As used in this act:
  (a) “Decedent” means a deceased person and includes, but is not limited to, a testator, grantor, bargainor, vendor, donor, or person who dies intestate.
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 205.256

  • Bequest: Property gifted by will.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Decedent: means a deceased person and includes, but is not limited to, a testator, grantor, bargainor, vendor, donor, or person who dies intestate. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Department: means the bureau of revenue of the department of treasury. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Donor: The person who makes a gift.
  • Federal generation-skipping transfer tax: means the tax imposed by chapter 13 of subtitle B of the internal revenue code. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Generation-skipping transfer: means every transfer subject to the federal generation-skipping transfer tax in which the original transferor is a resident of this state at the date of the transfer by the original transferor or the property transferred is real or personal property situated in this state. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
  • grantor: may be construed as including every person from or by whom any estate in lands passes in or by any deed. See Michigan Laws 8.3e
  • Gross estate: means the gross estate determined under the internal revenue code. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Gross estate: The total fair market value of all property and property interests, real and personal, tangible and intangible, of which a decedent had beneficial ownership at the time of death before subtractions for deductions, debts, administrative expenses, and casualty losses suffered during estate administration.
  • Internal revenue code: means the United States internal revenue code of 1986, in effect on January 1, 1998 or, at the option of the personal representative, in effect on the date of the decedent's death. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
  • Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
  • Original transferor: means any grantor, donor, trustor, testator, or person who by grant, gift, trust, will, or otherwise, makes a transfer of real or personal property that results in a federal generation-skipping transfer tax. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means an individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, limited liability company, company, estate, or any other group or combination acting as a unit. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Personal representative: means the personal representative appointed by the probate court, including an independent personal representative, or, if a personal representative is not acting, then any person who is in the actual or constructive possession of any property included in the gross estate of the decedent or any other person who is required to file a return or pay the taxes due under any provision of this act. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • property: means the property or interest in property of the testator, intestate, grantor, bargainor, or vendor, passing or transferred to those not specifically exempted from this act, and not as the property or interest in property passing or transferred to the individual legatees, devisees, heirs, next of kin, grantees, donees, or vendees, and includes all property or interest in property whether situated within or without this state and including all property represented or evidenced by note, certificate, stock, land, contract, mortgage or other kind or character of evidence thereof, and regardless of whether that evidence of property is owned, kept or possessed within or without this state. See Michigan Laws 205.221
  • Resident: means that term as defined in section 18 of the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Right of survivorship: The ownership rights that result in the acquisition of title to property by reason of having survived other co-owners.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
  • Transfer: includes the passing of property or an interest in property in possession or enjoyment, present or future, by inheritance, descent, devise, bequest, grant, deed, bargain, sale, or gift in the manner prescribed in this act. See Michigan Laws 205.221
  • Transfer tax: includes an estate, generation-skipping, inheritance, legacy, or succession tax for residents and nonresidents, including aliens. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustor: The person who makes or creates a trust. Also known as the grantor or settlor.
  • United States: when used in a geographical sense includes only the 50 states and the District of Columbia. See Michigan Laws 205.256
  (b) “Department” means the bureau of revenue of the department of treasury.
  (c) “Federal generation-skipping transfer tax” means the tax imposed by chapter 13 of subtitle B of the internal revenue code.
  (d) “Federal return” means any United States transfer tax return including federal estate tax returns and generation-skipping tax returns unless the context indicates a similar Michigan tax return.
  (e) “Generation-skipping transfer” means every transfer subject to the federal generation-skipping transfer tax in which the original transferor is a resident of this state at the date of the transfer by the original transferor or the property transferred is real or personal property situated in this state.
  (f) “Gross estate” means the gross estate determined under the internal revenue code.
  (g) “Internal revenue code” means the United States internal revenue code of 1986, in effect on January 1, 1998 or, at the option of the personal representative, in effect on the date of the decedent‘s death.
  (h) “Intangible personal property” means incorporeal personal property including, but not limited to, deposits in banks, negotiable instruments, mortgages, debts, receivables, shares of stock, bonds, notes, credits, evidences of an interest in property, evidences of debt, and choses in action generally.
  (i) “Nonresident” means an individual who is not a resident.
  (j) “Original transferor” means any grantor, donor, trustor, testator, or person who by grant, gift, trust, will, or otherwise, makes a transfer of real or personal property that results in a federal generation-skipping transfer tax.
  (k) “Person” means an individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, limited liability company, company, estate, or any other group or combination acting as a unit. Person does not include public corporations.
  (l) “Personal representative” means the personal representative appointed by the probate court, including an independent personal representative, or, if a personal representative is not acting, then any person who is in the actual or constructive possession of any property included in the gross estate of the decedent or any other person who is required to file a return or pay the taxes due under any provision of this act. A safe and collateral deposit company, trust company, corporation, bank, or other institution is not the personal representative of property held in a safe deposit box or of money or property on deposit if the indicated ownership or registered title denotes ownership by right of survivorship. A safe and collateral deposit company, trust company, corporation, bank, or other institution is the personal representative of property that it is holding if it is a court-appointed personal representative, including an independent personal representative, or, if a personal representative is not acting, if it is holding property in a fiduciary capacity as a trustee or successor trustee.
  (m) “Resident” means that term as defined in section 18 of the income tax act of 1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.18. However, nothing in this act diminishes the settling of domiciles of decedents under 1956 PA 173, MCL 205.601 to 205.607.
  (n) “Tangible personal property” means corporeal personal property.
  (o) “Transfer” means the passing of property or any interest in property, in possession or enjoyment, present or future, by inheritance, descent, devise, succession, bequest, grant, deed, bargain, sale, gift, or appointment.
  (p) “Transfer tax” includes an estate, generation-skipping, inheritance, legacy, or succession tax for residents and nonresidents, including aliens.
  (q) “United States” when used in a geographical sense includes only the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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