments on a contract for deferred | | compensation" are allocated to income each year in an amount "not | | in excess of 5% per year" of the property's inventory value. | | While "not in excess of 5%" suggests that the annual allocation | | may range from zero to 5% of the inventory value, in practice the | | rule is usually treated as prescribing a 5% allocation. The | | inventory value is usually the present value of all the future | | payments, and since the inventory value is determined as of the | | date on which the payment right becomes subject to the trust, the | | inventory value, and thus the amount of the annual income | | allocation, depends significantly on the applicable interest rate | | on the decedent's date of death. That rate may be much higher or | | lower than the average long-term interest rate. The amount | | determined under the 5% formula tends to become fixed and remain | | unchanged even though the amount received by the trust increases | | or decreases. |
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| | | Allocations Under Section 409(b). Section 409(b) applies to | | plans whose terms characterize payments made under the plan as | | dividends, interest, or payments in lieu of dividends or | | interest. For example, some deferred compensation plans that | | hold debt obligations or stock of the plan's sponsor in an | | account for future delivery to the person rendering the services | | provide for the annual payment to that person of dividends | | received on the stock or interest received on the debt | | obligations. Other plans provide that the account of the person | | rendering the services shall be credited with "phantom" shares of | | stock and require an annual payment that is equivalent to the | | dividends that would be | | received on that number of shares if they were actually issued; | | or a plan may entitle the person rendering the services to | | receive a fixed dollar amount in the future and provide for the | | annual payment of interest on the deferred amount during the | | period prior to its payment. Under Section 409(b), payments of | | dividends, interest or payments in lieu of dividends or interest | | under plans of this type are allocated to income; all other | | payments received under these plans are allocated to principal. |
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| | | Section 409(b) does not apply to an IRA or an arrangement with | | payment provisions similar to an IRA. IRAs and similar | | arrangements are subject to the provisions in Section 409(c). |
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| | | Allocations Under Section 409(c). The focus of Section 409, | | for purposes of allocating payments received by a trust to or | | between principal and income, is on the payment right rather than | | on assets that may be held in a fund from which the payments are | | made. Thus, if an IRA holds a portfolio of marketable stocks and | | bonds, the amount received by the IRA as dividends and interest | | is not taken into account in determining the principal and income | | allocation except to the extent that the Internal Revenue Service | | may require them to be taken into account when the payment is | | received by a trust that qualifies for the estate tax marital | | deduction (a situation that is provided for in Section 409(d)). | | An IRA is subject to federal income tax rules that require | | payments to begin by a particular date and be made over a | | specific number of years or a period measured by the lives of one | | or more persons. The payment right of a trust that is named as a | | beneficiary of an IRA is not a right to receive particular items | | that are paid to the IRA, but is instead the right to receive an | | amount determined by dividing the value of the IRA by the | | remaining number of years in the payment period. This payment | | right is similar to the right to receive a unitrust amount, which | | is normally expressed as an amount equal to a percentage of the | | value of the unitrust assets without regard to dividends or | | interest that may be received by the unitrust. |
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| | | An amount received from an IRA or a plan with a payment | | provision similar to that of an IRA is allocated under Section | | 409(c), which differentiates between payments that are required | | to be made and all other payments. To the extent that a payment | | is required to be made (either under federal income tax rules or, | | in the case of a plan that is not subject to those rules, under | | the terms of the plan), 10% of the amount received is allocated | | to income and the balance is allocated to principal. All other | | payments are allocated to principal because they represent a | | change in the form of a principal asset; Section 409 follows the | | rule in Section 404(2), which provides that money or property | | received from a change in the form of a principal asset be | | allocated to principal. |
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| | | Section 409(c) produces an allocation to income that is | | similar to the allocation under the 1962 Act formula if the | | annual payments are the same throughout the payment period, and | | it is simpler to administer. The amount allocated to income | | under Section 409 is not dependent upon the interest rate that is | | used for valuation purposes when the decedent dies, and if the | | payments received by the trust increase or decrease from year to | | year because the fund from which the payment is made increases or | | decreases in value, the amount allocated to income will also | | increase or decrease. |
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| | | Marital deduction requirements. When an IRA is payable to a | | QTIP marital deduction trust, the IRS treats the IRA as separate | | terminable interest property and requires that a QTIP election be | | made for it. In order to qualify for QTIP treatment, an IRS | | ruling states that all of the IRA's income must be distributed | | annually to the QTIP marital deduction trust and then must be | | allocated to trust income for distribution to the spouse. Rev. | | Rul. 8989, 19892 C.B. 231. If an allocation to income under this | | Act of 10% of the required distribution from the IRA does not | | meet the requirement that all of the IRA's income be distributed | | from the trust to the spouse, the provision in subsection (d) | | requires the trustee to make a larger allocation to income to the | | extent necessary to qualify for the marital deduction. The | | requirement of Rev. Rul. 8989 should also be satisfied if the IRA | | beneficiary designation permits the spouse to require the trustee | | to withdraw the necessary amount from the IRA and distribute it | | to her, even though the spouse never actually requires the | | trustee to do so. If such a provision is in the beneficiary | | designation, a distribution under subsection (d) should not be | | necessary. |
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| | | Application of Section 104. Section 104(a) of this Act gives | | a trustee who is acting under the prudent investor rule the power | | to adjust from principal to income if, considering the portfolio | | as a whole and not just receipts from deferred compensation, the | | trustee determines that an adjustment is necessary. See Example | | (5) in the Comment following Section 104. |
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| | | §7-750.__Liquidating asset |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "liquidating asset" means an asset whose | | value will diminish or terminate because the asset is expected to | | produce receipts for a period of limited duration.__The term | | includes a leasehold, patent, copyright, royalty right and right | | to receive payments during a period of more than one year under | | an arrangement that does not provide for the payment of interest | | on the unpaid balance.__The term does not include a payment | | subject to section 7-749, resources subject to section 7-751, | | timber subject to section 7-752, an activity subject to section | | 7-754, an asset subject to section 7-755, or any asset for which | | the trustee establishes a reserve for depreciation under section | | 7-763. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee shall allocate to income 10% of the receipts | | from a liquidating asset and the balance to principal. |
