Ammex Warehouse Co. v. Procaccino

85 Misc. 2d 327, 378 N.Y.S.2d 848, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2000
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 5, 1976
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 85 Misc. 2d 327 (Ammex Warehouse Co. v. Procaccino) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ammex Warehouse Co. v. Procaccino, 85 Misc. 2d 327, 378 N.Y.S.2d 848, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2000 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1976).

Opinion

Arnold L. Fein, J.

This is a motion by plaintiffs in two actions for summary judgment declaring that assessments made by defendants pursuant to the New York Tax Law are unconstitutional and void under the commerce, import-export and supremacy clauses of the United States Constitution and pertinent statutes and regulations. Defendants in each action cross-move for summary judgment declaring that the assessments made pursuant to the New York taxing statutes are constitutional.

Plaintiffs, Ammex Warehouse Company, Inc. and AmmexChamplain Corp. (collectively, Ammex), commenced these actions after the dismissal of companion actions brought by them in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for injunctive and declaratory judgment relief against the members of the New York State Tax Commission on the ground that the assessment of taxes against them violated these clauses of the United States Constitution. A three-Judge Federal District Court, convened because plaintiffs’ complaints sought a "permanent injunction restraining the enforcement, operation or execution of any State statute by restraining the action of any officer of such State” (US Code, tit 28, § 2281), held it was without jurisdiction to consider the claim, in the light of section 1341 of title 28 of the United States Code: "The district courts shall not enjoin, suspend or restrain the assessment, levy or collection of any tax under State law where a plain, speedy and efficient remedy may be had in the courts of such State.”

The Federal court stated such a remedy was available to plaintiffs under CPLR 3001, declining to decide whether "an alternate state remedy — judicial review under (CPLR Article 78), of an administrative proceeding challenging the tax before the State Tax Commission is 'plain, speedy and efficient’.” (Ammex Warehouse Co. v Gallman, 72 Civ 306, 72 Civ 310 [SDNY].) As the court noted, the State had stipulated that no attempt to collect any of the taxes assessed would be made until after the final resolution of plaintiffs’ declaratory judg[329]*329ment action in the State courts. On this basis, plaintiffs commenced these actions.

A declaratory judgment action is the appropriate vehicle to challenge the constitutionality of a statute, whereas an article 78 proceeding is the proper means to determine whether the statute has been applied by a State officer in an unconstitutional manner. However, a cause will not be dismissed because the wrong procedure has been selected. If the court has jurisdiction over the parties, the court will convert it into the appropriate action or proceeding and decide the matter (Kovarsky v Housing & Development Admin. of City of N.Y., 31 NY2d 184; CPLR 103, subd [c]; McLaughlin, NY Trial Practice, NYLJ, Nov. 10, 1972, p 3, col 4). Here, plaintiffs attack the constitutionality of State taxing statutes as applied to them. Accordingly, an article 78 proceeding is the appropriate vehicle. Although the three-Judge Federal District Court, in declining jurisdiction, chose not to determine whether an article 78 proceeding is "plain, efficient and speedy”, within the meaning of the Federal statute, the court will convert the action into an article 78 proceeding and determine the issues.

Plaintiffs are New York corporations engaged in the business of selling cigarettes, liquor and other items for export at seven locations within the State of New York to persons crossing the border into Canada from New York. Plaintiffs operate under "Export Warehouse Proprietor” permits or licenses from the United States Government. They are not registered or licensed under New York State law to distribute or sell alcoholic beverages (Tax Law, § 421; Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, § 60 et seq.). The facilities of plaintiffs at each crossing location consist of a sales office and warehouses bonded by the United States Custom Service or the United States Internal Revenue Service. All the merchandise received and entered at plaintiffs’ bonded warehouses is produced or originates outside New York State. It is transported by a United States Government bonded carrier to plaintiffs’ warehouses at the designated border points and is then received and entered in plaintiffs’ bonded warehouses by United States customs officers who keep records of all merchandise received and withdrawn. So much of the merchandise as consists of American cigarettes and bourbon whiskey contains no Federal tax stamps. The cigarettes contain no health warnings as required by Federal law for cigarettes to be sold for consumption in the United States. The bourbon is contained in 40-[330]*330ounce bottles (Imperial quart), illegal for sale in New York State. All the other merchandise including scotch whiskey, foreign tobacco and perfumes, received and entered in plaintiffs’ bonded warehouses comes from abroad. It allegedly cannot be legally sold in the United States market for similar reasons and because it is packaged and marked for the Canadian market.

One who is about to cross the border into Canada, and who wishes to buy duty and tax free merchandise, enters one of plaintiffs’ sales offices near the border crossing. Each of these offices displays a notice required by the Bureau of Customs that "articles are sold for export only. Purchases brought back to the United States must be declared and are subject to duty and/or tax.” This same legend or notice is contained on all of plaintiffs’ invoices, used in selling the items for export. No merchandise is delivered at these stores. The customer receives an invoice recording the purchases and proceeds to a designated bonded warehouse, or to a designated location at the border crossing. He presents his invoice to an employee of Ammex and the items purchased are then turned over to the custody of the purchaser in his automobile, under the supervision of a customs bureau inspector. At each location the merchandise is turned over at a point where the customer is required to proceed directly to Canada. A customs inspector observes each customer cross the border and certifies on a copy of the invoice that the merchandise has been exported.

In 1971, the New York State Tax Commission began assessing alcoholic beverage, tobacco and sales taxes against plaintiffs under articles 18, 20 and 28 of the New York Tax Law.

This proceeding involves the imposition of these taxes upon goods thus sold by plaintiffs for export only.

With respect to the imposition of the alcoholic beverages tax, defendants rely upon the State’s undoubted power to control and regulate the sale within and the transportation or importation of intoxicating liquors into the State. (Cooley v Board of Wardens of Port of Philadelphia, 12 How [53 US] 299; the "Wilson Act”, US Code, tit 27, § 121; the "Webb-Kenyon Act”, US Code, tit 27, § 122; US Const, 21st Amdt; Matter of Rahrer, 140 US 545; Seagram & Sons v Hostetter, 16 NY2d 47, affd 384 US 35, reh den 384 US 967.) Defendants conclude from these and other authorities that the State has the power not only to regulate but to tax the sale and distribution of these alcoholic beverages in the State without [331]*331contravening the commerce clause of the United States Constitution (Phillips v Mobile, 208 US 472; State Bd. of Equalization v Young’s Market Co., 299 US 59).

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Ammex Warehouse Co. v. Procaccino
55 A.D.2d 535 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
85 Misc. 2d 327, 378 N.Y.S.2d 848, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2000, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ammex-warehouse-co-v-procaccino-nysupct-1976.