MCL 205.211 — Appraiser; appointment; appraisement of vested and contingent estates; insurance commissioner; duties; money legacy

The judge of probate, upon the application of any interested party, including the state treasurer and county treasurers, or upon his or her own motion, shall, as often as and whenever occasion may require, appoint a competent person as appraiser to fix the clear market value at the time of the transfer of property which shall be subject to the payment of any tax imposed by this act. A description of the property and the names and residences of the persons to whom it passes shall be given by the judge of probate to the appraiser. If the property, upon the transfer of which the tax is imposed, is an estate, income or interest for a term of years or for life, or determinable upon any future or contingent estate, or is a remainder or reversion or other expectancy, real or personal, the entire property or fund by which the estate, income or interest is supported, or of which it is a part, shall be appraised immediately after the transfer, or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, at the clear market value as of that date. If the estate, income or interest is of such a nature that its clear market value cannot be ascertained at that time, it shall be appraised in like manner at the time when the value first became ascertainable. The value of every future or contingent or limited estate, income, interest or annuity, dependent upon any life or lives in being, shall be determined by the rule, method or standard of mortality and value employed by the commissioner of the office of insurance and financial services in ascertaining the value of policies of life insurance companies, except that the rate of interest for computing the present value of all future and contingent interests or estates shall be 5% per annum. The commissioner of the office of insurance and financial services shall, upon request of the state treasurer, prepare the tables of values, expectancies and other matters as may be necessary for use in computing, under the provisions of this act, the value of life estates, annuities, reversions and remainders, which shall be printed and furnished by the auditor general to the several judges of probate upon request. The clear market value of the transfer of a money legacy, presently taxable, shall for the purposes of this act be taken to be the face value of the money at the date of death of decedent.