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| | | (This is Section 410 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. Section 11 of the 1962 Act allocates receipts | | from "property subject to depletion" to income in an amount "not | | in excess of 5%" of the asset's inventory value. The 1931 Act | | has a similar 5% rule that applies when the trustee is under a | | duty to change the form of the investment. The 5% rule imposes | | on a trust the obligation to pay a fixed annuity to the income | | beneficiary until the asset is exhausted. Under both the 1931 | | and 1962 Acts the balance of each year's receipts is added to | | principal. A fixed payment can produce unfair results. The | | remainder beneficiary receives all of the receipts from | | unexpected growth in the asset, e.g., if royalties on a patent or | | copyright increase significantly. Conversely, if the receipts | | diminish more rapidly than expected, most of the amount received | | by the trust will be allocated to income and little to principal. | | Moreover, if the annual payments remain the same for the life of | | the asset, the amount allocated to principal will usually be less | | than the original inventory value. For these reasons, Section | | 410 abandons the annuity approach under the 5% rule. |
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| | | Lottery payments. The reference in subsection (a) to rights | | to receive payments under an arrangement that does not provide | | for the payment of interest includes state lottery prizes and | | similar fixed amounts payable over time that are not deferred | | compensation arrangements covered by Section 409. |
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| | | §7-751.__Minerals, water and other natural resources |
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| | | (a)__To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from | | an interest in minerals or other natural resources pursuant to | | this section, the trustee shall allocate them as follows. |
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| | | (1)__If received as nominal delay rental or nominal annual | | rent on a lease, a receipt must be allocated to income. |
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| | | (2)__If received from a production payment, a receipt must | | be allocated to income if and to the extent that the | | agreement creating the production payment provides a factor | | for interest or its equivalent.__The balance must be | | allocated to principal. |
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| | | (3)__If an amount received as a royalty, shut-in-well | | payment, take-or-pay payment, bonus or delay rental is more | | than nominal, 90% must be allocated to principal and the | | balance to income. |
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| | | (4)__If an amount is received from a working interest or any | | other interest not provided for in paragraph (1), (2) or | | (3), 90% of the net amount received must be allocated to | | principal and the balance to income. |
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| | | (b)__An amount received on account of an interest in water | | that is renewable must be allocated to income.__If the water is | | not renewable, 90% of the amount must be allocated to principal | | and the balance to income. |
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| | | (c)__This Part applies whether or not a decedent or donor was | | extracting minerals, water or other natural resources before the | | interest became subject to the trust. |
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| | | (d)__If a trust owns an interest in minerals, water or other | | natural resources on January 1, 2002, the trustee may allocate | | receipts from the interest as provided in this Part or in the | | manner used by the trustee before January 1, 2002.__If the trust | | acquires an interest in minerals, water or other natural | | resources after January 1, 2002, the trustee shall allocate | | receipts from the interest as provided in this Part. |
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| | | (This is Section 411 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. The 1962 Act allocates to principal as a | | depletion allowance, 271/2% of the gross receipts, but not more | | than 50% of the net receipts after paying expenses. The Internal | | Revenue Code no longer provides for a 271/2% depletion allowance, | | although the major oilproducing States have retained the 271/2% | | provision in their principal and income acts (Texas amended its | | Act in 1993, but did not change the depletion provision). | | Section 9 of the 1931 Act allocates all of the net proceeds | | received as consideration for the "permanent severance of natural | | resources from the lands" to principal. |
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| | | Section 411 allocates 90% of the net receipts to principal and | | 10% to income. A depletion provision that is tied to past or | | present Code provisions is undesirable because it causes a large | | portion of the oil and gas receipts to be paid out as income. As | | wells are depleted, the amount received by the income beneficiary | | falls drastically. Allocating a larger portion of the receipts | | to | | principal enables the trustee to acquire other income producing | | assets that will continue to produce income when the mineral | | reserves are exhausted. |
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| | | Application of Sections 403 and 408. This section applies to | | the extent that the trustee does not account separately for | | receipts from minerals and other natural resources under Section | | 403 or allocate all of the receipts to principal under Section | | 408. |
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| | | Open mine doctrine. The purpose of Section 411(c) is to | | abolish the "open mine doctrine" as it may apply to the rights of | | an income beneficiary and a remainder beneficiary in receipts | | from the production of minerals from land owned or leased by a | | trust. Instead, such receipts are to be allocated to or between | | principal and income in accordance with the provisions of this | | Act. For a discussion of the open mine doctrine, see generally | | 3A Austin W. Scott & William F. Fratcher, The Law of Trusts § | | 239.3 (4th ed. 1988), and Nutter v. Stockton, 626 P.2d 861 (Okla. | | 1981). |
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| | | Effective date provision. Section 9(b) of the 1962 Act | | provides that the natural resources provision does not apply to | | property interests held by the trust on the effective date of the | | Act, which reflects concerns about the constitutionality of | | applying a retroactive administrative provision to interests in | | real estate, based on the opinion in the Oklahoma case of | | Franklin v. Margay Oil Corporation, 153 P.2d 486, 501 (Okla. | | 1944). Section 411(d) permits a trustee to use either the method | | provided for in this Act or the method used before the Act takes | | effect. Lawyers in jurisdictions other than Oklahoma may | | conclude that retroactivity is not a problem as to property | | situated in their States, and this provision permits trustees to | | decide, based on advice from counsel in States whose law may be | | different from that of Oklahoma, whether they may apply this | | provision retroactively if they conclude that to do so is in the | | best interests of the beneficiaries. |
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| | | If the property is in a State other than the State where the | | trust is administered, the trustee must be aware that the law of | | the property's situs may control this question. The outcome | | turns on a variety of questions: whether the terms of the trust | | specify that the law of a State other than the situs of the | | property shall govern the administration of the trust, and | | whether the courts will follow the terms of the trust; whether | | the trust's asset is the land itself or a leasehold interest in | | the land (as it frequently is with oil and gas property); whether | | a leasehold interest or its proceeds should be classified as real | | property or personal property, and if as personal property, | | whether applicable state law treats it as a movable or an | | immovable for conflict of laws purposes. See 5A Austin W. Scott | | & William F. Fratcher, The Law of Trusts §§ 648, at 531, 533534; | | § 657, at 600 (4th ed. 1989). |
