Continental Oil Co. v. Oklahoma State Board of Equalization

1976 OK 23, 570 P.2d 315, 58 Oil & Gas Rep. 309, 1976 Okla. LEXIS 679
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 24, 1976
DocketNo. 46798
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1976 OK 23 (Continental Oil Co. v. Oklahoma State Board of Equalization) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Continental Oil Co. v. Oklahoma State Board of Equalization, 1976 OK 23, 570 P.2d 315, 58 Oil & Gas Rep. 309, 1976 Okla. LEXIS 679 (Okla. 1976).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice:

Continental Oil Company (Conoco) appeals from an order of the State Board of Equalization (Board) denying it tax relief to which Conoco contends it is entitled under 68 O.S. 1971, § 1001(h).

Oklahoma levies a tax equal to seven percent (7%) of the gross value of the production of oil and gas within the state. 68 O.S. 1971, § 1001(a). Conoco sought relief under § 1001(h) which provides in part:

“The State Board of Equalization, upon its own initiative, may, and upon complaint of any person who claims that he is taxed too great a rate hereunder, shall, take testimony to determine whether the taxes herein levied are greater, or less, than the general ad valorem tax for all purposes would be on the property of such producer subject to taxation in the district or districts where the same is situated * * *. The said board shall have power and it shall be its duty to raise or lower the rates herein levied to conform thereto. * * *.”

In 1971 Conoco paid the 7% gross production tax under protest and filed a complaint with Board. Conoco requested Board to take testimony to determine if the 7% gross production tax was greater than the general ad valorem tax for all purposes would be under § 1001(h), and, if greater, to lower the rates accordingly. After some delay [see Continental Oil Company v. State Board of Equalization, Okl., 494 P.2d 645 (1972)] a hearing was conducted before the Honorable Robert E. L. Richardson, trial examiner. Extensive testimonial and documentary evidence was introduced and a transcript of the proceedings was reviewed by Board. Board entered its findings of fact and conclusions of law and denied Co-noco any relief. Conoco appealed.

Board first determined that the provisions of 68 O.S. 1971, § 1001(h) are unconstitutional as a matter of law. Having made this determination, Board apparently was of the view it was unnecessary to consider or adjudicate the basic issue presented, i. e., whether the 7% gross production tax was “greater, or less, than the general ad valo-rem tax for all purposes would be” under § 1001(h). However, to avoid any question as to proper form of judgment, Board did issue its findings of fact and conclusion of law concerning specific aspects of the proceedings. Before discussing the findings and conclusions, we will first consider Board’s contentions concerning the constitutionality of § 1001(h).

Board contends § 1001(h) is an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power be[317]*317cause it authorizes Board to raise or lower the 7% gross production tax rate prescribed by the Legislature.

The Legislative proviso that Board “shall have power and it shall be its duty to raise or lower the rates herein levied”, when considered in conjunction with the entire enactment, merely provides a vehicle for Board to make a tax adjustment after it has determined an adjustment should be made. Board, in effect, determines what the general ad valorem tax for all purposes would be within the guidelines prescribed by the Legislature, and then adjusts the rate of tax to conform thereto.

The power to determine the policy of the law is primarily legislative and cannot be delegated, but if a legislative enactment prescribes the policy of the Legislature and establishes a standard or guideline for administrative action, the delegation is proper. State v. Parham, Okl., 412 P.2d 142 (1966).

The Legislature has established the standards and guidelines for Board’s actions and Board must perform its duties pursuant to those standards and guidelines. Sec. 1001(h) is not an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to Board to fix tax rates.

Board also contends § 1001(h) is unconstitutional because its practical application is so difficult as to make it unconstitutionally speculative.

The record in this case emphasizes the speculative nature of some of the evidence that Board would have had to consider and the difficulty in obtaining necessary information and evidence. In Meriwether v. Lovett, 166 Okl. 73, 26 P.2d 200 (1933), we observed that some of these considerations were part of the persuasive concerns which motivated the Legislature to adopt the gross production tax legislation in the first instance.

In the case at bar, Conoco initiated the proceedings and the burden was upon it to provide Board with sufficient information and evidence to determine whether Co-noco was entitled to a tax adjustment. If Conoco did not present evidence that was adequate for Board to determine values with reasonable accuracy, Conoco did not prove its case, and Board should have denied Conoco relief on these grounds. See Continental Oil Company [494 P.2d 645] supra.

The speculative nature of evidence submitted in proceedings initiated under § 1001(h), supra, goes to the sufficiency of the evidence and not to the constitutionality of the enactment. We hold the difficulty in applying the provisions of § 1001(h) does not render it unconstitutional.

In order to determine Conoco’s ad valo-rem tax liability as prescribed by § 1001(h) as assessed valuation must be placed on Conoco’s taxable property. The manner for determining this assessed valuation is the crux of this litigation. Board found that it “presently has set assessment ratios for railroads and public service companies, including pipeline companies, at 35% of fair cash value”, and that “oil companies should be placed in the same category.” Board concluded that “all hydrocarbon reserves * * * are to be assessed for ad valorem tax purposes at 35%; and it [Board] should assess Conoco in the same manner as it assesses railroads and public service corporations in order to prevent discrimination and insure uniform assessments.”

We note that Art. 10, § 8, of the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits the assessment of real property and tangible personal property at more than thirty-five percent (35%) of its fair cash value estimated at the price it would bring at a fair voluntary sale.

Conoco contends that § 1001(h) plainly requires Board to determine what the ad valorem tax assessment on its properties would be if those properties were subject to ad valorem taxation in the separate counties and taxing districts where physically located and to adjust the gross production tax rate accordingly. Conoco states that it “should be evident that if its properties were subject to ad valorem taxes they would be assessed by the various county assessors as required by law. The Board’s [318]*318duty or authority to make an assumption and determine what ad valorem taxes, which would be assessed by others, would be in order to make a required comparison is a far cry from a grant of authority to the Board to make an assessment of property which is, for assessment purposes, beyond its jurisdiction.” Conoco argues that the 35% assessment ratio may not be employed under the clear mandate of § 1001(h), but that the assessment ratio for each county as published by the Oklahoma Tax Commission must be used.

The divergent views are summarized. Board, in support of its order, contends that it-may assess all of Conoeo’s taxable property at 35% of its fair cash value regardless of its geographical location. Conoco contends that the assessment for each county must be in harmony with the assessment ratio of that county; i.

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Bluebook (online)
1976 OK 23, 570 P.2d 315, 58 Oil & Gas Rep. 309, 1976 Okla. LEXIS 679, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/continental-oil-co-v-oklahoma-state-board-of-equalization-okla-1976.