Indiana Department of Revenue v. P. F. Goodrich Corp.

292 N.E.2d 247, 260 Ind. 41, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 485
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 6, 1973
Docket1171S341
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 292 N.E.2d 247 (Indiana Department of Revenue v. P. F. Goodrich Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indiana Department of Revenue v. P. F. Goodrich Corp., 292 N.E.2d 247, 260 Ind. 41, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 485 (Ind. 1973).

Opinion

DeBruler, J.

This is an appeal from a decision of the Marion County Superior Court, Honorable Addison M. Dowling presiding. It was originally filed with the Court of Appeals but was transferred to us pursuant to IC 1971, 33-3-2-7, being Burns §4-214 (repealed effective January 1, 1972), and Appellate Rule 15 (L) because of important questions concerning sections of the Federal Constitution; specifically the Art. 1, § 8 Commerce Clause, and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

P. F. Goodrich Corporation is an Indiana Corporation domi *43 died and incorporated under the laws of this State and doing business here. Goodrich owned 4,520 out of the 31,628 outstanding shares of the common capital stock of Calumet Refining Company which is a Delaware Corporation with its principal place of business in Illinois. In 1961, Mr. Goodrich, the president of Goodrich Corporation, was contacted by Mr. James Termondt who was acting as executor of the estate of one of the major shareholders of Calumet. Mr. Termondt stated that some of the remaining shareholders had expressed an interest in dissolving the corporation and he inquired of Goodrich what his feelings would be. He also told Goodrich that other shareholders were planning to call a meeting of the directors to vote on an offer of seventy dollars per share made by one Harry Fair. Goodrich stated that he would not be opposed to the idea of dissolving the corporation but thought that Fair’s offer was too low. Goodrich and Termondt agreed to draft a letter to the remaining shareholders indicating their feelings on the subject and the shareholders subsequently dropped the offer without bringing it before the directors.

Over the next several months Goodrich and Termondt corresponded by phone and letter concerning various offers made to Calumet by prospective purchasers, some of whose names were suggested by Goodrich. Bids were accepted and eventually an agreement was reached with CRC Company for a selling price of $3,482,242.80, or about $100.00 per share. A general shareholders’ meeting was held in Illinois with Goodrich Corporation voting its shares by proxy for the dissolution of Calumet. Shortly thereafter the corporation was dissolved and each shareholder received his portion of the proceeds of the transaction. Goodrich Corporation received $467,865.20 for its 4,520 shares.

On its 1962 gross income tax return Goodrich listed this money as resulting from an “out-of-state security transaction” and thus exempt from Indiana taxes by both the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Commerce *44 '.Clause found at Art. 1, § 8. The Gross Income Tax Division notified Goodrich that it considered this 'money as part of the Corporation’s taxable gross income for the year and assessed the tax at $6,885.48. Goodrich filed a written protest and was subsequently offered a hearing by the tax division. The hearing officer denied the protest and set the entire assessment including interest and penalties at $8,561.98. Goodrich paid that amount and filed this action for refund against the. tax division in the Marion County Superior Court. IC 1971, 6-2-1-19, being Burns § 64-2614a.

The trial court found in favor of Goodrich on the grounds that the tax here was barred by both the Due Process Clause and the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, and rendered judgment for Goodrich for the total tax paid. The Gross Income Tax Division perfected an appeal to this Court from that j udgment.

At the outset we should point out that both the Gross Income Tax Division and Goodrich agree that this type of security transaction comes within the statutory definition of gross income found at IC 1971, 6-2-1-1, being Burns § 64-2601 (m), and this appeal lies only on the possible constitutional restrictions of the Due Process and Commerce Clauses.

In order to determine the validity Of this tax upon appellee Goodrich we must first turn to the question of whether this State, as a matter of due process, has jurisdiction to tax this corporation through the money it received from the dissolution of Calumet. Appellee asserts that the tax violates the Due Process Clause because it was a tax upon the dissolution of a Delaware corporation which occurred wholly outside • the State, and thus Indiana has exceeded its jurisdiction by attempting to place a tax on a transaction outside of its borders. This interpretation of the Indiana Gross Income Act misconstrues the incident and transaction sought to be taxed by it. It has long been established that the taxable event of this Act is the receipt of income within *45 this State. Burns § 64-2601, supra; Mueller Brass Co. v. Gross Income Division (1970), 255 Ind. 514, 265 N. E. 2d 704; Miles v. Dept. of Treasury (1935), 209 Ind. 172, 199 N. E. 372.

This record reveals that the tax assessed here is consistent with this definition since the amount sought to be taxed is the money received in this State by appellee corporation rather than the entire sum generated by Calumet’s dissolution. The transaction to be taxed is the receipt of income rather than the dissolution of Calumet. The distinction is an important one for the purposes of Due Process. The taxation of income is not analagous to the taxation of the source of that income and while the source of that income may be beyond the jurisdiction of this State the income itself may not enjoy the same immunity. Miles v. Dept. of Treasury, supra. With the taxable event thus defined we now turn to the due process contention.

The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that a state must have a definite link, a certain degree of contact or nexus, between itself and the person, property or transaction it seeks to tax. Miller Bros. Co. v. State of Maryland (1954), 347 U.S. 340, 74 S. Ct. 535, 98 L. Ed. 744; Mueller Brass Co. v. Gross Income Division, supra. The corporation sought to be taxed here has more than the requisite minimum connection with this State. It is incorporated in Indiana, does business in Indiana and in fact has its only office in Indianapolis. The taxpayer, the property and the transaction taxed all have a situs within this State. Goodrich is thus afforded all the rights, protections and privileges of Indiana’s government and is in turn expected to bear the responsibility shouldered by the remaining residents for the maintenance of that government. Wisconsin v. J. C. Penney Co. (1940), 311 U.S. 435, 61 S. Ct. 246, 85 L. Ed. 267; Lawrence v. State Tax Commission of Miss. (1932), 286 U.S. 276, 52 S. Ct. 556, 76 L. Ed. 1102. The United States Supreme Court has held that such residents in a state are an adequate basis for taxation. Miller Bros. Co. *46 v. State of Maryland, supra; Lawrence v. State Tax Commission of Miss., supra.

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292 N.E.2d 247, 260 Ind. 41, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 485, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indiana-department-of-revenue-v-p-f-goodrich-corp-ind-1973.