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| | | (a)__To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from | | the sale of timber and related products pursuant to this section, | | the trustee shall allocate the net receipts: |
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| | | (1)__To income to the extent that the amount of timber | | removed from the land does not exceed the rate of growth of | | the timber during the accounting periods in which a | | beneficiary has a mandatory income interest; |
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| | | (2)__To principal to the extent that the amount of timber | | removed from the land exceeds the rate of growth of the | | timber or the net receipts are from the sale of standing | | timber; |
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| | | (3)__To or between income and principal if the net receipts | | are from the lease of timberland or from a contract to cut | | timber from land owned by a trust, by determining the amount | | of timber removed from the land under the lease or contract | | and applying the rules in paragraphs (1) and (2); or |
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| | | (4)__To principal to the extent that advance payments, | | bonuses and other payments are not allocated pursuant to | | paragraph (1), (2) or (3). |
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| | | (b)__In determining net receipts to be allocated pursuant to | | subsection (a), a trustee shall deduct and transfer to principal | | a reasonable amount for depletion. |
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| | | (c)__This Part applies whether or not a decedent or transferor | | was harvesting timber from the property before it became subject | | to the trust. |
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| | | (d)__If a trust owns an interest in timberland on January 1, | | 2002, the trustee may allocate net receipts from the sale of | | timber and related products as provided in this Part or in the | | manner used by the trustee before January 1, 2002.__If the trust | | acquires an interest in timberland after January 1, 2002, the | | trustee shall allocate net receipts from the sale of timber and | | related products as provided in this Part. |
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| | | (This is Section 412 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Scope of section. The rules in Section 412 are intended to | | apply to net receipts from the sale of trees and by-products from |
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| | | harvesting and processing trees without regard to the kind of | | trees that are cut or whether the trees are cut before or after a | | particular number of years of growth. The rules apply to the | | sale of trees that are expected to produce lumber for building | | purposes, trees sold as pulpwood, and Christmas and other | | ornamental trees. Subsection (a) applies to net receipts from | | property owned by the trustee and property leased by the trustee. | | The Act is not intended to prevent a tenant in possession of the | | property from using wood that he cuts on the property for | | personal, noncommercial purposes, such as a Christmas tree, | | firewood, mending old fences or building new fences, or making | | repairs to structures on the property. |
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| | | Under subsection (a), the amount of net receipts allocated to | | income depends upon whether the amount of timber removed is more | | or less than the rate of growth. The method of determining the | | amount of timber removed and the rate of growth is up to the | | trustee, based on methods customarily used for the kind of timber | | involved. |
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| | | Application of Sections 403 and 408. This section applies to | | the extent that the trustee does not account separately for net | | receipts from the sale of timber and related products under | | Section 403 or allocate all of the receipts to principal under | | Section 408. The option to account for net receipts separately | | under Section 403 takes into consideration the possibility that | | timber harvesting operations may have been conducted before the | | timber property became subject to the trust, and that it may make | | sense to continue using accounting methods previously established | | for the property. It also permits a trustee to use customary | | accounting practices for timber operations even if no harvesting | | occurred on the property before it became subject to the trust. |
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| | | §7-753.__Property not productive of income |
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| | | (a)__If a marital deduction is allowed for all or part of a | | trust whose assets consist substantially of property that does | | not provide the spouse with sufficient income from or use of the | | trust assets, and if the amounts that the trustee transfers from | | principal to income under section 7-704 and distributes to the | | spouse from principal pursuant to the terms of the trust are | | insufficient to provide the spouse with the beneficial enjoyment | | required to obtain the marital deduction, the spouse may require | | the trustee to make property productive of income, convert | | property within a reasonable time or exercise the power conferred | | by section 7-704, subsection (a).__The trustee may decide which | | action or combination of actions to take. |
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| | | (b)__In cases not governed by subsection (a), proceeds from | | the sale or other disposition of an asset are principal without |
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| | | regard to the amount of income the asset produces during any | | accounting period. |
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| | | (This is Section 413 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts' Conflict with Uniform Prudent Investor Act. | | Section 2(b) of the Uniform Prudent Investor Act provides that | | "[a] trustee's investment and management decisions respecting | | individual assets must be evaluated not in isolation but in the | | context of the trust portfolio as a whole ... ." The | | underproductive property provisions in Section 12 of the 1962 Act | | and Section 11 of the 1931 Act give the income beneficiary a | | right to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of | | underproductive property as "delayed income." In each Act the | | provision applies on an asset by asset basis and not by taking | | into consideration the trust portfolio as a whole, which | | conflicts with the basic precept in Section 2(b) of the Prudent | | Investor Act. Moreover, in determining the amount of delayed | | income, the prior Acts do not permit a trustee to take into | | account the extent to which the trustee may have distributed | | principal to the income beneficiary, under principal invasion | | provisions in the terms of the trust, to compensate for | | insufficient income from the unproductive asset. Under Section | | 104(b)(7) of this Act, a trustee must consider prior | | distributions of principal to the income beneficiary in deciding | | whether and to what extent to exercise the power to adjust | | conferred by Section 104(a). |
