In re Fowler

493 B.R. 148, 2012 WL 8255545, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 6143
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 28, 2012
DocketNo. 11-43193-B-13J; DCN HLC-1
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 493 B.R. 148 (In re Fowler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Fowler, 493 B.R. 148, 2012 WL 8255545, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 6143 (Cal. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION ON OBJECTIONS TO CONFIRMATION OF CHAPTER 13 PLAN

THOMAS C. HOLMAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The court is asked to determine whether Cal. Rev. & Tax Code (“RTC”) § 4103(b) is unconstitutional as pre-empted by the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. Debtor contends that RTC § 4103(b) is not “applicable nonbankruptcy law” within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 511(a), that RTC § 4103(b) is therefore pre-empted by the Bankruptcy Code and that the interest rate to be paid on a secured real property tax claim in a chapter 13 plan is determined under Till et ux. v. SCS Credit Corp., 541 U.S. 465, 124 S.Ct. 1951, 1955-56, 158 L.Ed.2d 787 (2004). For the reasons set forth herein, the court holds that RTC § 4103(b) is “applicable nonbankruptcy law” within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 511(a), that RTC § 4103(b) is therefore not pre-empted by the Bankruptcy Code and that RTC § 4103(b) does control the interest rate to be paid on a secured real property tax claim in a chapter 13 plan.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The debtor, John Fowler, commenced the above-captioned chapter 13 bankruptcy case by the filing a voluntary chapter 13 petition on September 27, 2011. Concurrently with the filing of the petition, the debtor filed his initial chapter 13 plan (“the Plan”) on September 27, 2011. The Plan was noticed to all creditors listed on the debtor’s master address list consistent with the provisions of then-applicable General Order 05-03.1

The Plan proposes to payments of $779.30 per month over sixty months. The Plan proposes treatment for two secured creditors: 1.) Rabobank, N.A., (“Rabo-bank”) holder of the first deed of trust on the debtor’s residence located at 3101 Orange Avenue, Oroville, California (the “Residence”) and 2.) the County of Butte (the “County”) holder of a lien in the Residence for unpaid real property taxes in the estimated amount of $968.00. The debtor proposed to pay the County’s claim at a rate of $18.00 per month at a rate of interest of 4.00% per annum. The Plan proposed to pay no dividend to general unsecured creditors.

[150]*150The debtor also filed concurrently with his voluntary petition his Schedule I Current Income of Individual Debtor (“Schedule I”) and Schedule J Current Expenditures of Individual Debtor (“Schedule J”). Schedule I showed that the debtor had monthly net income of $1,151.00, which consisted of the debtor’s social security benefits and a contribution from his brother for the purpose of paying the ongoing debt service and arrears owed to Rabo-bank. Schedule J showed that the debtor had $371.70 in average monthly expenses, leaving him with $779.30 in net monthly income, the same amount as the proposed Plan payment.

On November 17, 2011, Rabobank filed an objection to confirmation of the Plan. Rabobank objected that the Plan’s proposal to pay interest at a rate of 4% on the County’s tax claim rendered the Plan un-confirmable because 11 U.S.C. § 511(a) required the debtor to propose a rate of interest on the County’s claim in accordance with the rate determined by state law, specifically RTC § 4103(b), which Ra-bobank argued required the debtor to propose an interest rate of 18% per annum. Rabobank also objected to confirmation of the Plan on the ground that it was not feasible, arguing that the budget set forth on the debtor’s Schedule J did not adequately account for the actual cost of ongoing post-petition tax obligations, property insurance, automobile insurance, home maintenance, medical and dental expenses, transportation expenses.

Rabobank’s objection was initially heard on December 6, 2011, and was opposed by the debtor, who asserted that RTC § 4103(b) was invalid as violative of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. The objection was continued to January 10, 2012, and finally to February 14, 2012 for supplemental briefing, in which the County participated by filing a brief on February 7, 2012.2 The objection was also continued to allow the debtor to give notice to the Attorney General of the State of California pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9005.1 that the debtor was objecting to the constitutionality of RTC § 4103(b) under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, Article VI, clause 2. The debtor, Rabobank and the County filed supplemental briefing. The State of California did not appear in response to the debtor’s notice and has not made any appearance in this case. The court took Rabobank’s objection under submission on February 14, 2012.

ANALYSIS

The court must determine whether RTC § 4103(b) violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The debtor argues that § 4103(b) is unconstitutional because it converts California’s 18% redemption penalty into an interest rate for bankruptcy purposes only, which makes it a “bankruptcy-specific” statute that treats non-bankrupt taxpayers and taxpayers in bankruptcy differently. The debtor argues that because it is a bankruptcy-specific statute, RTC § 4103(b) is [151]*151not “applicable non-bankruptcy law” for the purposes of 11 U.S.C. § 511 and goes beyond the authority granted by § 511.

Is Cal Rev. & Tax Code § 1103(b) Invalid as Violative of the Supremacy Clause?

The treatment of secured claims, like that of the County, in a chapter 13 plan is governed by the provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(5). Section 1325(a)(5) requires, inter alia, that either the holder of the claim accepts the treatment of the claim under the plan, or that the claim holder (1) retains its lien until payment of the claim or the debtor is discharged under § 1328 and (2) the value, as of the effective date of the plan, of property to be distributed under the plan on account of the claim is not less than the allowed amount of the claim.

With respect to secured claims based on tax obligations, 11 U.S.C. § 511(a) states:

(a) if any provision of this title requires the payment of interest on a tax claim or on an administrative expense tax, or the payment of interest to enable a creditor to receive the present value of the allowed amount of a tax claim, the rate of interest shall be the rate determined under applicable nonbankruptcy law.

11 U.S.C. § 511(a).

RTC § 4103 sets forth requirements for redemption penalties on unpaid tax obligations and interest rates on claims for unpaid state taxes in bankruptcy cases, and states in relevant part:

(a) Redemption penalties are the sum of the following:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
493 B.R. 148, 2012 WL 8255545, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 6143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-fowler-caeb-2012.