Effective estate tax planning often involves two competing objectives. On one hand, there is an objective to remove assets from a person’s taxable estate, so that estate tax liability can be reduced on such person’s death. On the other hand, there is an objective to retain the income and principal from a person’s assets, so that such person’s activities are not disrupted during such person’s lifetime.
President-elect Trump has proposed various new specific exemptions from income tax liability. First, he would exempt tips from income tax liability. Second, he would exempt overtime pay from income tax liability. Third, he would exempt Social Security benefits from income tax liability. There is no guarantee that some or any of President-elect Trump’s tax proposals will be enacted into law.
Charitable activities are favored under the Internal Revenue Code. The income of a charitable entity can be subject to favorable income taxation, and transfers to a charitable entity can realize income tax and estate tax deductions. One type of charitable entity is a private foundation. This letter refers to the “private non-operating foundation.”
“Buy sell” agreements often are funded by life insurance policies. Life insurance proceeds can affect the “estate tax” valuation of a deceased business owner’s ownership interest. And can have material implications for the terms of “buy-sell” agreements, business valuations, and other estate tax liability and estate planning issues.
Relative to its decisions concerning other areas of the law, the United States Supreme Court generally does not issue many decisions concerning tax law. Thus, when the Supreme Court does issue a tax decision, it definitely is noteworthy and deserves attention.
Succession is an important issue in estate planning. Usually, succession is discussed in terms of an asset owner’s or business owner’s death. Who should succeed me as owner and manager of my assets or business on my death? A less often discussed, but also significant, issue is succession in disability situations.