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| | | Duty to make property productive of income. In order to | | implement the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, this Act abolishes | | the right to receive delayed income from the sale proceeds of an | | asset that produces little or no income, but it does not alter | | existing state law regarding the income beneficiary's right to | | compel the trustee to make property productive of income. As the | | law continues to develop in this area, the duty to make property | | productive of current income in a particular situation should be | | determined by taking into consideration the performance of the | | portfolio as a whole and the extent to which a trustee makes | | principal distributions to the income beneficiary under the terms | | of the trust and adjustments between principal and income under | | Section 104 of this Act. |
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| | | Trusts for which the value of the right to receive income is | | important for tax reasons may be affected by Reg. § | | 1.75203(b)(2)(v) Example (1), § 20.75203(b)(2)(v) Examples (1) and (2), | | and § 25.75203(b)(2)(v) Examples (1) and (2), which |
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| | | provide that if the income beneficiary does not have the right to | | compel the trustee to make the property productive, the income | | interest is considered unproductive and may not be valued | | actuarially under those sections. |
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| | | Marital deduction trusts. Subsection (a) draws on language in | | Reg. § 20.2056(b)5(f)(4) and (5) to enable a trust for a spouse | | to qualify for a marital deduction if applicable state law is | | unclear about the spouse's right to compel the trustee to make | | property productive of income. The trustee should also consider | | the application of Section 104 of this Act and the provisions of | | Restatement of Trusts 3d: Prudent Investor Rule § 240, at 186, | | app. § 240, at 252 (1992). Example (6) in the Comment to Section | | 104 describes a situation involving the payment from income of | | carrying charges on unproductive real estate in which Section 104 | | may apply. |
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| | | Once the two conditions have occurred - insufficient | | beneficial enjoyment from the property and the spouse's demand | | that the trustee take action under this section - the trustee | | must act; but instead of the formulaic approach of the 1962 Act, | | which is triggered only if the trustee sells the property, this | | Act permits the trustee to decide whether to make the property | | productive of income, convert it, transfer funds from principal | | to income, or to take some combination of those actions. The | | trustee may rely on the power conferred by Section 104(a) to | | adjust from principal to income if the trustee decides that it is | | not feasible or appropriate to make the property productive of | | income or to convert the property. Given the purpose of Section | | 413, the power under Section 104(a) would be exercised to | | transfer principal to income and not to transfer income to | | principal. |
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| | | Section 413 does not apply to a so-called "estate" trust, | | which will qualify for the marital deduction, even though the | | income may be accumulated for a term of years or for the life of | | the surviving spouse, if the terms of the trust require the | | principal and undistributed income to be paid to the surviving | | spouse's estate when the spouse dies. Reg. § | | 20.2056(c)2(b)(1)(iii). |
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| | | §7-754.__Derivatives and options |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "derivative" means a contract or | | financial instrument or a combination of contracts and financial | | instruments that gives a trust the right or obligation to | | participate in some or all changes in the price of a tangible or | | intangible asset or group of assets, or changes in a rate, an | | index of prices or rates or other market indicator for an asset | | or a group of assets. |
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| | | (b)__To the extent that a trustee does not account under | | section 7-743 for transactions in derivatives, the trustee shall | | allocate to principal receipts from and disbursements made in | | connection | | with those transactions. |
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| | | (c)__If a trustee grants an option to buy property from the | | trust, whether or not the trust owns the property when the option | | is granted, grants an option that permits another person to sell | | property to the trust or acquires an option to buy property for | | the trust or an option to sell an asset owned by the trust, and | | the trustee or other owner of the asset is required to deliver | | the asset if the option is exercised, an amount received for | | granting the option must be allocated to principal.__An amount | | paid to acquire the option must be paid from principal.__A gain | | or loss realized upon the exercise of an option, including an | | option granted to a settlor of the trust for services rendered, | | must be allocated to principal. |
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| | | (This is Section 414 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Scope and application. It is difficult to predict how | | frequently and to what extent trustees will invest directly in | | derivative financial instruments rather than participating | | indirectly through investment entities that may utilize these | | instruments in varying degrees. If the trust participates in | | derivatives indirectly through an entity, an amount received from | | the entity will be allocated under Section 401 and not Section | | 414. If a trustee invests directly in derivatives to a | | significant extent, the expectation is that receipts and | | disbursements related to derivatives will be accounted for under | | Section 403; if a trustee chooses not to account under Section | | 403, Section 414(b) provides the default rule. Certain types of | | option transactions in which trustees may engage are dealt with | | in subsection (c) to distinguish those transactions from ones | | involving options that are embedded in derivative financial | | instruments. |
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| | | Definition of "derivative." "Derivative" is a difficult term | | to define because new derivatives are invented daily as dealers | | tailor their terms to achieve specific financial objectives for | | particular clients. Since derivatives are typically contract- | | based, a derivative can probably be devised for almost any set of | | objectives if another party can be found who is willing to assume | | the obligations required to meet those objectives. |
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| | | The most comprehensive definition of derivative is in the | | Exposure Draft of a Proposed Statement of Financial Accounting | | Standards titled "Accounting for Derivative and Similar Financial | | Instruments and for Hedging Activities," which was released by | | the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on June 20, 1996 | | (No. 162B). | | The definition in Section 414(a) is derived in part from the FASB | | definition. The purpose of the definition in subsection (a) is | | to implement the substantive rule in subsection (b) that provides | | for all receipts and disbursements to be allocated to principal | | to the extent the trustee elects not to account for transactions | | in derivatives under Section 403. As a result, it is much | | shorter than the FASB definition, which serves much more | | ambitious objectives. |
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| | | A derivative is frequently described as including futures, | | forwards, swaps and options, terms that also require definition, | | and the definition in this Act avoids these terms. FASB used the | | same approach, explaining in paragraph 65 of the Exposure Draft: |
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| | | The definition of derivative financial instrument in this Statement | | includes those financial instruments generally considered to | | be derivatives, such as forwards, futures, swaps, options, | | and similar instruments. The Board considered defining a | | derivative financial instrument by merely referencing those | | commonly understood instruments, similar to paragraph 5 of | | Statement 119, which says that "... a derivative financial | | instrument is a futures, forward, swap, or option contract, | | or other financial instrument with similar characteristics." | | However, the continued development of financial markets and | | innovative financial instruments could ultimately render a | | definition based on examples inadequate and obsolete. The | | Board, therefore, decided to base the definition of a | | derivative financial instrument on a description of the | | common characteristics of those instruments in order to | | accommodate the accounting for newly developed derivatives. | | (Footnote omitted.) |
