American Bemberg Corp. v. Carson

219 S.W.2d 169, 188 Tenn. 263, 24 Beeler 263, 1949 Tenn. LEXIS 339
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 11, 1949
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 219 S.W.2d 169 (American Bemberg Corp. v. Carson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Bemberg Corp. v. Carson, 219 S.W.2d 169, 188 Tenn. 263, 24 Beeler 263, 1949 Tenn. LEXIS 339 (Tenn. 1949).

Opinion

GAILOR, Justice.

This appeal presents two consolidated causes. Bills were filed in the Chancery Court of Davidson County by the American Bemberg Corporation and by the North American Rayon Corporation, against the Commissioner of Finance and Taxation, to recover certain franchise and excise taxes paid under protest for the year ending July 1, 1946, and to assail the method of assessment by which the taxes had been levied and collected. The Commissioner filed an answer, and after voluminous proof was taken, the Chancellor heard the two causes together, filed a careful written opinion, denied the relief sought and dismissed the bills. The complainants have perfected appeals in a single record, and it is agreed that identical questions are presented in the two cases. Numerous assignments of error are made to support the appeal, and the case being here on broad appeal, we [267]*267will consider such, assignments as we consider material to the disposition of the case in the course of the opinion.

Under the excise and franchise tax laws, both these corporations are assessable as manufacturing corporations. Their manufacturing operation is entirely in Tennessee and almost all their tangible properties are in Tennessee. Both maintain offices in' New York, and from the New York offices almost all sales are made to customers, the goods being delivered from stocks in Tennessee.

A tabular analysis of the operations of the two corporations for the tax period is incorporated in the Chancellor’s opinion. Some of these figures are assailed in one of the assignments of error, and we have made such changes as the record justifies in making the following copy:

“ 'Bemberg
New York and
Tennessee Elsewhere
“ ‘Manufacturing 100% 0
Employees 2,121 30
Real Estate 0 $1,543,239.68
Tangible Personal Property 2,632,526.90 3,599.30
Payroll 3,965,000.00 190,000.00
Sales 528,154.51 10,984,442.14
Cash Collections 200,000.00 13,350,000.00
Cash Disbursements 4,800,000.00 8,500,000.00
“ ‘North American
“ ‘Manufacturing 100% 0
Employees 3,775 37
Real Estate 0 $2,613,882.38
Tangible Personal Property 6,461,639.84 4,001.09
Payroll 7,144,000.00 227,000.00
Sales 239,800.30 19,403,359.46
Cash Collections 400,000.00 22,860,000.00
Cash Disbursements 8,620,000.00 13,225,000.00’ ”

[268]*268For the questioned tax year, the statutory formula, Williams ’ Code, sec. 1316, for allocation of the excise tax was applied and resulted in a factor of 68.1665% of Bemberg’s net earnings, and 67.0573% of North America’s net earnings for the year ending July 1, 1946.

Application of the statutory formula for the franchise tax, Williams’ Code, sec. 1248.145, resulted in allocation to Tennessee for the franchise tax for the same period, of capital stock, surplus and undivided profits of Bem-berg 99.9559% and of North American 99.9756%.

The first attack is upon the validity and constitutionality of these statutory formulas, and it is insisted that the Chancellor erroneously held that the decision of General Shoe Corporation v. Stokes, 181 Tenn. 286, 290, 181 S. W. (2d) 146, established the validity of these formulas. It is insisted that that decision furnishes no such authority since it was agreed in that case that these formulas were valid. If the Chancellor cited the wrong case, it is immaterial. The validity and constitutionality of such statutory formulas for the calculation of privilege taxes has long been recognized both by this Court and the Supreme Court of the United States, so that the question is no longer open. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Carson, 187 Tenn. 157, 213 S. W. (2d) 45, 49; Corn v. Fort, 170 Tenn. 377, 95 S. W. (2d) 620, 106 A. L. R. 647; Bank of Commerce v. Senter, 149 Tenn. 569, 260 S. W. 144; International Harvester Co. v. Evatt, 1947, 329 U. S. 416, 67 S. Ct. 444, 91 L. Ed. 390; Butler Bros. v. McColgan, 1942, 315 U. S. 501, 62 S. Ct. 701, 86 L. Ed. 991; Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Chamberlain, 1920, 254 U. S. 113, 41 S. Ct. 45, 65 L. Ed. 165; United States Glue Co. v. Oak Creek, 1920, 247 U. S. 321, 38 S. Ct. 499, 62 L. Ed. 1135, Ann. Cas. 1918E, 748.

[269]*269On account of the results reached by application of the statutory formulas, complainants insist that defendant Commissioner should have exercised the following power vested in him in identical language by the two Acts:

“If, because of peculiar or unusual circumstances inherent in a particular case, the application of the above formulas would work a hardship or injustice, the commissioner, upon application of the taxpayers and upon such showing, is authorized, with the approval of the Attorney-General, to adopt such other method of apportionment as would be fair and just under the facts of the case.” Williams’ Code, section 1248.145 and Code, section 1316.

We think it clear beyond argument that this confers a discretionary power upon the Commissioner. He is given authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to determine what peculiar or unusual circumstances justify a method of apportionment other than that provided by the statutory formulas and he, under the facts of the particular case, is to determine what allocation would be fair and just. The Chancellor correctly so held, and the assignments of error attacking that holding are overruled. '

To support their argument, complainants show that in prior years the statutory formulas were not enforced against them, but a “hardship formula” was used to assess both excise and franchise taxes. Clearly, this liberality of former collecting agents was not binding on the State for' subsequent tax years, National Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Dempster, 168 Tenn. 446, 461 79 S. W. (2d) 564; R. J. Reynolds Tobbacco Co., supra, 187 Tenn. 157, 213 S. W. (2d) 49, and is effective as argument [270]*270only. In July 1946, complainants made returns for tlie preceding tax year and attached checks for taxes in an amount calculated on the “hardship formula” which has been theretofore acceptable. The Commissioner, with the approval of the Attorney General, refused to agree to the application of the “hardship formula” and insisted on the higher assessment by application of the statutory formulas in the regular way.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bellsouth Advertising & Publishing Corp. v. Chumley
308 S.W.3d 350 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2009)
L.M. Berry & Co. v. Huddleston
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1999
American Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Huddleston
880 S.W.2d 682 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1994)
Federated Stores Realty, Inc. v. Huddleston
852 S.W.2d 206 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1992)
Peterson Manufacturing Co. v. State
779 S.W.2d 784 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1989)
First American National Bank of Knoxville v. Olsen
751 S.W.2d 417 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1987)
Memphis Bank and Trust Co. v. Garner
624 S.W.2d 551 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1981)
Memphis Shoppers News, Inc. v. Woods
584 S.W.2d 196 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1979)
John Ownbey Co. v. Butler
365 S.W.2d 33 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1963)
Brookside Mills, Inc. v. Atkins
322 S.W.2d 217 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1959)
Texas Gas Transmission Corp. v. Atkins
270 S.W.2d 384 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1954)
Esso Standard Oil Co. v. Evans
250 S.W.2d 569 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1952)
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. v. Department of Revenue
45 N.W.2d 46 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1950)
Crane Co. v. Carson
234 S.W.2d 644 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 S.W.2d 169, 188 Tenn. 263, 24 Beeler 263, 1949 Tenn. LEXIS 339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-bemberg-corp-v-carson-tenn-1949.