Harley-Davidson, Inc. v. Franchise Tax Bd.

237 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883, 27 Cal. App. 5th 245
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedAugust 22, 2018
DocketD071669
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 237 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883 (Harley-Davidson, Inc. v. Franchise Tax Bd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harley-Davidson, Inc. v. Franchise Tax Bd., 237 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883, 27 Cal. App. 5th 245 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

BENKE, J.

*249Plaintiff Harley Davidson and its subsidiaries (Harley-Davidson) form a multistate enterprise with numerous functionally integrated subsidiary corporations. It contends that defendant California Franchise Tax Board's (Board) tax scheme violates the commerce clause of the federal Constitution ( U.S. Const., art. I, § 8, cl. 3 ), claiming that it burdens interstate enterprises by providing a benefit to intrastate enterprises not available to interstate enterprises. An intrastate unitary business may use either combined or separate accounting to report its income to the Board, whereas Harley-Davidson and other interstate unitary businesses must use the combined reporting method, without the option of separate accounting for each related entity. The trial court granted summary judgment for Harley-Davidson. It found that whether or not the state's tax law unduly burdened interstate commerce, the state had a legitimate reason for treating in-state *886and out-of-state unitary businesses differently that could not be served by reasonable nondiscriminatory alternatives - to accurately measure, apportion and tax all revenue acquired in California by an interstate unitary business.

After independent review, we also find that there is a legitimate state interest to require combined reporting of taxable income of interstate unitary *250businesses, to accurately measure and tax all income attributable to California, that outweighs any possible discriminatory effect. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

BACKGROUND

Harley-Davidson has a nation-wide business. The Harley-Davidson enterprise is comprised of commonly owned and functionally integrated businesses, each of which is dependent on or contributes to the operation of the entire business enterprise of the group. Such an enterprise is called a unitary business.

Harley-Davidson filed an action for a tax refund, raising several issues, including a challenge under the commerce clause to the Board's requirement that interstate unitary businesses must use the combined method of reporting income and apportioning taxes, while intrastate unitary businesses may use either the combined method or the separate accounting method. The sole remaining issue is Harley-Davidson's claim that this differential treatment harms the flow of interstate commerce by providing a direct commercial advantage to intrastate unitary companies. It asserts that the federal commerce clause was violated by Revenue and Taxation Code provisions that allow intrastate unitary businesses to choose whether to compute their tax using the combined reporting method or the separate accounting method, but require interstate unitary businesses to compute their tax using only the combined reporting method.

In an earlier appeal, this court reversed an order sustaining the Board's demurrer to this issue in the complaint. ( Harley-Davidson (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 193, 203-208, 187 Cal.Rptr.3d 672, ( Harley I ).) We found that this provision of California's tax system treats intrastate and interstate unitary businesses differently, but we made no finding on whether that differential treatment was discriminatory. ( Id . at pp. 203, 206, 187 Cal.Rptr.3d 672.) We found only that Harley-Davidson adequately alleged that this differential treatment was discriminatory because it benefitted intrastate unitary businesses and burdened interstate unitary businesses. ( Id . at p. 206, 187 Cal.Rptr.3d 672.) A demurrer must be denied where the plaintiff has alleged facts that, if true, would state a valid cause of action. ( Evans v. City of Berkeley (2006) 38 Cal.4th 1, 6, 40 Cal.Rptr.3d 205, 129 P.3d 394 [alleged facts deemed true]; Perez v. Golden Empire Transit Dist. (2012) 209 Cal.App.4th 1228, 1235, 147 Cal.Rptr.3d 709 ( Perez ) [standard of review of order sustaining demurrer].)

On remand, the Board and Harley-Davidson filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The trial court granted summary judgment for the Board. The trial court found that California tax law treats in-state and out-of-state unitary *251businesses differently because it permits in-state businesses to choose between the separate entity or combined reporting method, while out-of-state businesses have no choice but must use the combined method of accounting. Differential treatment is discriminatory within the commerce clause context, however, if the different treatment provides a direct benefit to in-state entities or increases the tax burden on interstate entities. The trial court concluded that there *887were triable issues of fact on whether a discriminatory effect exists. It found that even if the law burdened interstate companies, the state had a legitimate interest in "requiring this form of combined reporting to ensure that all business income from interstate business is accurately accounted for [and] that it is fairly apportioned. The state has a valid interest in preventing the manipulation and hiding of taxable income. [Citation.] [¶] There does not appear to be a reasonable nondiscriminatory alternative that would adequately serve the state's interest. The alternative of allowing separate reporting for out of state business would potentially omit income of certain entities doing business outside the state."

We review this grant of summary judgment de novo and independently decide if the findings of undisputed facts warrant judgment for the moving party as a matter of law.1 ( Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 860, 107 Cal.Rptr.2d 841, 24 P.3d 493 ( Aguilar ).)

DISCUSSION

I.

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Bluebook (online)
237 Cal. Rptr. 3d 883, 27 Cal. App. 5th 245, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harley-davidson-inc-v-franchise-tax-bd-calctapp5d-2018.