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| | | Marking to market. A gain or loss that occurs because the | | trustee marks securities to market or to another value during an | | accounting period is not a transaction in a derivative financial | | instrument that is income or principal under the Act - only cash | | receipts and disbursements, and the receipt of property in | | exchange for a principal asset, affect a trust's principal and | | income accounts. |
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| | | Receipt of property other than cash. If a trustee receives | | property other than cash upon the settlement of a derivatives |
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| | | transaction, that property would be principal under Section | | 404(2). |
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| | | Options. Options to which subsection (c) applies include an | | option to purchase real estate owned by the trustee and a put | | option purchased by a trustee to guard against a drop in value of | | a large block of marketable stock that must be liquidated to pay | | estate taxes. Subsection (c) would also apply to a continuing | | and regular practice of selling call options on securities owned | | by the trust if the terms of the option require delivery of the | | securities. It does not apply if the consideration received or | | given for the option is something other than cash or property, | | such as cross-options granted in a buy-sell agreement between | | owners of an entity. |
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| | | §7-755.__Asset-backed securities |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "asset-backed security" means an asset | | whose value is based upon the right it gives the owner to receive | | distributions from the proceeds of financial assets that provide | | collateral for the security.__The term includes an asset that | | gives the owner the right to receive from the collateral | | financial assets only the interest or other current return or | | only the proceeds other than interest or current return.__The | | term does not include an asset to which section 7-741 or 7-749 | | applies. |
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| | | (b)__If a trust receives a payment from interest or other | | current return and from other proceeds of the collateral | | financial assets, the trustee shall allocate to income the | | portion of the payment which the payor identifies as being from | | interest or other current return and shall allocate the balance | | of the payment to principal. |
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| | | (c)__If a trust receives one or more payments in exchange for | | the trust's entire interest in an asset-backed security in one | | accounting period, the trustee shall allocate the payments to | | principal.__If a payment is one of a series of payments that will | | result in the liquidation of the trust's interest in the security | | over more than one accounting period, the trustee shall allocate | | 10% of the payment to income and the balance to principal. |
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| | | (This is Section 415 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Scope of section. Typical asset-backed securities include | | arrangements in which debt obligations such as real estate |
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| | | mortgages, credit card receivables and auto loans are acquired by | | an investment trust and interests in the trust are sold to | | investors. The source for payments to an investor is the money | | received from principal and interest payments on the underlying | | debt. An asset-backed security includes an "interest only" or a | | "principal only" security that permits the investor to receive | | only the interest payments received from the bonds, mortgages or | | other assets that are the collateral for the asset-backed | | security, or only the principal payments made on those collateral | | assets. An asset-backed security also includes a security that | | permits the investor to participate in either the capital | | appreciation of an underlying security or in the interest or | | dividend return from | | such a security, such as the "Primes" and "Scores" issued by | | Americus Trust. An asset-backed security does not include an | | interest in a corporation, partnership, or an investment trust | | described in the Comment to Section 402, whose assets consist | | significantly or entirely of investment assets. Receipts from an | | instrument that do not come within the scope of this section or | | any other section of the Act would be allocated entirely to | | principal under the rule in Section 103(a)(4), and the trustee | | may then consider whether and to what extent to exercise the | | power to adjust in Section 104, taking into account the return | | from the portfolio as whole and other relevant factors. |
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| | | ALLOCATION OF DISBURSEMENTS DURING |
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| | | §7-761.__Disbursements from income |
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| | | A trustee shall make the following disbursements from income | | to the extent that they are not disbursements to which section 7- | | 721, subsection (b), paragraph (2) or (3) applies: |
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| | | (a)__One-half of the regular compensation of the trustee and | | of any person providing investment advisory or custodial services | | to the trustee; |
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| | | (b)__One-half of all expenses for accountings, judicial | | proceedings or other matters that involve both the income and | | remainder interests; |
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| | | (c)__All of the other ordinary expenses incurred in connection | | with the administration, management or preservation of trust | | property and the distribution of income, including interest, | | ordinary repairs, regularly recurring taxes assessed against | | principal and expenses of a proceeding or other matter that | | concerns primarily the income interest; and |
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| | | (d)__Recurring premiums on insurance covering the loss of a | | principal asset or the loss of income from or use of the asset. |
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| | | (This is Section 501 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Trustee fees. The regular compensation of a trustee or the | | trustee's agent includes compensation based on a percentage of | | either principal or income or both. |
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| | | Insurance premiums. The reference in paragraph (4) to | | "recurring" premiums is intended to distinguish premiums paid | | annually for fire insurance from premiums on title insurance, | | each of which covers the loss of a principal asset. Title | | insurance premiums would be a principal disbursement under | | Section 502(a)(5). |
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| | | Regularly recurring taxes. The reference to "regularly | | recurring taxes assessed against principal" includes all taxes | | regularly imposed on real property and tangible and intangible | | personal property. |
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| | | §7-762.__Disbursements from principal |
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| | | (a)__A trustee shall make the following disbursements from | | principal: |
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| | | (1)__The remaining 1/2 of the disbursements described in | | section 7-761, subsections (a) and (b); |
