In re Wise

1949 OK 91, 206 P.2d 218, 201 Okla. 395, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 312
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 3, 1949
DocketNos. 33269, 33270
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1949 OK 91 (In re Wise) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Wise, 1949 OK 91, 206 P.2d 218, 201 Okla. 395, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 312 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

HALLEY, J.

W. W. Wise and O. A. Kemnitz had been copartners, doing business as the K-W Drilling Company, 'and on February 28, 1944, owned one motor rotary oil well drilling rig and certain equipment for drilling test wells for oil and gas, and had, prior to that date, been actively so engaged for hire in Oklahoma. Mr. Kemnitz owned an interest in other similar equipment, but Mr. Wise owned no interest in such equipment, other than that mentioned, from February 28, 1944, to January, 1945.

On February 28, 1944, the above parties, under the name of K-W Drilling Company, entered into a written contract with Kerlyn Oil Company, a corporation, for the use of the drilling rig owned by Kemnitz and Wise, and then located in Oklahoma. The principal terms of the lease or rental agreement were that Kerlyn was to have immediate possession of the rig and the right to transport it to Montana for drilling operations, at its own expense, and to return the rig to Oklahoma as its expense when drilling was completed, or sooner, upon written demand by the lessors if not used within 15 days after being moved to a drilling location; provided, that costs of transportation to and from Montana did not exceed $20,000, chargeable as drilling costs and to be credited to Kerlyn in computing the net costs of drilling the first nine wells drilled; Kerlyn to pay lessors $100 per day for each day the rig was used in actual drilling operations, and the same amount for shutdown time; Ker-lyn to divide equally with Kemnitz and Wise the net profits, if any, on each well drilled. Such payment was to be made at the completion of each well drilled resulting in a net profit. Kem-nitz and Wise were given the right to designate the tool pusher for the operation of the rig, and such party was to be an employee of Kerlyn, paid by Kerlyn, and Kerlyn was otherwise to have complete control of the rig, its movements, use, and operations, all to be done in the name of Kerlyn.

The contract further provided that Kerlyn was to furnish all necessary supplies for drilling operations, except such equipment as was described in the written contract between the parties, to be furnished by Kemnitz and Wise. Kerlyn was to keep the property in repair. The contract expressly provided that it should not be construed as constituting a partnership, but a joint venture.

W. W. Wise was designated as tool pusher, and Kerlyn agreed to pay him $400 per month for his services. Kerlyn moved the rig to Montana in March, 1944, and drilling operations were car[397]*397ried on, with W. W. Wise acting as tool pusher.

In January, 1945, a fishing job was encountered, and with the permission of the drilling superintendent, ■ Mr. Wise called Mr. Kemnitz to Montana" to assist in an effort to clean out the hole. After Mr. Kemnitz arrived; at" his.own expense, and undertook to as-, sist on the fishing job, the rig caught fire and Mr. Kemnitz was killed. By agreement, the written contract with Kerlyn was terminated. Mr. Wise remained in Montana for some time, re- , pairing the burned rig, and for some time undertook to secure further drilling contracts, and finally moved the rig to Wyoming, where some work was done; and in January, 1946, the rig was torn down and moved back to Oklahoma by Mr. Wise at his own expense.

The additional assessments by the Oklahoma Tax Commission for 1944 and 1945 cover income as rental of, or profits from, the drilling rig operations during the time that it was operated in Montana. The assessments made were paid under protest, and this appeal is from the consolidated order overruling the separate protests of Mr. Wise and .Mrs. Kemnitz as administratrix.

The sole question involved in this appeal is whether the rental income and profits received by Mr. Kemnitz and Mr. Wise from Kerlyn Oil Company while operating a drilling rig outside the State of Oklahoma is taxable as Oklahoma income under the Oklahoma Income Tax Act.

There is no dispute as to the facts, since the parties agreed as to the amount of income and tax due thereon by each protestant, if it should be held that such income is taxable by the State of Oklahoma.

The ■ plaintiffs in error have stated their, contentions under three separate propositions, which are as follows:

“Proposition I. The rotary drilling rig in question had situs in Montana in 1944 and 1945, and the rental income therefrom is non-taxable under the provisions of the Oklahoma Income Tax Act.” .
“Proposition II. The rental income received by W. W. Wise is not taxable by Oklahoma because he was a nonresident during period income was received.”
“Proposition III. The commission committed reversible error in admitting incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial evidence of a highly prejudicial nature.”

It is first claimed by plaintiffs in error that the Oklahoma Income Tax Act does not tax either a resident or a nonresident of Oklahoma on rental income derived from tangible personal property having a situs in some other state. Title 68 O.S. 1941 §876 defines gross income subject to income tax, and the Income Tax Act also sets out certain items which are allocable or exempt from taxation under this Act. The applicable exemption subsection of section 878 is (e) (1), and is as follows:

“Income from real and tangible personal property, such as rents, oil and mining production or royalties, and gains or losses from sales of such property, shall be allocated in accordance with the situs of such property.”

It will be noted that the Oklahoma Income Tax Act does not define the word “situs”. It has been defined by numerous courts and text writers with respect to taxation, both ad valorem and income. We have been unable to find an Oklahoma case precisely in point. There have been several decisions construing certain sections which exempt the income from certain prop- , erty from taxation by the State of Oklahoma.

There can be no question but that a drilling rig is tangible personal property. The drilling rig in question, and from the leasing of which the income sought to be taxed arose, was in the State of Montana from March 20, 1944, until it was’ damaged beyond immediate use by a fire on January 28, 1945, and was returned to Oklahoma in Jan[398]*398uary 1946. It is not contended by plaintiffs in error that the State of Oklahoma is prohibited by its Constitution, or that it lacks the power to tax a resident of Oklahoma on the income sought to be taxed in this case. It is simply contended that the Oklahoma Legislature has clearly provided that it will not tax rental income from tangible personal property having a situs outside the State of Oklahoma.

Since the term “situs” is not defined in our Income Tax Law, it should be given its ordinary meaning. It is generally held to mean “location, site, situation, the place where a thing is.” City of Dallas v. Gulf C. & S. F. Ry. Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 1 S.W. 2d 497.

In 51 Am. Jur. §452, it is pointed out, in regard to tangible personal property, that it is now recognized that the principle of “mobilia sequuntur per-sonam” is not generally recognized as applicable to tangible personal property.

“It has become universally recognized that tangible personal property may be taxed in the state where it has an actual situs — where it is physically located — although the owner resides in another jurisdiction.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1963
Oklahoma Tax Commission v. American Refrigerator Transit Co.
1959 OK 271 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 91, 206 P.2d 218, 201 Okla. 395, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 312, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-wise-okla-1949.