"... a much smaller amount than I am being made to pay."
Doubtful. Trust income-tax rates are generally higher than individual tax rates unless the amount of income is quite small. For 2024, trusts reach the 37% tax bracket at $15,200 of taxable income. Also, to be taxable to the trust, the income has to be retained by the trust. If the income is distributed to you, you end up paying the tax anyway, passed through on Schedule K-1 (Form 1041), and the trust takes a deduction for distributable net income to remove it from the trust's taxable income.