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| | | (2)__All of the trustee's compensation calculated on | | principal as a fee for acceptance, distribution or | | termination and disbursements made to prepare property for | | sale; |
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| | | (3)__Payments on the principal of a trust debt; |
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| | | (4)__Expenses of a proceeding that concerns primarily | | principal, including a proceeding to construe the trust or | | to protect the trust or its property; |
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| | | (5)__Premiums paid on a policy of insurance not described in | | section 7-761, subsection (d) of which the trust is the | | owner and beneficiary; |
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| | | (6)__Estate, inheritance and other transfer taxes, including | | penalties, apportioned to the trust; and |
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| | | (7)__Disbursements related to environmental matters, | | including reclamation, assessing environmental conditions, | | remedying and removing environmental contamination, | | monitoring remedial activities and the release of | | substances, preventing future releases of substances, | | collecting amounts from persons liable or potentially liable | | for the costs of those activities, penalties imposed under | | environmental laws or regulations and other payments made to | | comply with those laws or regulations, statutory or common | | law claims by 3rd parties and defending claims based on | | environmental matters. |
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| | | (b)__If a principal asset is encumbered with an obligation | | that requires income from that asset to be paid directly to the | | creditor, the trustee shall transfer from principal to income an | | amount equal to the income paid to the creditor in reduction of | | the principal balance of the obligation. |
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| | | (This is Section 502 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Environmental expenses. All environmental expenses are | | payable from principal, subject to the power of the trustee to | | transfer funds to principal from income under Section 504. | | However, the Drafting Committee decided that it was not necessary | | to broaden this provision to cover other expenditures made under | | compulsion of governmental authority. See generally the | | annotation at 43 A.L.R.4th 1012 (Duty as Between Life Tenant and | | Remainderman with Respect to Cost of Improvements or Repairs Made | | Under Compulsion of Governmental Authority). |
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| | | Environmental expenses paid by a trust are to be paid from | | principal under Section 502(a)(7) on the assumption that they | | will usually be extraordinary in nature. Environmental expenses | | might be paid from income if the trustee is carrying on a | | business that uses or sells toxic substances, in which case | | environmental cleanup costs would be a normal cost of doing | | business and would be accounted for under Section 403. In | | accounting under that Section, environmental costs will be a | | factor in determining how much of the net receipts from the | | business is trust income. Paying all other environmental | | expenses from principal is consistent with this Act's approach | | regarding receipts - when a receipt is not clearly a current | | return on a principal asset, it should be added to principal | | because over time both the income and remainder beneficiaries | | benefit from this treatment. Here, allocating payments required |
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| | | by environmental laws to principal imposes the detriment of those | | payments over time on both the income and remainder | | beneficiaries. |
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| | | Under Sections 504(a) and 504(b)(5), a trustee who makes or | | expects to make a principal disbursement for an environmental | | expense described in Section 502(a)(7) is authorized to transfer | | an appropriate amount from income to principal to reimburse | | principal for disbursements made or to provide a reserve for | | future principal disbursements. |
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| | | The first part of Section 502(a)(7) is based upon the | | definition of an "environmental remediation trust" in Treas. Reg. | | § 301.77014(e)(as amended in 1996). This is not because the Act | | applies to an environmental remediation trust, but because the | | definition is a useful and thoroughly vetted description of the | | kinds of expenses that a trustee owning contaminated property | | might incur. Expenses incurred to comply with environmental laws | | include the cost of environmental consultants, administrative | | proceedings and burdens of every kind imposed as the result of an | | administrative or judicial proceeding, even though the burden is | | not formally characterized as a penalty. |
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| | | Title proceedings. Disbursements that are made to protect a | | trust's property, referred to in Section 502(a)(4), include an | | "action to assure title" that is mentioned in Section 13(c)(2) of | | the 1962 Act. |
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| | | Insurance premiums. Insurance premiums referred to in Section | | 502(a)(5) include title insurance premiums. They also include | | premiums on life insurance policies owned by the trust, which | | represent the trust's periodic investment in the insurance | | policy. There is no provision in the 1962 Act for life insurance | | premiums. |
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| | | Taxes. Generation-skipping transfer taxes are payable from | | principal under subsection (a)(6). |
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| | | §7-763.__Transfers from income to principal for depreciation |
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| | | (a)__In this section, "depreciation" means a reduction in | | value due to wear, tear, decay, corrosion or gradual obsolescence | | of a fixed asset having a useful life of more than one year. |
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| | | (b)__A trustee may transfer to principal a reasonable amount | | of the net cash receipts from a principal asset that is subject | | to depreciation, but may not transfer any amount for | | depreciation: |
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| | | (1)__Of that portion of real property used or available for use | | by a beneficiary as a residence or of tangible personal |
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| | | property held or made available for the personal use or | | enjoyment of a beneficiary; |
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| | | (2)__During the administration of a decedent's estate; or |
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| | | (3)__Under this section if the trustee is accounting under | | section 7-743 for the business or activity in which the | | asset is used. |
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| | | (c)__An amount transferred to principal need not be held as a | | separate fund. |
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| | | (This is Section 503 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. The 1931 Act has no provision for depreciation. | | Section 13(a)(2) of the 1962 Act provides that a charge shall be | | made against income for "... a reasonable allowance for | | depreciation on property subject to depreciation under generally | | accepted accounting principles ... ." That provision has been | | resisted by many trustees, who do not provide for any | | depreciation for a variety of reasons. One reason relied upon is | | that a charge for depreciation is not needed to protect the | | remainder beneficiaries if the value of the land is increasing; | | another is that generally accepted accounting principles may not | | require depreciation to be taken if the property is not part of a | | business. The Drafting Committee concluded that the decision to | | provide for depreciation should be discretionary with the | | trustee. The power to transfer funds from income to principal | | that is granted by this section is a discretionary power of | | administration referred to in Section 103(b), and in exercising | | the power a trustee must comply with Section 103(b). |
