Household Finance Corp. v. State Tax Commission

128 A.2d 640, 212 Md. 80
Court of Appeals of Maryland·Decided January 17, 1957·No. [No. 42, October Term, 1956.]·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinions

Prescott, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This appeal involves the assessment of the value of the capital stock of a foreign finance corporation and the apportionment thereof, so as to allocate the portion that fairly “represents the business done in this State”, for the year 1953.

Household Finance Corporation (Household) was, and is, such a corporation and appealed to the Circuit Court of Baltimore City from an assessment, and allotment (business within and without the State), of its capital stock made by the State Tax Commission (Commission). After consideration of the appeal, the Commission’s action was affirmed in the assessment made and partly so in the allocation, but was remanded, with directions, in regard to the remainder of the apportionment. Thereupon, Household appealed to this Court from that part of the decree that affirmed the assessment and denied its contentions concerning the allocation, and the Commission cross-appealed as to the part that remanded, with directions, in regard to the remainder of the apportionment.

Household is a Delaware corporation' having its principal [85] offices at Chicago, Illinois, with regional headquarters in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, and as to its Canadian subsidiaries, in Toronto, Canada. The taxpayer is engaged in the business of making installment cash loans to consumers. At the end of 1952, it and its wholly owned subsidiaries were so engaged at 577 branch offices in 389 cities of 29 states and 10 Canadian provinces. During 1952, taxpayer was so engaged at 13 branch offices in 6 cities in Maryland.

Except for periodic examinations of these Maryland branch offices by administrative personnel, the administration of the affairs of the taxpayer and of its subsidiaries was outside the state of Maryland. Only branch office operations were conducted in Maryland. Each such office operated in rented quarters and maintained necessary office equipment and operating cash on hand and in bank. Employees consisted of a manager, one or more assistant managers, and a number of steno-cashiers who handled office detail and outside representatives who made outside credit investigations and calls upon delinquent borrowers.

The taxpayer owned all, or substantially all, of the capital stock of 10 subsidiary corporations, nine of whom carried on the same business as the parent company.

The capital stock of the taxpayer was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In its published annual reports, balance sheets and earnings statements, the subsidiaries, except one, were consolidated with the parent. For the purposes of the figures cited to us, however, this one was consolidated with the others.

None of the U. S. subsidiaries had ever paid any dividends, all profits having been placed back into the business. The only receipts, therefore, from the U. S. subsidiaries have been interest and supervision fees. The taxpayer received no interest or supervision fees from Peoples Industrial Bank, one of the subsidiaries, since that bank was not indebted to the taxpayer and the bank furnished its own administration. The bank had paid no dividends. In addition to interest and supervision fees, the Canadian “subs”, however, had for several years paid dividends.

Household’s consolidated balance sheet, as of the last day [86] of 1952, showed assets in excess of $340,000,000; consolidated gross income for that year of approximately $75,000,000; and consolidated net income of over $13,000,000.

Figures in the record, furnished by it, showed a book value of over $102,000,000; consolidated net earnings capitalized at 10% were over $136,000,000; and the average consolidated net earnings for the previous 5 years capitalized at the same percentage were over $114,000,000.

These facts have been set forth in some detail to show the taxpayer operated a very large and extensive business enterprise, with tremendous assets and widespread interests of great value, that seem to demonstrate with clarity and certainty, it was engaged in a unitary undertaking.

Part of the value of the capital stock of this class of corporations is subject to taxation in Maryland. The Commission, as the administrative body in charge of fixing assessments, issues several reporting forms for the taxpayer to complete and return. Household completed Form No. 7 with attached schedules, and listed therein the market price of its stock on January 1, 1953. The Commission incorporated this listing in their aggregate valuation, the details thereof will be shown when we quote from the “Statement of Facts Considered by the Commission on which its findings are Based”.

Taxpayer also completed Form No. 8, in which this information was supplied:

1. Gross receipts or earnings from all sources during calendar year 1952 .... $ 61,812,951.26
2. Gross receipts or earnings derived from business done in Maryland during calendar year 1952?...................... $ 2,481,626.70
3. Value of property (tangible and intangible) in Maryland? .............. $ 10,200,625.92
4. Value of property (tangible and intangible) outside of Maryland?........ $317,034,611.52
5. Income from permanent investments? ..............

With these facts and figures, among many others, before it, the Commission proceeded to assessment. The statutory direction for that type of tax is first, to ascertain the valúa[87] tion of the capital stock, and then to apportion such part as represents the business done in this State. We will deal with the action of the Commission in that order; but, before doing so, will set forth the laws relating thereto.

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Household Finance Corp. v. State Tax Commission, 128 A.2d 640, 212 Md. 80 (Md. 1957).

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