Brief Fact Summary. Petitioner created a trust for his wife and children. He retained the power to revoke the trust at any time. At issue was whether or not he had to claim the income from the trust as his gross income.
Synopsis of Rule of Law. When the grantor of a trust has the power to take full ownership of any part of the corpus of the trust, then the income should be considered as grantor’s.
If a man directed his bank to pay over income as received to a servant or friend, until further orders, no one would doubt that he could be taxed upon the amounts so paid.
View Full Point of LawIssue. Should the trust income be considered Petitioner’s income?
Held. Justice Holmes issued the opinion for the Supreme Court of the United States in holding that income should be considered Petitioner’s.
Discussion. The Supreme Court found that even though Petitioner transferred the income to his wife he still maintained control of all aspects of the trust. He could at any time revoke the trust and take control of the income.