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| | | One purpose served by transferring cash from income to | | principal for depreciation is to provide funds to pay the | | principal of an indebtedness secured by the depreciable property. | | Section 504(b)(4) permits the trustee to transfer additional cash | | from income to principal for this purpose to the extent that the | | amount transferred from income to principal for depreciation is | | less than the amount of the principal payments. |
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| | | §7-764.__Transfers from income to reimburse principal |
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| | | (a)__If a trustee makes or expects to make a principal | | disbursement described in this section, the trustee may transfer | | an appropriate amount from income to principal in one or more |
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| | | accounting periods to reimburse principal or to provide a reserve | | for future principal disbursements. |
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| | | (b)__Principal disbursements to which subsection (a) applies | | include the following, but only to the extent that the trustee | | has not been and does not expect to be reimbursed by a 3rd party: |
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| | | (1)__An amount chargeable to income but paid from principal | | because it is unusually large, including extraordinary | | repairs; |
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| | | (2)__A capital improvement to a principal asset, whether in | | the form of changes to an existing asset or the construction | | of a new asset, including special assessments; |
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| | | (3)__Disbursements made to prepare property for rental, | | including tenant allowances, leasehold improvements and | | broker's commissions; |
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| | | (4)__Periodic payments on an obligation secured by a | | principal asset to the extent that the amount transferred | | from income to principal for depreciation is less than the | | periodic payments; and |
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| | | (5)__Disbursements described in section 7-762, subsection | | (a), paragraph (7). |
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| | | (c)__If the asset whose ownership gives rise to the | | disbursements becomes subject to a successive income interest | | after an income interest ends, a trustee may continue to transfer | | amounts from income to principal as provided in subsection (a). |
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| | | (This is Section 504 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Prior Acts. The sources of Section 504 are Section 13(b) of | | the 1962 Act, which permits a trustee to "regularize | | distributions," if charges against income are unusually large, by | | using "reserves or other reasonable means" to withhold sums from | | income distributions; Section 13(c)(3) of the 1962 Act, which | | authorizes a trustee to establish an allowance for depreciation | | out of income if principal is used for extraordinary repairs, | | capital improvements and special assessments; and Section 12(3) | | of the 1931 Act, which permits the trustee to spread income | | expenses of unusual amount "throughout a series of years." | | Section 504 contains a more detailed enumeration of the |
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| | | circumstances in which this authority may be used, and includes | | in subsection (b)(4) the express authority to use income to make | | principal payments on a mortgage if the depreciation charge | | against income is less than the principal payments on the | | mortgage. |
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| | | (a)__A tax required to be paid by a trustee based on receipts | | allocated to income must be paid from income. |
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| | | (b)__A tax required to be paid by a trustee based on receipts | | allocated to principal must be paid from principal, even if the | | tax is called an income tax by the taxing authority. |
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| | | (c)__A tax required to be paid by a trustee on the trust's | | share of an entity's taxable income must be paid proportionately: |
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| | | (1)__From income to the extent that receipts from the entity | | are allocated to income; and |
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| | | (2)__From principal to the extent that: |
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| | | (i)__Receipts from the entity are allocated to | | principal; and |
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| | | (ii)__The trust's share of the entity's taxable income | | exceeds the total receipts described in paragraph (1) | | and subparagraph (i). |
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| | | (d)__For purposes of this section, receipts allocated to | | principal or income must be reduced by the amount distributed to | | a beneficiary from principal or income for which the trust | | receives a deduction in calculating the tax. |
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| | | (This is Section 505 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Electing Small Business Trusts. An Electing Small Business | | Trust (ESBT) is a creature created by Congress in the Small | | Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104188). For years | | beginning after 1996, an ESBT may qualify as an S corporation | | stockholder even if the trustee does not distribute all of the | | trust's income annually to its beneficiaries. The portion of an | | ESBT that consists of the S corporation stock is treated as a | | separate trust for tax purposes (but not for trust accounting | | purposes), and the S corporation income is taxed directly to that |
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| | | portion of the trust even if some or all of that income is | | distributed to the beneficiaries. |
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| | | A trust normally receives a deduction for distributions it | | makes to its beneficiaries. Subsection (d) takes into account | | the possibility that an ESBT may not receive a deduction for | | trust accounting income that is distributed to the beneficiaries. | | Only limited guidance has been issued by the Internal Revenue | | Service, and it is too early to anticipate all of the technical | | questions that may arise, but the powers granted to a trustee in | | Sections 506 and 104 to make adjustments are probably sufficient | | to enable a trustee to correct inequities that may arise because | | of technical problems. |
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| | | §7-766.__Adjustments between principal and income because of | | taxes |
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| | | (a)__A fiduciary may make adjustments between principal and | | income to offset the shifting of economic interests or tax | | benefits between income beneficiaries and remainder beneficiaries | | that arise from: |
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| | | (1)__Elections and decisions, other than those described in | | subsection (b), that the fiduciary makes from time to time | | regarding tax matters; |
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| | | (2)__An income tax or any other tax that is imposed upon the | | fiduciary or a beneficiary as a result of a transaction | | involving or a distribution from the estate or trust; or |
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| | | (3)__The ownership by an estate or trust of an interest in | | an entity whose taxable income, whether or not distributed, | | is includable in the taxable income of the estate, trust or | | a beneficiary. |
