Aronson v. City of Pittsburgh

485 A.2d 890, 86 Pa. Commw. 591, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 761
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 3, 1985
DocketAppeals, Nos. 501 C.D. 1983, 702 C.D. 1973, 637 C.D. 1983, 1086 C.D. 1983, and 3074 C.D. 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 485 A.2d 890 (Aronson v. City of Pittsburgh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aronson v. City of Pittsburgh, 485 A.2d 890, 86 Pa. Commw. 591, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 761 (Pa. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge Craig,

Pittsburgh taxpayer Mark Aronson, who derives income from his law practice and a real estate business, as well as from services as a director in various corporations, has brought four appeals, now consolidated, from decisions of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County in two Local Agency Law1 appeals from net profits tax assessments made against him for the years 1971-1975 and 1976-1979 by the City of Pittsburgh and the School District of Pittsburgh, and from a trial court decision in a refund suit for earned income tax for 1982.

The city has brought the fifth appeal in this consolidated group, from a decision by the same common pleas court in Aronson’s favor involving business privilege taxes for 1980.

The taxpayer’s appeals principally involve the following issues:

1. Where the taxpayer filed no appeal from the trial court’s 1978- decision against him on 1971-1975 net profits taxes, but, after the taxing bodies filed a praecipe for judgment on that order in March, 1983, did appeal from the trial judge’s discharge of a rule [594]*594to show cause why that judgment should not be stricken, are the merits of the 1971-1975 tax and assessments now reviewable? (No. 1086 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 11 of 1977 in the trial court.)

2. Should the trial court have struck off the judgment as invalid because it included interest calculated to the fifteenth day of the month following its entry? (No. 1086 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 11 of 1977 in the trial court.)

3. In view of the taxing bodies’ delay in waiting until 1983 to enter judgment on the 1978 court order, did that 1978 order on the 1971-1975 tax assessments become ineffective against the taxpayer in view of a local court rule providing that a civil action could be mooted if it remained inactive for a period of two years? (No. 1086 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 11 of 1977 in the trial court.)

, 4. With respect to net profits tax, may a taxpayer offset losses in one trade or business against earnings derived by .that taxpayer from engaging in another trade or business during the same time period? (No. 501 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 826 of 1982 in the trial court.)

5. Is the taxpayer liable for interest and penalties with respect to the net profit tax assessments for 1976-79 in view of delay in granting the taxpayer a treasurer’s hearing on them (No. 501 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 826 of 1982 in the trial court.)

6. Are the taxing bodies precluded from imposing a net profits tax under their earned income tax ordinances because of the existence of Pennsylvania State Personal Income Tax?2 (No. 3074 C.D. 1983 here; No. 5186 of 1983 in the trial court.)

Also before us is the taxpayer’s appeal at No. 702 C:D. 19.83, taken from the trial court’s refusal to [595]*595strike off the taxing body’s judgment entered upon the final order in the Local Agency Law proceeding pertaining to the 1976-1979 and. 1980 tax assessments, at S.A. 826 of 1982. However, because that appeal involves no questions other than those listed above, this court’s disposition of the foregoing questions will govern it also.

In the cross-appeal of the City of Pittsburgh, one question appears:

Does the receipt of fees for services as a director of corporations having their offices outside of the City of Pittsburgh, by an individual having his business office within the City of Pittsburgh, constitute a “business” subject to the city’s business privilege tax, as well as to its earned income tax? (No. 637 C.D. 1983 here; S.A. 826 of 1982 in the trial court.)

1. Merits of the 1971-1975 Tax Assessments

Judge Smith of the trial court, in the Local Agency Law appeal involving the city and school net profits taxes for 1971-1975, filed his order on June 27, 1978, deciding against the taxpayer on the attempt to offset real estate business losses against law practice earnings for the period. That order was appealable because, as entered, it accomplished a final disposition of the matter. Orders following final adjudications in statutory appeals are appealable without the necessity of a formal entry of a judgment because they are not money verdicts or awards, nor are they mere directions as to which a further entry of judgment is required under Pa. R.A.P. 301(c).

Clearly, by seeking to strike the 1983 judgment on purely technical grounds, such as the inclusion of improper interest and a violation of a local court rule, the taxpayer could not revive for review in this court [596]*596the merits of the 1978 decision which he had failed to appeal within thirty days after its entry. Pa. B.A.P. 903(a).

2. Failure to Proceed After Final Order

Long after Judge Smith’s 1978 order, the tax collectors sought the entry of judgment, apparently as a basis for execution against the taxpayer after a period of not having received payment. The taxpayer pointed to a local court rule, Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Buie No. 229(e), which provided that the court can treat an action as moot if there is inactivity in prosecuting it for a period of two years. However, after the merits of a case have been concluded by a final decision, a local rule requiring active prosecution of the action has no application. There is no need to proceed with further litigation after a final order has been entered; the entry of judgment in a statutory appeal case may be a prelude to an execution process, but it does not constitute any step in the prosecution of litigation leading to the appealable decision.

3. Interest Charged Within and Upon the Judgments

The taxing body’s judgments were not invalid because of the inclusion of interest for an entire month on the basis of a fraction of a month. The enabling acts applicable to the net profits taxes of the city and school district both provide, in identical language:

If for any reason the tax is not paid when due interest. . . and . . . penalty . . . for each month or fraction thereof during which the tax remains unpaid, shall be added and collected. Where suit is brought for the recovery of any such tax, the person liable therefor shall, in addition, be liable for .. . the interest and penalties herein imposed.

[597]*597Section 13 VIII of The Local Tax Enabling Act, Act of December 31, 1965, P.L. 1257, 53 P.S. §6913 VIII; Act of August 24, 1961, P.L. 1135, §7, 24 P.S. §588.7. Clearly, under these provisions, the judgments were correct in including a full month’s interest with respect to the fraction of a month. Moreover, the taxpayer has made no claim that he paid the taxes before the date to which interest was calculated.

The taxpayer’s additional claim, that the judgments should not bear further interest because they include interest, is unfounded. 42 Pa. C. S. §8101.

4. Offsetting Real Estate Business Losses Against Law Practice Earnings

Judge Silvestbi correctly decided that the taxpayer could not offset real estate business losses against law practice earnings for the purpose of net profits taxes during the respective tax years.

With respect to the school district, its earnings tax law, in ¡section 2,3

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

Related

Stranahan v. County of Mercer
697 A.2d 1049 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1997)
Wettach v. Commonwealth
620 A.2d 730 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1993)
Eachus v. Chester County Tax Claim Bureau
612 A.2d 586 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Smolow v. Commonwealth
570 A.2d 112 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Schellenberger
568 A.2d 968 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
O'Reilly v. Fox Chapel Area School District
555 A.2d 1288 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
Health Group Care Centers, Inc. v. City of Pittsburgh
552 A.2d 323 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1988)
O'Reilly v. Fox Chapel Area School District
527 A.2d 581 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
Aronson v. City of Pittsburgh
510 A.2d 871 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 A.2d 890, 86 Pa. Commw. 591, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aronson-v-city-of-pittsburgh-pacommwct-1985.