Commonwealth ex rel. Luckett v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad

479 S.W.2d 15, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 286
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 18, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 479 S.W.2d 15 (Commonwealth ex rel. Luckett v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth ex rel. Luckett v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 479 S.W.2d 15, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 286 (Ky. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

NEIKIRK, Judge.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company (hereinafter referred to as L & N), a Kentucky corporation, engaged in the business of a common carrier and having its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky, filed with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Department of Revenue (hereinafter referred to as Department of Revenue), its schedule of property subject to ad valorem taxes for the year 1963. The L & N reported certain intangible property located outside of Kentucky in the amount of $26,723,464 as not being subject to Kentucky ad valorem taxes. The Department of Revenue reviewed the return and determined that the listed intangible property was subject to be taxed and requested payment from the L & N of additional taxes due in the sum of $66,888.66.

The L & N appealed the additional assessment to the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals. The L & N contended that $19,698,151 of the intangible property was not taxable by Kentucky because it was used in a separate and independent business and had acquired a business situs in the city of New York; and that the remaining $7,025,313 in intangibles was not taxable in Kentucky for various other reasons.

The Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals held that the intangibles in the custody of the L & N office in New York in the amount of $19,698,151 had acquired a business situs outside of Kentucky and, therefore, were not subject to taxation by Kentucky. The Department of Revenue perfected an appeal to the Franklin Circuit Court from this portion of the Board’s order. The Board held that the remaining $7,025,313 of intangibles was subject to the ad valorem tax under KRS Chapter 132. The L & N attempted to appeal this portion of the Board’s order by filing a cross-appeal in the Franklin Circuit Court. The Department of Revenue moved that the cross-appeal be dismissed, pointing out that it had not been timely filed. The Franklin Circuit Court did not pass on this motion, but entered judgment affirming the Board’s order in all respects. The Department of Revenue appeals to this court from the portion of the judgment that affirmed the Board’s order that the intangibles in the L & N’s office in the city of New York had acquired a business situs and were not taxable in Kentucky. The L & N filed a cross-appeal in this court from the portion of the judgment that affirmed the Board’s order that all other intangibles in dispute were taxable. The Department of Revenue moved to dismiss the cross-appeal. By an order we directed that the motion to dismiss the cross-appeal be pass[17]*17ed for consideration on the merits, which we now shall proceed to do.

The order of the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals was entered on March 16, 1967. It was not until April 20, 1967, that the L & N attempted to appeal that portion of the final decision of the Board adverse to L & N. KRS 131.370 requires an adverse decision of the Board of Tax Appeals be appealed to the Franklin Circuit Court within thirty days. Thus, the attempted appeal designated as “cross-appeal” was not timely filed. The L & N contends that a cross-appeal is not essential in order to present an issue that is an element of, or one closely related in substance to, the question properly presented by the other party. In the instant case, the Department of Revenue had convinced the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals that the L & N’s intangibles, other than those held in the New York office, were subject to be taxed. The Department of Revenue did not attempt to fragment appellate review by selectively designating special findings of the Board, but appealed from that portion of the final order of the Board adverse to the Department of Revenue. It was incumbent upon the L & N to appeal to the Franklin Circuit Court that portion of the Board’s order adverse to the L & N’s contentions in order to vest jurisdiction in the Franklin Circuit Court as to these issues. The L & N evidently considered this to be sound by filing a cross-appeal in the Franklin Circuit Court and a cross-appeal in this court. The L & N could have perfected a direct appeal from that portion of the Board’s order adverse to its claims. Had the L & N chosen this route and no appeal had been taken by the Department of Revenue, the Franklin Circuit Court would have had jurisdiction to dispose of the cause without reference to other issues not properly reserved and presented. The Franklin Circuit Court was without jurisdiction to hear and determine any issues other than those perfected by appeal of the Department of Revenue. Commonwealth, Dept. of Highways v. Berryman, Ky., 363 S.W.2d 525 (1962); Kentucky Department of Revenue v. Summers-Herrmann, Inc., Ky., 453 S.W.2d 543 (1970).

The Franklin Circuit Court erred in failing to dismiss the L & N’s cross-appeal to that court. However, the net effect of the circuit court’s judgment was the same as if the cross-appeal had been dismissed, so we are affirming that judgment on the L & N’s cross-appeal to this court.

The issue squarely presented to the Franklin Circuit Court and now to this court is whether or not the intangibles owned by the L & N and physically located in an office in New York City are subject to the ad valorem tax imposed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

KRS 132.190(1) (b) provides:

“(1) The property subject to taxation, unless exempted by the Constitution, shall be as follows ******
“(b) All intangible personal property of individuals residing in this state and of corporations organized under the laws of this state unless it has acquired a business situs without this state.”

The L & N contends that the activities of the New York office are such as to bring the intangibles there held under the above-quoted statutory exception.

The question of “business situs” presents a problem. It is difficult to formulate a consistent workable rule for determining if intangibles physically located outside the state of a domiciled owner corporation are subject to be taxed by the domiciliary state. As a general rule, intangibles are taxable at the legal domicile of the owner on the theory of the Roman maxim “mobilia sequuntur personam” : movables follow the owner. A recognized exception to this rule is that if the intangibles have become an integral part of some local independent and separate business activity and their possession and control are localized in a nondomiciliary state, then the intangibles have acquired a business si-[18]*18tus apart from the owner’s domicile. This is known as the “integration doctrine.” Wheeling Steel Corp. v. Fox, 298 U.S. 193, 56 S.Ct. 773, 80 L.Ed. 1143 (1936).

The reasoning behind the establishment and growth of the integration doctrine is sound, and we do not question its validity; nor do the parties. However, in any determination of the establishment of a business situs, the facts in each case must be examined.

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Bluebook (online)
479 S.W.2d 15, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-ex-rel-luckett-v-louisville-nashville-railroad-kyctapp-1972.