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| | | (b)__If the amount of an estate tax marital deduction or | | charitable contribution deduction is reduced because a fiduciary | | deducts an amount paid from principal for income tax purposes | | instead of deducting it for estate tax purposes, and as a result | | estate taxes paid from principal are increased and income taxes | | paid by an estate, trust or beneficiary are decreased, each | | estate, trust or beneficiary that benefits from the decrease in | | income tax shall reimburse the principal from which the increase | | in estate tax is paid.__The total reimbursement must equal the | | increase in the estate tax to the extent that the principal used | | to pay the increase would have qualified for a marital deduction | | or charitable contribution deduction but for the payment.__The | | proportionate share of the reimbursement for each estate, trust | | or beneficiary whose income taxes are reduced must be the same as | | its proportionate share of the total decrease in income tax.__An | | estate or trust shall reimburse principal from income. |
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| | | (This is Section 506 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | Discretionary adjustments. Section 506(a) permits the | | fiduciary to make adjustments between income and principal | | because of tax law provisions. It would permit discretionary | | adjustments in situations like these: (1) A fiduciary elects to | | deduct administration expenses that are paid from principal on an | | income tax return instead of on the estate tax return; (2) a | | distribution of a principal asset to a trust or other beneficiary | | causes the taxable income of an estate or trust to be carried out | | to the distributee and relieves the persons who receive the | | income of any obligation to pay income tax on the income; or (3) | | a trustee | | realizes a capital gain on the sale of a principal asset and pays | | a large state income tax on the gain, but under applicable | | federal income tax rules the trustee may not deduct the state | | income tax payment from the capital gain in calculating the | | trust's federal capital gain tax, and the income beneficiary | | receives the benefit of the deduction for state income tax paid | | on the capital gain. See generally Joel C. Dobris, Limits on the | | Doctrine of Equitable Adjustment in Sophisticated Postmortem Tax | | Planning, 66 Iowa L. Rev. 273 (1981). |
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| | | Section 506(a)(3) applies to a qualified Subchapter S trust | | (QSST) whose income beneficiary is required to include a pro rata | | share of the S corporation's taxable income in his return. If | | the QSST does not receive a cash distribution from the | | corporation that is large enough to cover the income | | beneficiary's tax liability, the trustee may distribute | | additional cash from principal to the income beneficiary. In | | this case the retention of cash by the corporation benefits the | | trust principal. This situation could occur if the corporation's | | taxable income includes capital gain from the sale of a business | | asset and the sale proceeds are reinvested in the business | | instead of being distributed to shareholders. |
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| | | Mandatory adjustment. Subsection (b) provides for a mandatory | | adjustment from income to principal to the extent needed to | | preserve an estate tax marital deduction or charitable | | contributions deduction. It is derived from New York's EPTL § | | 111.2(A), which requires principal to be reimbursed by those who | | benefit when a fiduciary elects to deduct administration expenses | | on an income tax return instead of the estate tax return. Unlike | | the New York provision, subsection (b) limits a mandatory | | reimbursement to cases in which a marital deduction or a | | charitable contributions deduction is reduced by the payment of |
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| | | additional estate taxes because of the fiduciary's income tax | | election. It is intended to preserve the result reached in | | Estate of Britenstool v. Commissioner, 46 T.C. 711 (1966), in | | which the Tax Court held that a reimbursement required by the | | predecessor of EPTL § 111.2(A) resulted in the estate receiving | | the same charitable contributions deduction it would have | | received if the administration expenses had been deducted for | | estate tax purposes instead of for income tax purposes. Because | | a fiduciary will elect to deduct administration expenses for | | income tax purposes only when the income tax reduction exceeds | | the estate tax reduction, the effect of this adjustment is that | | the principal is placed in the same position it would have | | occupied if the fiduciary had deducted the expenses for estate | | tax purposes, but the income beneficiaries receive an additional | | benefit. For example, if the income tax benefit from the | | deduction is $30,000 and the estate tax benefit would have been | | $20,000, principal will be reimbursed $20,000 and the net benefit | | to the income beneficiaries will be $10,000. |
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| | | Irrevocable grantor trusts. Under Sections 671679 of the | | Internal Revenue Code (the "grantor trust" provisions), a person | | who creates an irrevocable trust for the benefit of another | | person may be subject to tax on the trust's income or capital | | gains, or both, even though the settlor is not entitled to | | receive any income or principal from the trust. Because this is | | now a well-known tax result, many trusts have been created to | | produce this result, but there are also trusts that are | | unintentionally subject to this rule. The Act does not require | | or authorize a trustee to distribute funds from the trust to the | | settlor in these cases because it is difficult to establish a | | rule that applies only to trusts where this tax result is | | unintended and does not apply to trusts where the tax result is | | intended. Settlors who intend this tax result rarely state it as | | an objective in the terms of the trust, but instead rely on the | | operation of the tax law to produce the desired result. As a | | result it may not be possible to determine from the terms of the | | trust if the result was intentional or unintentional. If the | | drafter of such a trust wants the trustee to have the authority | | to distribute principal or income to the settlor to reimburse the | | settlor for taxes paid on the trust's income or capital gains, | | such a provision should be placed in the terms of the trust. In | | some situations the Internal Revenue Service may require that | | such a provision be placed in the terms of the trust as a | | condition to issuing a private letter ruling. |
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| | | §7-771.__Uniformity of application and construction |
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| | | In applying and construing the Uniform Principal and Income | | Act, consideration must be given to the need to promote | | uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among | | states that enact it. |
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| | | (This is Section 601 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | §7-772.__Application of Part to existing trusts and estates |
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| | | This Part applies to every trust or decedent's estate existing | | on January 1, 2002 except as otherwise expressly provided in the | | will or terms of the trust or in this Part. |
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| | | (This is Section 605 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act | | (1997).) |
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| | | This Part takes effect January 1, 2002. |
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| | | This bill enacts the Uniform Principal and Income Act of 1997, | | adopted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform | | State Laws in 1997. It provides rules for handling trust | | principal, income, receipts and disbursements. |
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