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High-Net-Worth New Yorkers Should Consider Making Gifts by March 31 or Possibly Pay More Estate Tax
In his 2014-2015 budget bill, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed significant changes to the state tax code. A brief summary of the proposed changes follows.
One proposed change is to increase the current New York estate tax exemption from $1 million to $5.25 million over the next four years, with indexing for inflation thereafter to match the federal exemption amount, and to lower the top estate tax rate from 16 percent to 10 percent over the next three years. These favorable changes would be effective April 1, 2014, and apply to estates of individuals dying on or after that date.
A second proposed change, and one clearly less favorable to high-net-worth New Yorkers, is to require lifetime taxable gifts made on or after April 1, 2014, to be included in the gross estate of New York decedents, which would increase the state estate tax liability. This latter change would close what some have criticized as a loophole in the estate tax system that allows New Yorkers to make generous deathbed gifts to reduce, or escape altogether, the state estate tax. The overall estate tax could be increased by between $300,000 and $500,000 if an individual makes a $5,000,000 gift on or after April 1, 2014 (depending on the applicable New York estate tax rate).
The proposal also includes the closing of the so-called resident trust loophole. Governor Cuomo proposes taxing distributions of accumulated trust income to New York beneficiaries of nonresident trusts (i.e., trusts created by grantors not domiciled in New York at the time of trust formation) and so-called exempt resident trusts (i.e., those trusts exempt from New York income taxation because they meet certain criteria in the tax law).
Finally, the governor's budget bill also includes a repeal of the New York generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax. Presently, state GST taxes are fairly limited, applying only to taxable trust distributions and terminations, but the repeal is nonetheless a favorable proposal for those trusts currently affected by the GST tax.
The tax change proposals are something of a mixed bag for high-net-worth New Yorkers, although the changes are overall more favorable than not. It is too early to tell which, if any, of these proposals may become law. In light of the April 1, 2014, effective date, however, if you have been considering making a gift to use some portion of your available federal gift tax exemption, you may want to take steps to ensure that the gift is complete by March 31, to eliminate the possibility that your 2014 gift will be includable in your New York taxable estate.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these proposed tax changes or would like our advice on how to make gifts in a tax-efficient manner.
On March 12, Dina Kapur Sanna, an International Trusts and Estates Partner at Day Pitney, was a speaker at the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) 2022 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, where she presented "Tricks and Tips on Navigating the Choppy Waters of International Estate/Succession Planning.
Day Pitney Counsel Susan A. Robb presented a webinar titled, "Introduction to Irrevocable Trusts," for the Boston Bar Administration's Trusts & Estates Fundamentals Committee on January 6.
On August 2, Day Pitney Counsel Heidi A. Seely presented at "Estate Planning: MCLE BasicsPLUS, Initial Steps, Fundamentals and Estate Planning Documents," hosted by MCLE.
Partner Dina Kapur Sanna spoke at the Private Client TransTrusts Bermuda event on a panel titled, “Impact of regulation, Economic Substance, Beneficial Owner Registers, FATCA, CRS across jurisdictions,” on June 4.
On May 3, Tiana Gianopulos delivered a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Connecticut Bar Association's Estates and Probate Section entitled, "Directed Trusts: Beyond the Basics."
Trusts and Estates Attorneys Joshua Caswell and Leiha Macauley testified on November 16 before the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
New York Partner Dina Kapur Sanna from our firm's Individual Clients department has been recognized on Citywealth's Top 100 Private Lawyers 2021 List.
Day Pitney Press Release
Day Pitney's merger with Rhode Island-based Howland Evangelista Kohlenberg, which was completed on July 1, was featured in the Connecticut Law Tribune.
The completion of the merger between Day Pitney and Howland Evangelista Kohlenberg was featured in South Florida Business & Wealth's article, "South Florida Law Firm Continues Expansion After Merging With Rhode Island Firm."
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This website may use cookies, pixel tags and other passive tracking technologies, including Google Analytics, to improve functionality and performance. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. By using our website, you are consenting to our use of these tracking technologies. You can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse to accept cookies, but if you do so, it is possible that some areas of web sites that use cookies will not function properly when you view them. To learn more about how to delete and manage cookies, refer to the support instructions for each browser (e.g., see AllAboutCookies.org). You may locate Google Analytics' currently available opt-outs for the web here.