GST planning opportunities.Early planning can yield great benefits with the generation-skipping transfer (GST GST abbr. Greenwich sidereal time GST (in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) Goods and Services Tax ) tax exemption tax exemption, immunity from the requirement of paying taxes. Federal, state, and usually local law provide exemption from taxation for a wide variety of organizations, usually not-for-profit, such as churches, colleges, universities, health care providers, various . Whenever possible, a GST trust should be used for new business opportunities. First, the trust can be funded with cash; the trust can then purchase a business interest. This strategy avoids valuation challenges if the business interest appreciates rapidly and minimizes the initial GST tax-exempt allocation. Other GST tax planning Tax planning Devising strategies throughout the year in order to minimize tax liability, for example, by choosing a tax filing status that is most beneficial to the taxpayer. opportunities include: 1. Maximize the direct payment of college and medical expenses that are exempt from gift tax and disregarded when computing the $10,000 annual gift tax exclusion. 2. Consider making as many $10,000 annual exclusion Annual exclusion A tax rule allowing the deduction of certain income from taxation. gifts as possible. A powerful way to use the annual exclusion is to take advantage of Sec. 529 qualified state tuition programs. A grandparent may give up to $50,000 per grandchild, spread this amount over five years and shield the gift from tax by using the annual exclusion. The income on a qualified state tuition program account grows tax-free, and the grandchild is taxed when he withdraws the funds for college education expenses. 3. Use the $1 million GST tax exemption during life and focus on leveraging the transfer with assets with the greatest potential for appreciation. Long-term GST trusts should be created for the exclusive benefit of grandchildren, if the parents Can afford to forego the income. If children need trust income, consider making them discretionary (rather than mandatory) beneficiaries. The optimal trust term to defer transfer taxes is a trust that will end on the expiration of the period established by the Rule Against Perpetuities Under the Common Law, the principle that no interest in property is valid unless it vests not later than twenty-one years, plus the period of gestation, after some life or lives in being which exist at the time of the creation of the interest. . Alaska, Delaware and other jurisdictions that have abolished the rule make excellent jurisdictions to establish dynasty trusts, designed to build up as much trust corpus as possible for future generations. When designing a dynasty-type trust, a trustee should have broad discretionary powers, including the power to make distributions. To optimize a transfer of wealth to future generations, a trust should purchase assets (such as a business or a home) for grandchildren's use. Senior family members should consider loaning money to a GST trust to invest in new business opportunities. Charitable lead unitrusts (CLUTs) are also useful in GST tax-exemption planning. CLUTs are attractive, because a GST tax exemption can be allocated when the trust is funded: The GST tax exemption can be allocated only after the charity's income interest has expired for a charitable lead annuity trust. A CLUT (Color Look Up Table) See color palette. CLUT - colour palette should be considered only if it is estimated trust assets will perform at a rate of return in excess of the Sec. 7520 rate. A possible strategy to exceed the Sec. 7520 rate is to first place assets in a family limited partnership (FLP FLP Family Limited Partnership FLP Follow Up FLP Fiji Labor Party FLP Flashpoint FLP Fast Link Pulse FLP Flameproof FLP Flippase (genetics) FLP Front de Libération de la Palestine FLP Fasting Lipid Profile ) and to contribute partnership interests to a CLUT. The Sec. 7520 rate is computed on the value of partnership interests, after any relevant discounts are considered. The prohibitions against self-dealing apply to charitable trusts. Charitable trusts should not purchase an asset from a related party, including the grantor's FLP or closely held A phrase used to describe the ownership, management, and operation of a corporation by a small group of people. In a closely held corporation, the same people often act as shareholders, directors, and officers, and no outside investors exist. business. Also, the self-dealing rules apply if a beneficiary uses trust property. FROM SUSAN WILLEY, CEDAR RAPIDS Cedar Rapids, city (1990 pop. 108,751), seat of Linn co., E central Iowa, on the Cedar River; inc. as a city 1856. The second largest city in Iowa, it is named for the surging rapids in the river. , IA |
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