Jaubert Bros. v. United States

50 F. Supp. 366, 31 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 314, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2639
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedJune 7, 1943
DocketNo. 412
StatusPublished

This text of 50 F. Supp. 366 (Jaubert Bros. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jaubert Bros. v. United States, 50 F. Supp. 366, 31 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 314, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2639 (E.D. La. 1943).

Opinion

BORAH, District Judge.

This action was brought to recover the sum of $19,242.03 paid as cotton floor-stocks taxes under the provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, § 1 et seq., 7 U.S.C.A. § 601 et seq., which was later declared to be unconstitutional in United States v. Butler et al., 297 U.S. 1, 56 S.Ct. 312, 80 L.Ed. 477, 102 A.L.R. 914.

The admitted facts which give rise to this controversy and upon which final decision must rest are these:

Findings of Fact

1. The plaintiff is a Louisiana corporation domiciled in the City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana.

2. During the year 1933 plaintiff paid •cotton floor-stocks taxes under the Agricultural Adjustment Act in the sum of $25,-399.84, which was the full amount then due.

3. On June 17, 1937 plaintiff filed with the Collector of Internal Revenue a timely claim for refund on the prescribed PT Form 76 for the recovery of floor-stocks taxes paid by it in the sum of $20,245.60. This amount represented the floor-stocks taxes paid, less credits then determined on account of refunds made on articles exported and amounts passed on to its vendees, totaling $5,154.24, as shown in Schedule D of the claim. On account of adjustments thereafter made, it is now agreed that the maximum amount recoverable in this action, aside from the merits of the case, is limited to $18,908.98.

4. By letter dated January 12, 1938, plaintiff was advised by the Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue that Section 902 of the Revenue Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C.A. § 644, relating to refunds of amounts collected under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, provides that no refund shall be made or allowed of any amount paid as tax under such act unless the claimant establishes to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that he has borne the burden of such amount and has not been relieved thereof nor reimbursed therefor, nor shifted such burden, directly or indirectly, and that an examination of its claim disclosed that no evidence had been submitted with the claim to establish the accuracy of its statement in Schedule D as to the amount of tax burden borne by it. Plaintiff was advised that a statement without the supporting data on which it is based does not constitute evidence which will establish a claim within the meaning of Section 902 of the Revenue Act of 1936, and was informed in detail of the character and nature of the evidence which it was obliged to submit in support of its claim in order to establish its right to refund and was told that action on its claim would be suspended for sixty days to enable it to submit the required evidence.

5. Under date of March 22, 1938, the Deputy Commissioner again wrote plaintiff advising it that the evidence requested in his letter of January 12, 1938, had not been received and that if not furnished within thirty days it would be necessary to proceed with the adjustment of the claim on the basis of the evidence on file.

6. On March 24, 1938, plaintiff replied to the aforesaid letter of January 12, 1938, stating that it was almost a physical impossibility to give the detailed information requested and asked that an investigation [368]*368be made of its records by a local agent of the bureau to determine whether or not it was entitled to any refunds.

7. On April 5, 1938, the Deputy Commissioner directed a letter to plaintiff wherein plaintiff was advised that a field investigation of a claim for refund, filed under the provisions of Title VII of the Revenue Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C.A. § 644 et seq., was not contemplated until the claimant had submitted all. available facts and figures tending to establish that it bore the burden of the tax, refund of which is claimed, within the meaning of Section 902 of the Act. That it was incumbent upon plaintiff to prepare a true and complete claim and to substantiate by clear and convincing evidence all the facts necessary to establish its claim to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, and that if it was unable to furnish the sales price information outlined in its letter of January 12, 1938, with respect to all of the articles, a ’partial list would be acceptable, provided such partial list was truly representative of the -entire inventory. Plaintiff was granted an extension of thirty days to enable it to prepare and submit the required evidence.

8. No reply to the letter of April 5, 1938, having been received, the Deputy Commissioner wrote again on May 11, 1938, advising plaintiff that the evidence requested had not been received and that if not furnished within thirty days it would be necessary to proceed with the adjustment of its claim on the basis of the evidence on file.

9. On September 22, 1938, the Deputy Commissioner again wrote to plaintiff directing its attention to the fact that the required evidence necessary to support its claim had not been submitted; and plaintiff was advised that unless within thirty days it should submit evidence of the character suggested in the letter dated January 12, 1938, or such other evidence, facts or data, as it believed would substantiate its contention that it bore the burden of the tax, refund of which was claimed, the adjustment of its claim would be based upon the extent to which it met the requirements of Section 902 of the Revenue Act of 1936 and Article 202 of Regulation 96, promulgated pursuant to the provisions of such act.

10. On November 10, 1938, the Commissioner mailed to plaintiff a registered letter calling its attention to- the fact that - the evidence requested in his letter dated January 12, 1938, and subsequent correspondence had not been submitted as required by Sections 902 and 903 of Title VII of the Revenue Act of 1936 and the provisions of- Regulation 96 'that “the Commissioner is without authority to favorably consider your claim, and it has been rejected in full.”

Discussion

The present action was instituted on November 9, 1940. The complaint alleges that the floor-stocks taxes were paid by plaintiff; that a claim for refund was timely filed and rejected by the Commissioner, and that plaintiff has borne the burden of the tax sought to be recovered and has not been relieved thereof nor shifted such burden, directly or indirectly, to others. The answer admits the payment of the tax, the filing of the claim and the rejection thereof by, the Commissioner, but denies the other allegations contained in the complaint. In its answer the defendant further pleads by way of special defense that this court is without jurisdiction of the matters and things of which petitioner complains and is without jurisdiction to render judgment in favor of petitioner and against the defendant herein for the reason that plaintiff has failed to comply with the requirements of Sections 902 and 903 of the Revenue Act of 1936.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Butler et al., supra, Congress authorized, subject to strict conditions and limitations, the refund of taxes paid under the invalidated Agricultural Adjustment Act, Title VII of the Revenue Act of 1936, §§ 902 and 903, 7 U.S.C.A. §§ 644 and 645.

Section 902 of the Revenue Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C.A. § 644, provides that no refund shall be made or allowed of any amount paid as taxes under that chapter unless the claimant establishes to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue that he bore the burden of such amount and had not been relieved thereof nor reimbursed therefor, nor shifted such burden, directly or indirectly.

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Bluebook (online)
50 F. Supp. 366, 31 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 314, 1943 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2639, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jaubert-bros-v-united-states-laed-1943.