Erwin v. Hubbard

37 P. 274, 4 Idaho 170, 1894 Ida. LEXIS 25
Idaho Supreme Court·Decided June 22, 1894·Published

Opinion

SHLLIVAN, J.

This is an action to recover a certain sura of money paid by the appellant to. the defendant, as assessor- and tax collector of Washington county, as taxes assessed upon certain cattle belonging to the appellant in the year 1889. The-facts found by the trial court, necessary to be stated, are substantially as follows: That plaintiff, who is appellant here, resided in Ada county during the year 1889, and was engaged in the business of stock-raising; that his ranch and headquarters, for his said business were in said Ada county; that at least, a part of his stock grazed for a portion of the year in Washington county; that at the hour of 12 o’clock M. of the second' Monday of April, 1889, the said stock of appellant were in said Ada county, except two hundred and fifty head of cattle, which two hundred and fifty head were at said hour and date-in Washington county, where they had been driven by appellant, and were then ranging and grazing; that on the twenty-fourth day of June, 1889, the assessor and ex-officio tax collector of Ada county listed and assessed to plaintiff sixty head of horses and fifteen hundred head of stock cattle; that at the-time of said assessment all of plaintiff’s cattle were in said Washington county, fifty head of which had been there continuously since the spring of 1888, and that said fifty head, were not included in said assessment, and that said assessment did not include any of plaintiff’s cattle under the age of one year, of which there were about one hundred head; that on the twenty-first day of January, 1890, the plaintiff paid the said taxes assessed against him by the assessor of Ada county on the sixty head of horses and fifteen hundred head of cattle;, that prior to said assessment, but subsequent to the second Monday of April, 1889, all of said plaintiff’s cattle, including-those less than one year old, were driven by him into said Washington county, except the two hundred and fifty head above referred to, for the purpose of having them range and graze there so long as the condition of the natural feed and the weather would permit during said year; that on the thirtieth day of July, 1889, the defendant, as assessor of said Washington county, assessed one thousand head of said cattle to the plaintiff, and on the nineteenth day of December, 1889, seized [175] one hundred head of said cattle, and proceeded to give notice that he would, on the twenty-eighth day of December, 1889, sell the same, or sufficient thereof to pay the said tax and costs, of seizure and sale; that on the twenty-first day of December the plaintiff paid said defendant the sum of $331 — the amount of said tax and interest and costs; that said payment was made for the purpose of regaining possession of said cattle, and to prevent the sale thereof. The court found that said payment, was made under what it denominates an “alleged protest,” which protest was in writing, and is set forth in full in the record. The court further finds that the said assessor of Washington county did demand and request, prior to assessing the one thousand head of cattle above referred to, from the plaintiff, a statement in writing setting forth specifically all of the real and personal property owned by plaintiff, in conformity with the provisions of section 1429 of the Eevised Statutes of 1887, and that the plaintiff failed and refused to make such statement; that thereafter, on the thirtieth day of July, 1889, the said assessor did list and assess one thousand head of cattle to plaintiff at eleven dollars per head, and that the taxes thereon amounted to $275; that plaintiff failed and neglected to pay said sum, and that by reason thereof the said assessor seized and took possession of one hundred head of said cattle, and was proceeding to sell the same under the provisions of the statute in such case made and. provided, when the appellant paid the taxes and costs under protest. From the foregoing facts the court concluded that two hundred and fifty head of plaintiff’s cattle were in Washington county at 12 o’clock M. on the second Monday of April, 1889, and were subject to taxation in said county for that reason, and that because of appellant’s failure to make the statement required by section 1429 of the Eevised Statutes, he could not legally complain because the assessor, through mistake, assessed him with seven hundred and fifty head of cattle more than were subject to assessment in ssid county. <

The record shows that over , one thousand head of appellant’s cattle were in Washington county on the day respondent made said assessment. The statute makes plain the duties of the [176] assessor. It also makes equally plain the duty of the taxpayer, in furnishing the assessor a statement of his property, -on oath, on demand. It is the duty of the assessor to list and value all property within his jurisdiction, not exempt from taxation. The assessor and his sureties are liable on his official bond for all taxes on property within his county, which, through his willful failure or neglect, is not assessed. ' (Rev. Stats. 1887, sec. 1457.) As one means of assisting the assessor in ascertaining the taxable property in a county, section 1429 of the Revised Statutes makes it his duty to exact from each person a statement on oath, setting forth specifically all the real and personal property owned by such person, or in his possession or under his control, at 12 o’clock M. on the second Monday of April, in this state, and as to property not in this state at that day and hour, all other property owned by him, -or under his control, on the day of assessment. Said section ■sets forth specifically what the sworn statement must contain, and one of the several requirements is that it must contain the county in which the property is situated, or in which it is liable to taxation. The assessor, upon receiving a statement •of taxable property situated in another county, is required by section 1436 of the Revised Statutes to make a copy of such ■statement, and transmit the same to the assessor of the proper ■county. It is the duty of the taxpayer to furnish the assessor, ■on demand, the statement on oath above referred to; and, if he neglects or refuses to do so, it then becomes the duty of the assessor to note the refusal on the assessment-book, opposite the name of such delinquent, and thereafter he must proceed to make an estimate of the value of the property of such person; and section 1433 of the Revised Statutes declares, inter alia, that the value so fixed must not be reduced by the board •of commissioners.

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Erwin v. Hubbard, 37 P. 274, 4 Idaho 170, 1894 Ida. LEXIS 25 (Idaho 1894).

37 P. 274 (Erwin v. Hubbard) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.