Barnsdall Refining Corp. v. Ford, Comm'r Revenues

109 S.W.2d 151, 194 Ark. 658, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 210
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 18, 1937
Docket4-4743
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 109 S.W.2d 151 (Barnsdall Refining Corp. v. Ford, Comm'r Revenues) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnsdall Refining Corp. v. Ford, Comm'r Revenues, 109 S.W.2d 151, 194 Ark. 658, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 210 (Ark. 1937).

Opinion

Baker, J.

This suit was begun by the appellant in the chancery court of Pulaski county. Its purpose was to restrain the Commissioner of Revenues and the sheriff of Pulaski county from enforcing a distraint warrant in the hands of the sheriff commanding him to seize and sell appellant’s property.

As plaintiff in the chancery court, Barnsdall Refining Corporation alleged it was a manufacturer and dealer in gasoline with some of its refineries located in Oklahoma, and that it’partly supplied its bulk sales plants and storage plants in Arkansas by hauling its gasoline from the refinery by tank trucks and storing the same in central business places to make it available for the retail trade; that it paid taxes on all shipments from the refinery to the several points in the state as the shipments were made, and not when the commodity was sold; and that every month it has furnished the Commissioner of Revenues with a statement of all gasoline shipped into the state during the previous month, and paid the tax on the same; pleads further that much gasoline, after it has been shipped into the state, is left- stored in bulk sales plants for a time; that some shipments are made by railroad; that the capacity for storage in the bulk sales plants varies, the larger ones being in or near the larger centers. Those are capable of holding many thousands of gallons.

One of the particular matters in controversy is that the Commissioner of Revenues has. ref used to allow one per cent, deduction in gallonage on account of evaporation upon shipments of gasoline made by tank trucks; but does allow one per cent, on account of evaporation losses from shipments made by railroad tank cars. The appellant took credit for' the one per cent, evaporation upon shipments made by tank trucks in its last monthly statement preceding the filing of the suit, but the Commissioner of Revenues did not allow this credit, and placed a distraint warrant in the hands of the sheriff in order to collect the amount claimed.

It was, also, alleged by the appellant in this suit that at Helena, Arkansas, it had 1,095 gallons of gasoline upon which it had paid the regular tax, but that this gasoline remained in storage so long that it became defective, and that it was on that account destroyed. The tax of $71.17 had been paid; and there was, also, destroyed by fire, at 'Kensett, Arkansas, 307 gallons upon which was paid a tax of $19.95; that none of the gasoline making up the 1,402 gallops had been sold or used, and when destroyed was still the property of the appellant. It was the prayer of the appellant that it be given the authority to take credit of these several items totalling $397.60 on its monthly tax return and settlement. Of the foregoing total $306.48 was the amount for which credit was claimed at the rate of one per cent, for loss by evaporation under act No. 146 of the Acts of 1929 on shipments by trucks. The temporary restraining order was issued. Counsel, by stipulation, presented the facts in the case. The stipulation is as follows:

“Stipulation of Counsel

“1. The defendant Earl Wiseman is commissioher of revenues of the state of Arkansas, whose duty it is to administer the laws of the state, of Arkansas pertaining to the collection of taxes on gasoline sold within the state.

“2. The plaintiff, Barnsdall Refining* Corporation, is a nonresident corporation, domesticated in the state of Arkansas, and authorized to do business in the state of Arkansas. It is engaged in the manufacture and sale of gasoline from points without the state to points within the state, in wholesale quantities.

“3. Plaintiff’s refinery is in the state of Oklahoma, and it manufactures gasoline or motor vehicle fuel and ships the same to its dealers in tank carlots from points in Oklahoma to points in Arkansas.

“That the defendant refuses to allow plaintiff credit on its monthly tax report to defendant’s department-for evaporation, as provided for under act No. 146 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 1929, the same being approved March 14, 1929, because said shipments are not made by railway. Defendant contends that the. act referred to embraces shipments made by rail only, and that it does not cover shipments made by motor trucks.

“4. If plaintiff is entitled to credit for evaporation on its tank car shipments on motor trucks, it is entitled to a credit of $306.48. • An itemized statement of said shipments is hereto attached, marked exhibit A for identification and made a part of this stipulation.

“5. That on May 19, 1934, plaintiff destroyed 1,095 gallons of Ethyl gasoline in the city of Helena, Arkansas, upon which it had paid a tax to the state of Arkansas in the sum of $71.17. That no part of said gasoline was ever used on the highways of Arkansas, but, because of defects discovered by plaintiff, said gasoline was destroyed rather than sold to the public. A statement of which is hereto attached, marked exhibit B for identification, and made a part of this stipulation.

“6. That on May 3, 1934, plaintiff’s service station at Kensett, Arkansas, burned, in which plaintiff had destroyed 307 gallons of gasoline upon which it had paid the tax, and that plaintiff claims that it is entitled to a credit for the tax in the sum of $19.95, a statement of which is hereto attached, marked exhibit O for the identification, and made a part of this stipulation.

"Exhibit A contains a statement of shipments of gasoline from June, 1935, to March, 1936, by tank trucks, upon which the one per cent., if allowed as a credit, would amount to $306.48.

"Exhibit B is a statement of the gasoline destroyed at Helena.

"Exhibit C is a statement of the gasoline destroyed at Kensett.”

The issues were decided against the appellant, and from that decree comes this appeal.

It becomes necessary to state the applicable part of act No. 146 of the Acts of 1929. Section 1 of said act is as follows:

"Any dealer in gasoline or motor vehicle fuel who handles same in tank carlots, and pays the tax on said gasoline or motor vehicle fuel in the state, shall he entitled to take credit on the tax due the state for loss due by evaporation as set forth in § 2 of this act.” Section 2 of the same act reads:

"All manufacturers of gasoline or motor vehicle ■fuel and dealers who handle same in tank carlots, shall be entitled to claim credit on any tax due the state as provided for in § 1 of this act to cover the loss that they have sustained by reason of evaporation of gasoline1 or motor vehicle fuel on which the tax has previously been paid to the state. Any claim for such evaporation shall be accompanied by an affidavit sworn to on a blank to be furnished by the 'Commissioner of Revenues by such official as the commissioner of reveiiues may designate, and the Commissioner of Revenues is instructed and empowered to allow claim for such evaporation losses not to exceed in any case 1 per cent, of the gasoline or motor vehicle fuel handled.”

The principal issue presented will be settled by a consideration of the foregoing act.

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147 S.W.2d 352 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1941)

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Bluebook (online)
109 S.W.2d 151, 194 Ark. 658, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnsdall-refining-corp-v-ford-commr-revenues-ark-1937.