15-30-135. Tax on beneficiaries or fiduciaries of estates or trusts. (1) A tax shall be imposed upon either the fiduciaries or the beneficiaries of estates and trusts as hereinafter provided, except to the extent such estates and trusts shall be held for educational, charitable, or religious purposes, which tax shall be levied, collected, and paid annually with respect to the income of estates or of any kind of property held in trust, including:
     (a) income received by estates of deceased persons during the period of administration or settlement of the estate;
     (b) income accumulated in trust for the benefit of unborn or unascertained persons or persons with contingent interests;
     (c) income held for future distribution under the terms of the will or trust; and
     (d) income which is to be distributed to the beneficiaries periodically, whether or not at regular intervals, and the income collected by a guardian of a minor, to be held or distributed as the court may direct.
     (2) The fiduciary shall be responsible for making the return of income for the estate or trust for which he acts, whether the fiduciary or the beneficiaries are taxable with reference to the income of such estate or trust. In cases under subsections (a) and (d) of subsection (1), the fiduciary shall include in the return a statement of each beneficiary's distributive share of net income, whether or not distributed before the close of the taxable year for which the return is made.
     (3) In cases under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of subsection (1), the tax shall be imposed upon the fiduciary of the estate or trust with respect to the net income of the estate or trust and shall be paid by the fiduciary. If the taxpayer's net income for the taxable year of the estate or trust is computed upon the basis of a period different from that upon the basis of which the net income of the estate or trust is computed, then his distributive share of the net income of the estate or trust for any accounting period of such estate or trust ending within the fiscal or calendar year shall be computed upon the basis on which such beneficiary's net income is computed. In such cases, a beneficiary not a resident shall be taxable with respect to his income derived through such estate or trust only to the extent provided in 15-30-131 for individuals other than residents.
     (4) The fiduciary of a trust created by an employer as a part of a stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan for the exclusive benefit of some or all of his employees, to which contributions are made by such employer or employees, or both, for the purpose of distributing to such employees the earnings and principal of the fund accumulated by the trust in accordance with such plan, shall not be taxable under this section, but any amount contributed to such fund by the employer and all earnings of such fund shall be included in computing the income of the distributee in the year in which distributed or made available to him.
     (5) Where any part of the income of a trust other than a testamentary trust is or may be applied to the payment of premiums upon policies of insurance on the life of the grantor (except policies of insurance irrevocably payable for the purposes and in the manner specified relating to the so-called "charitable contribution" deduction) or to the payment of premiums upon policies of life insurance under which the grantor is the beneficiary, such part of the income of the trust shall be included in computing the net income of the grantor.

     History: En. Sec. 12, Ch. 181, L. 1933; re-en. Sec. 2295.12, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 260, L. 1955; R.C.M. 1947, 84-4912; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 2, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 260, L. 1983.