2021 Colorado Code
Title 15 - Probate, Trusts, and Fiduciaries
Article 12 - Probate of Wills and Administration
Part 14 - Colorado Uniform Estate Tax Apportionment Act
§ 15-12-1404. Statutory Apportionment of Estate Taxes

1. To the extent that apportionment of an estate tax is not controlled by an instrument described in section 15-12-1403, and except as otherwise provided for in sections 15-12-1406 and 15-12-1407, the following rules apply:
   1. Subject to paragraphs (b) to (d) of this subsection (1), the estate tax shall be apportioned ratably to each person that has an interest in the apportionable estate.
   2. A generation-skipping transfer tax incurred on a direct skip taking effect at death shall be charged to the person to which the interest in property is transferred.
   3. If property is included in the decedent's gross estate because of section 2044 of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended, or any similar estate tax provision, the difference between the total estate tax for which the decedent's estate is liable and the amount of estate tax for which the decedent's estate would have been liable if the property had not been included in the decedent's gross estate shall be apportioned ratably among the holders of interests in the property. The balance of the tax, if any, shall be apportioned ratably to each other person having an interest in the apportionable estate.
   4. Except as otherwise provided for in section 15-12-1403 (2)(d), and except as to property to which section 15-12-1407 applies, an estate tax apportioned to persons holding interests in property subject to a time-limited interest shall be apportioned, without further apportionment, to the principal of that property.

History. Source: L. 2011: Entire part added,(SB 11-165), ch. 184, p. 703, § 1, effective August 10.

The value of an interest in the apportionable estate is determined in accordance with Section 2(7) (section 15-12-1402 (8) ) of the Act.

Property values subtracted from the decedent's gross estate in determining the apportionable estate under section 15-12-1402 (1) are excluded from the apportionable estate, and beneficiaries of those properties do not have any estate tax apportioned to them because of their interest in those properties. This treatment is consistent with the Restatement (Third) of Property: Wills and Other Donative Transfers § 1.1, comment g (1998). The Act adopts a method of equitable apportionment of estate taxes, but does not follow the Restatement method which allocates taxes apportioned to probate assets first to the residuary beneficiaries and invites preferential treatment for beneficiaries of specific and pecuniary gifts by will over beneficiaries of gifts by various non-probate transfer methods.

A “direct skip” currently is defined in §§ 2612(c) and 2613 of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 2603(b) of the Internal Revenue Code states that, unless directed otherwise in the governing instrument, the tax on a generation-skipping transfer is charged to the property constituting the transfer. Section 2603(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code imposes the duty of paying the tax on a direct skip on the transferor of the property. Under subsection (1)(b), the decedent's personal representative will pay the generation-skipping tax on a direct skip out of the transferred property (or the proceeds from a sale of all or some of that property). To the extent that it is not feasible or practical to pay the tax from the transferred property, the transferees are to pay their proportionate share of the shortfall. Subsection (1)(b) is consistent with the treatment provided by federal law.

The property to which subsection (1)(c) applies is sometimes referred to as “QTIP property” since § 2044 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 deals with “qualified terminable interest property.” See §§ 2044(b)(1), 2056(b)(7), and 2523(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Although the general rule of apportionment in the Act is to apportion estate taxes on the basis of the average rate of tax, the tax apportioned to the holders of interests in QTIP property by the Act is based on the marginal rate of tax. Note that federal estate tax law grants the decedent's fiduciary the power to collect from the holders of the QTIP property the estate tax generated by that property at the marginal estate tax rate of the decedent's estate. The Act tracks the federal law in this respect.

It would be harsh to collect the estate tax from persons holding discretionary or contingent interests in property since they may not obtain possession for many years, if at all. Hence, when the tax is apportioned to persons holding interests in property in which there are time-limited interests, subsection (1)(d) requires the tax to be paid from principal. This provision does not apply to property for which a special elective benefit (as described in section 15-12-1407 ) has been elected.

An estate tax that is apportioned to an interest in property that cannot be reached because of legal or practical obstacles but is not subject to a time-limited interest is to be collected from the interest holder to the extent feasible. In that circumstance, since there is no time-limited interest, the tax will not be apportioned to a person who may not receive property for many years if at all.

When some of the interests in property qualify for a charitable or marital deduction and some do not, requiring the tax to be paid from the principal of the property may reduce the amount of marital or charitable deduction that is allowable. Although the likely intent of a decedent would be to maximize the marital and charitable deductions available for the estate, subsection (1)(d) provides that the estate tax is to be paid from the principal of the property, a choice that avoids administrative complexity.