Faculty-Student Ass'n v. Sharkey

35 A.D.2d 161, 316 N.Y.S.2d 698, 1970 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3633
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedOctober 29, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 35 A.D.2d 161 (Faculty-Student Ass'n v. Sharkey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Faculty-Student Ass'n v. Sharkey, 35 A.D.2d 161, 316 N.Y.S.2d 698, 1970 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3633 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

Bastow, J.

These appeals present anew the interpretation and application of the exempt purposes clauses found in section 420 of Beal Property Tax Law. So far as material it is therein provided (subd. 1) that to meet the conditions for tax exemption (1) the real property must be “ owned by a corporation or association organized exclusively for the moral or mental improvement of men and women, or for * * * charitable, benevolent * * * educational * * * purposes * # * or for two or more such purposes ” and (2) the property must be ‘1 used exclusively for carrying out thereupon one or more of such purposes.” The trial court concluded that neither petitioner in these consolidated proceedings was entitled to tax exemption. •

We have recently construed this statutory provision in Matter of Chautauqua Inst., v. Town of Chautauqua (35 A D 2d 1, mot. for lv. to app. den. 27 N Y 2d 485). Similarly, the Third Department has considered the statute in Gospel Volunteers v. Village of Speculator (33 A D 2d 407). We cull from these decisions that the primary and first test for tax exemption under the statute is that the corporate owner must be “ organized exclusively ” for exempt purposes. This is accomplished by first examining the stated purposes of the organization. If thereafter doubt remains the statement of corporate purposes is examined against its actual activities. (Matter of Chautauqua Inst., supra, p. 4.) The statutory requirement is satisfied if the organization states its purposes (here “ educational ”) in the statutory language, or if it lists the necessary means or instrumentalities for accomplishing the controlling objects, or if it lists mere embellishments, or purposes incidental to the principal purpose. (Gospel Volunteers, supra, p. 410.)

The statute mandates two further tests relating to use of realty that must be satisfied before a particular parcel may be exempted from taxation. First, if the organization holds property for exempt purposes and engages in exempt activities, it must still show that a particular parcel is used for these exempt purposes. (Beal Property Tax Law, § 420, subd. 2.) This is intended to exclude property used in connection with profit-making activities but permits uses incidental to the exempt purposes. Thus, where, as here, the evidence shows that the realty [163]*163is used for faculty members and others connected with educational institutions it is a use incidental to the exempt purposes (cf. Matter of St. Luke’s Hosp. v. Boyland, 12 N Y 2d 135,143).

A second test as to use provides that although property is not in actual use for exempt purposes by reason of the absence of suitable buildings or improvements it shall be exempt if the petitioner can show that construction is “in progress or is in good faith contemplated” (Real Property Tax Law, § 420, subd. 3). (Cf. Matter of Board of Foreign Missions v. Board of Assessors, 244 N. Y. 42, 48-49 ; Matter of Syracuse Univ., 214 App. Div. 375, 378.)

Applying these several tests to the proof before us we have no difficulty in concluding that appellants’ claims for tax exemption for the several parcels of realty should have been granted. We state briefly the facts that lead us to this conclusion.

Faculty-Student Association, of State University College at Oswego, Inc.

The appellant (herein “ Faculty-Student ”) was incorporated as a nonprofit membership corporation in 1951 with stated purposes “ to promote and cultivate educational and social relations among the students and faculty of the State University Teachers College at Oswego, New York, a unit of the State University of New York,

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Bluebook (online)
35 A.D.2d 161, 316 N.Y.S.2d 698, 1970 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3633, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/faculty-student-assn-v-sharkey-nyappdiv-1970.