109.231 Prohibited administrative acts. - Ohio Statutes

109.231 Prohibited administrative acts.

(A) In the administration of any trust which is a “private foundation” as defined in section 509 of the internal revenue code of 1954, a trust for charitable purposes described in section 4947(a)(1) of the internal revenue code of 1954 to the extent that it is treated for federal tax purposes as such a private foundation, or a “split-interest trust” as described in section 4947(a)(2) of the internal revenue code of 1954, the following acts are prohibited:

(1) Engaging in any act of “self-dealing,” as defined in section 4941(d) of the internal revenue code of 1954, which would give rise to any liability for any tax imposed by section 4941 of the internal revenue code of 1954;

(2) Retaining any “excess business holdings,” as defined in section 4943(c) of the internal revenue code of 1954, which would give rise to any liability for any tax imposed by section 4943 of the internal revenue code of 1954;

(3) Making any investments which would jeopardize the carrying out of any of the exempt purposes of the trust, within the meaning of section 4944 of the internal revenue code of 1954, so as to give rise to any liability for any tax imposed by section 4944 of the internal revenue code of 1954; or

(4) Making any “taxable expenditures,” as defined in section 4945(d) of the internal revenue code of 1954, which would give rise to any liability for any tax imposed by section 4945 of the internal revenue code of 1954. The prohibitions of this division do not apply to split-interest trusts, or to amounts thereof, to the extent that such prohibitions are inapplicable thereto by reason of section 4947 of the internal revenue code of 1954.

(B) In the administration of any trust which is a “private foundation” as defined in section 509 of the internal revenue code of 1954, or a trust for charitable purposes described in section 4947(a)(1) of the internal revenue code of 1954 to the extent that it is treated for federal tax purposes as such a private foundation, there shall, for the purposes specified in the governing instrument, be distributed at such time and in such manner, for each taxable year, amounts of income and principal at least sufficient to avoid liability for any tax imposed by section 4942 of the internal revenue code of 1954.

(C) Divisions (A) and (B) of this section express the continuing policy of this state with respect to charitable trust interests and are enacted to assist such trusts in maintaining various tax benefits extended to them, and apply to all trusts described therein, whether or not contrary to the provisions of the governing instrument of such a trust, provided that divisions (A) and (B) of this section do not apply to a trust in existence on the effective date of this section to the extent that the attorney general, the trustor, or any beneficiary of such trust, on or before November 30, 1971, files with the trustee of such trust a written objection to application to such trust of one or more provisions of said divisions, and if the trustee receiving such written objection commences an action on or before December 31, 1971, in the court having jurisdiction over such trust to reform, or to excuse such trust from compliance with, its governing instrument or any other instrument in order to meet the requirements of said divisions. A trustee receiving such written objection shall commence such an action, and the one or more provisions of said divisions specified in such written objection will not apply to such trust unless and until said court determines that their application to such trust is in the best interests of all parties in interest.

(D) No trustee of a trust to which division (A) or (B) of this section is applicable shall be surcharged for a violation of a prohibition or requirement of said divisions, unless he participated in such violation knowing that it was a violation, nor shall such trustee be surcharged if such violation was not willful and was due to reasonable cause, provided that this division does not exonerate a trustee from any responsibility or liability to which he is subject under any other rule of law whether or not duplicated in division (A) or (B) of this section.

(E) As used in this section, “trust” includes a trust or any other organization, other than a corporation, which is a “private foundation” as defined in section 509 of the internal revenue code of 1954, and “trustee” includes any member of the governing body of such organization.

(F) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, nothing in this section impairs the rights and powers of the courts or the attorney general of this state with respect to any trust.

Effective Date: 09-17-1971