Garza v. Block Distributing Co., Inc.

696 S.W.2d 259, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 7320
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 21, 1985
Docket04-83-00436-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 696 S.W.2d 259 (Garza v. Block Distributing Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garza v. Block Distributing Co., Inc., 696 S.W.2d 259, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 7320 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

*260 OPINION

QUENTIN KEITH, Assigned Justice *

This is an appeal from a judgment granting a permanent injunction restraining any effort to levy, assess, or collect any additional ad valorem taxes upon tangible personal property owned by the plaintiff, Block Distributing Company located in Be-xar County, Texas, for the taxable year of 1982. The matter was considered at a bench trial and we have no findings of fact or conclusions of law, other than those appearing on the face of the judgment.

Plaintiff alleged that the tax assessor-collector did not follow the statutory procedure when he attempted to increase the value of plaintiffs personal property assessment. It sought and procured the issuance of a temporary injunction which was merged into a permanent injunction after the court found merit to the contentions advanced. In our review, we do not find error and the judgment of the trial court will be affirmed.

Plaintiff is a wholesale liquor dealer and the bulk of its taxable property consisted of its inventory of liquor. In January, 1982, Bexar Appraisal District 1 sent to plaintiff a request that it render its commercial property for taxation, noting that the assessment for the prior year was $908,300. The notice contained a statement that the request for the rendition was not a tax statement; Block did not respond to the notice nor did it render its commercial personal property for the year 1982.

On August 10, 1982, BAD submitted its 1982 appraisal roll to the tax assessor-collector (our defendant Rudy Garza), showing thereon that Block’s personal property had been appraised at the value noted in its request mentioned earlier, namely: $908,-300; and Garza accepted the roll and determined that Block’s taxes on BAD’s appraisal amounted to $3,170.82. On October 1, 1982, Garza sent to Block another tax statement showing a valuation of $3,808,-310 with a tax balance due of $13,706. Thus, with this sequence of events we reach the critical question in the case. The increased valuation, along with the increase in taxes due was made without notifying Block of any hearing at which it could protest this unilateral imposition of an additional tax burden upon its property.

On October 13, 1982, Block filed suit in the District Court seeking a declaratory judgment that the increase in valuation was invalid because of the tax assessor’s failure to give Block notice prior to increasing its valuations. Block also sought, and obtained a temporary restraining order enjoining the assessor from increasing the valuation on Block’s property from $908,-300 to the figure of $3,808,310, as shown upon the notice of the increased valuation. The temporary restraining order was converted, subsequently, into a temporary injunction, by stipulation of the parties.

At the bench trial, it was established, beyond question, that Block’s valuation was increased without prior notice having been given. Indeed, counsel for the assessor, in his statement of the ease, says:

Prior to issuing this tax statement [October 1, 1982, mentioned earlier], the Tax Assessor did not provide Block with notice of this increase or notice of a hearing in which Block would have the opportunity to protest this increase before the ARB. 2

But, Block filed its suit in the District Court seeking relief from the unauthorized increased assessment and levy. One day after the filing of the suit, the tax assessor sent Block a certificate of error, purporting to reinstate the original valuation of Block’s personal property. We note such *261 happening but do so without passing upon the validity or effect of such certificate, such not being required under this record.

This “certificate” certified that Block’s certified market valuation was $908,300 with a tax balance of $3,170.82 due for the year 1982. Block remitted the tax due on October 18, 1982, and it was accepted by the tax assessor.

Appellant’s counsel states in his brief that on September 14, 1982, the assessor discovered a Wholesaler’s Report to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission showing that Block had substantial inventories of liquor upon the critical date when the tax accrued. In fairness to all sides, we note, in passing, that the original valuation was land only and there was no evaluation of Block’s inventory included therein. Counsel argues that the assessor, acting under TEX.TAX CODE ANN. § 25.21 (Vernon 1982), appraised the omitted property for $2,900,100 and recommended to the ARB that this amount be included on the 1982 supplemental tax roll. This had the effect of raising Block’s taxes to $13,-705.78. Block was directed to file a written statement or protest with ARB if it wished to have a hearing on its protest. Block filed the protest timely but did nto appear at the scheduled hearing before ARB where the supplemental appraisal was approved by ARB. As the assessor’s counsel puts the matter:

Block’s protest was never considered at the ARB hearing on December 15, 1982.

ARB notified Block of its action but Block did not pay or offer to pay the increased taxes resulting from the increased valuation.

Appellant’s first complaint is that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to reach the merits of Block’s contention because it had not paid the total amount of the taxes' appellant claimed to be due, including those based upon the increased valuation. Counsel argues that by failing to pay all of the taxes levied for the year involved, Block forfeited its remedy under §§ 31.02 and 42.08 of the Tax Code. 3

Appellant’s counsel argues forcefully that the failure of Block to pay the entire amount of taxes due upon the increased assessment resulted in a forfeiture of its right to complain and deprived the trial court of jurisdiction to hear Block’s claim of an unconstitutional increase in its valuation without a hearing. We are not persuaded by appellant’s argument and overrule its first point of error. In urging this contention, appellants rely primarily upon Harding Brothers Oil & Gas Co. v. Jim Ned I.S.D., 457 S.W.2d 102 (Tex.Civ.App.—Eastland 1970, no writ). We do not find the cited case to be either persuasive or controlling here. The Jim Ned court pointedly commented that the taxpayer “did not tender ... any amount of taxes whatever” during the litigation. Id. at 104. Here, Block paid the taxes which the assessor-collector certified on his statement were due and are still in the coffers of the county.

Moreover, the Jim Ned court was concerned with the applicability of the Declaratory Judgments Act and the possibility that a final judgment would not be entered disposing of the entire controversy. Id. at 105. We have no such problem here. Instead, we have a quasi-judicial body making a large increase in the valuations without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to be heard.

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Bluebook (online)
696 S.W.2d 259, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 7320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garza-v-block-distributing-co-inc-texapp-1985.