Supreme Court Rules 9–0 for IRS, Denying Refund in Estate Tax Dispute

The Epoch Times Header

Extra revenue created by an estate-planning device that increases the value of a family-held corporation is taxable, the court held.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the IRS on June 6 in a dispute over taxing shareholders’ life insurance policies.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the court’s 9–0 decision in Connelly v. Internal Revenue Service.

The case concerns two brothers’ closely held corporation. After one of the brothers died, tax authorities and the estate didn’t agree on the value of the stock.

Closely held corporations commonly enter into agreements that require the redemption of a shareholder’s stock after the shareholder dies to preserve the closely held nature of the business. Under such routine estate-planning devices, corporations purchase life insurance on the shareholder to make sure the transaction is funded.

The Supreme Court held that life insurance proceeds that will be used to redeem a decedent’s shares must be included when calculating the value of those shares for purposes of the federal estate tax.

The appeal of Thomas Connelly, executor of the estate of Michael Connelly, was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in June 2023.

The IRS said the estate owed close to $1 million after it found that St. Louis-based Crown C Corp., a building materials business, failed to report life insurance proceeds after Michael Connelly died in 2013.

Michael Connelly, who was president and CEO of the corporation when he died, owned 77.18 percent of the company’s shares, while Thomas Connelly owned 22.82 percent.

The executor filed an estate tax return reporting the value of his brother’s shares as $3 million, but the IRS conducted an audit in which an accounting firm valued the shares at more than $3.8 million at the time of the brother’s death.

The IRS determined that the life insurance proceeds needed to be included in the valuation of the corporation, which meant the company had a value of $6.8 million at the date of death. The IRS found that the estate owed an additional $890,000. The estate paid the amount and then sued the tax agency in federal court in Missouri.

By Matthew Vadum

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied, Prosecute Jeffrey Goldberg!

Jeffrey Goldberg reported on his mistaken inclusion in a signal chat as a hit piece on Trump. Should he be prosecuted under the Espionage Act?

Zelensky Has No Feasible Alternative To Accepting Trump’s Lopsided Resource Deal

Trump warned Zelensky he will have “some problems – big, big problems” if he “tries to back out of the rare earth deal” amidst reports agreement is lopsided.

DOGE and Musk Recover Deleted Computer Files

Elon Musk and his “Geek Squad” discovered an entire terabyte of data was deleted from government servers from the office of the “Institute of Peace”.

A Simple Question

What is a woman? Anyone with an IQ above room temperature can answer the question. Everyone, that is, except Democrats.

Democrats Tesla Takedown is a Proven Astro Turf Movement

Elon Musk and other journalistic leaders like Joe Rogan have been asking the critical question, “Who is behind the organization of these Tesla protests?”

News

Stellantis Pausing Production at Canada, Mexico Plants; 900 US Workers Temporarily Laid Off

Stellantis is pausing production at two assembly plants in Canada and Mexico, resulting in temporary layoffs at five U.S. facilities that supply them.

States to Certify Anti-Discrimination Commitment or Lose Federal Education Funding

State ed. agencies must certify that schools under their jurisdiction are not discriminating based on race or national origin for future federal funding.

Pentagon Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Hegseth Over Use of Signal

The inspector general for the Department of Defense is investigating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his use of the messaging app Signal.

US Layoffs Top 275,000 in March, Driven by Government Job Cuts: Report

Layoffs announced by U.S.-based employers soared in March to highest level since COVID-19 pandemic, with govt job cuts accounting for most headcount reduction.

Dow Jones Drops 1,500 Points a Day After Trump Tariff Announcement

U.S. stock indexes dropped after Trump's sweeping tariffs of 10 percent or higher, with Dow Jones plunging by 1,500 points at one point in early trading.

7 Takeaways From Trump’s Reciprocal Tariff Roll Out

Trump announced sweeping trade policy changes, introducing what he called “reciprocal tariffs” for all countries and declaring it “Liberation Day in America.”

ACLU Sues Trump Admin Over Canceled Grants Tied to DEI, Gender Identity Research

ACLU, public health orgs, unions, and researchers, filed federal lawsuit accusing NIH of unlawfully canceling research grants due to political and ideological pressure.

US Immigration Services Drops 3rd Gender Option

US immigration services agency officially updated policy to recognize only two biological sexes—male and female—for all immigration-related doc and benefit requests.
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central