Income Taxation in Light of the Change of the Ownership of Property

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20853
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H05649 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0105:Law and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Suminaga Kana 京都大学, 法学研究科, 特定助教 (60826519)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 所得課税 / 人的資本 / 減価償却 / 生命保険信託

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on the two fundamental questions, which one is how to reconsider the income taxation from the standpoint of the relationship between property and its owner and the other is how to accomplish the fair treatment among both various forms of transactions and various kinds of property for tax purposes, this project dealt with life insurance trusts and depreciations. This project came to the following conclusions. First, as to the grantor trust concerning life insurance trusts, factors such as the grantor’s power to direct the application of the income along predetermined channels, the enjoyment by the grantor of benefits derived from the income from the trust property, and the close relationship of family may have an effect on imposing taxes on the grantor. Second, the treatment by Internal Revenue Code §168 of property which has both intrinsic and depreciable value for the purpose of depreciation has some implication not only for physical capital but also for human capital.

Free Research Field

租税法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、所得はどのような要素に基づいて誰に課税されるか、また、所得を獲得するために利用された財産の取得費はどのような理由から控除されるべきかについて、それぞれ生命保険信託と減価償却資産を素材として探究した。財産の所有のあり方や譲渡の方法、さらには世代間での移転など、財産の所有と移転のあり方は金融取引の発展や社会情勢を踏まえてますます多様化している。本研究の成果は、財産の所有者と財産から生じる所得の所有者とが異なる場合の所得の帰属の決定、課税単位（個人、家族、それ以外の集団など）および、人的資本の涵養の促進に向けた税制のあり方に関する基礎的考察として資する。