Jetsuite, Inc. v. Cnty. of L. A.

224 Cal. Rptr. 3d 145, 16 Cal. App. 5th 10, 2017 WL 4510514, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 877
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedOctober 10, 2017
DocketB279273
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 224 Cal. Rptr. 3d 145 (Jetsuite, Inc. v. Cnty. of L. A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jetsuite, Inc. v. Cnty. of L. A., 224 Cal. Rptr. 3d 145, 16 Cal. App. 5th 10, 2017 WL 4510514, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 877 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

HOFFSTADT, J.

*14Due process prohibits a state from imposing a tax on the full value of personal property if other states also have the right to tax that property, and whether those states have that right turns on whether that property has "situs" in those other states. ( Central R. Co. v. Pennsylvania (1962) 370 U.S. 607, 611-614, 82 S.Ct. 1297, 8 L.Ed.2d 720 ( Central ); Flying Tiger Line, Inc. v. County of Los Angeles (1958) 51 Cal.2d 314, 318, 333 P.2d 323 ( Flying Tiger ).) The taxing authority in this case sought to impose property tax on the full value of six jets used to operate an on-demand "air taxi" service. During the pertinent timeframe, one of those jets flew to 309 different airports in 42 different states and six different countries. This case accordingly presents the question: Does the fact that an aircraft touches down in another state, without more, mean that the other state has acquired situs over the aircraft under the traditional due process test for situs, such that California may no longer tax the full value of the aircraft? We conclude that the answer is "no," and affirm the judgment below.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I. Facts

In 2010, plaintiff and appellant JetSuite, Inc. (JetSuite) owned six Embraer Phenom 100 jets. It operated an "unscheduled air taxi" service that offered on-demand flights. JetSuite was incorporated in Delaware, but headquartered in Long Beach, California. Its planes had no permanent hangar space and received any necessary scheduled maintenance at the manufacturer's service facilities in Van Nuys, California and Mesa, Arizona. In 2010, one of the jets flew to 309 airports located in 42 different states and six different countries; JetSuite calculated that this aircraft spent 60.88 percent of its time in California.

In 2011, respondent and defendant County of Los Angeles (County) assessed *148personal property tax on all six jets at 1 percent of their full value *15and, in so doing, looked to the jets' activity in calendar year 2010. No other jurisdiction taxed the jets that year.

II. Procedural Background

A. Administrative proceedings

In December 2011, JetSuite challenged the County's assessment, seeking a tax refund of $89,839 on the ground that the County should not have assessed the tax on the full value of the jets because the jets could have been taxed by other states.

The Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board (Board) held an evidentiary hearing in November 2013, analyzing the issues for all six jets based on one representative aircraft, and issued a written ruling rejecting JetSuite's challenge in April 2014. JetSuite argued to the Board that its jets had acquired "tax situs" in other states for two reasons: (1) Revenue and Taxation Code section 1161, subdivision (b)1 provides that situs is established in California "if an aircraft ... makes a landing in the state," and (2) other states conferred "benefits [and] protection" upon JetSuite by providing fire and other protection services at their airports.2 The Board rejected both arguments. The Board ruled that section 1161 by its terms applied only to "fractionally owned aircraft" (and not aircraft with a single owner) and that the benefits and protection JetSuite cited were "not shown to be more than those afforded any other transient aircraft that lands at any airport in or outside of California. JetSuite's transitory contact with the cities it flew into," the Board concluded, "was not sufficient to establish a tax situs since the intent was to drop off passengers and to fly elsewhere at the earliest opportunity."

B. Lawsuit

In October 2014, JetSuite filed a petition for an administrative writ of mandate seeking to overturn the Board's ruling.

In addition to a full round of briefing, JetSuite asked the trial court to take judicial notice of a ruling of the Utah State Tax Commission finding that Utah had acquired situs over JetSuite's fleet of jets in 2013. The court submitted the matter for trial on the papers.

*16In October 2016, the trial court filed a written statement of decision denying JetSuite's writ petition. The court ruled that JetSuite's evidence did "not establish situs of its aircraft for tax year 2011 outside of California." The court rejected JetSuite's "proffered statistical evidence" as "sketchy and conclusory"-and hence, insufficient-because that evidence did not show the duration of time the jets spent in other states; "[s]imply asserting that some percentage of landings or take-offs occurred in other states by itself does not," the court reasoned, "establish situs for the purposes of apportioning taxes." The court also observed that no other state had imposed taxes on JetSuite's aircraft that year, and determined that Utah's taxation three years later was irrelevant.

Following the entry of judgment, JetSuite filed this timely appeal.

*149DISCUSSION

JetSuite contends that the trial court-and the Board before it-erred in rejecting its claim that the County was prohibited from taxing the full value of its jets in tax year 2011, because those jets had acquired tax situs in other states.

JetSuite's lawsuit is before us on a petition for a writ of administrative mandate. ( Code Civ. Proc., § 1094.5, subd. (a).) We may issue such a writ only if (1) the administrative agency acted "without, or in excess of, jurisdiction," (2) the petitioner was not accorded a "fair trial," or (3) "there was [a] prejudicial abuse of discretion" because the agency did "not proceed[ ] in the manner required by law," its "order or decision is not supported by the findings" or its "findings are not supported by the evidence." ( Id. , § 1094.5, subd. (b).) Except where a fundamental vested right is at issue, a court will review a claim that an administrative agency committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion-the sole basis for JetSuite's petition-for substantial evidence. ( Id. , § 1094.5, subd. (c) ;

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Bluebook (online)
224 Cal. Rptr. 3d 145, 16 Cal. App. 5th 10, 2017 WL 4510514, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 877, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jetsuite-inc-v-cnty-of-l-a-calctapp5d-2017.