71.17 General provisions.

(1) Assessment of trust income distributable to nonresident beneficiary. The income of a trust distributable or distributed to a nonresident beneficiary shall be assessed as the income of other nonresidents is assessed. No personal exemptions shall be allowed in assessing the income of such nonresident beneficiary unless that beneficiary makes a complete return under this chapter.

(2) Lien on trust estate; income taxes levied against beneficiary. All income taxes levied against the income of beneficiaries shall be a lien on that portion of the trust estate or interest therein from which the income taxed is derived, and such taxes shall be paid by the fiduciary, if not paid by the distributee, before the same become delinquent. Every person who, as a fiduciary under the provisions of this subchapter, pays an income tax shall have all the rights and remedies of reimbursement for any taxes assessed against him or her or paid by him or her in such capacity, as provided in s. 70.19 (1) and (2).

(3) Liability for payment of taxes due from decedent. Any income, withholding, sales, or use taxes, penalties, interest, and costs found to be due from a decedent, an estate, or a trust for any of the years open to assessment under s. 71.77 and any delinquent income, withholding, sales, or use taxes, penalties, interest, and costs found to be due shall be assessed against and paid by one of the following:

(a) The personal representative or trustee.

(b) The beneficiaries, in the same ratio that their interest in the estate or trust bears to the total estate or trust, if found to be due after the personal representative or trustee is discharged.

(4) Trusts established or maintained out-of-state; grantor liable for tax. The establishment or maintenance of a trust outside Wisconsin by a Wisconsin resident as grantor, the income from which trust is taxable to the grantor or to any person other than the trust under the internal revenue code, is hereby declared to be a tax avoidance device designed to avoid the legal application of the Wisconsin income tax to income properly taxable to the grantor or such other person. Any Wisconsin resident who is the grantor of such a trust shall be liable for the Wisconsin income tax on the income of such trust which is federally taxable to such grantor or other person under the internal revenue code.

(5) Trusts that are exempt from federal income tax. Trusts exempt from federal income tax pursuant to subtitle A, chapter 1, subchapter F of the internal revenue code shall to the same extent be exempt from taxation under this chapter.

(6) Funeral trusts. If a qualified funeral trust makes the election under section 685 of the Internal Revenue Code for federal income tax purposes, that election applies for purposes of this chapter and each trust shall compute its own tax and shall apply the rates under s. 71.06 (1), (1m), (1n), (1p), or (1q).

History: 1987 a. 312; 1989 a. 31; 1997 a. 237; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 102; 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 216.