Kingan & Co. v. Smith

17 F. Supp. 217, 18 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 939, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1757
District Court, S.D. Indiana·Decided December 10, 1936·No. 1851·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

BALTZELL, District Judge.

This is an action in which the complainant challenges the validity of certain provisions of the Revenue Act of 1936 (49 Stat. 1652). The provisions of the act thus challenged, and the only provisions with which we are here concerned, are found in. title 3, section 501 (26 U.S.C.A. § 345), and are as follows:

“Sec. 501. Tax on Net Income from Certain Sources
“(a) The following taxes shall be levied, collected, and paid for each taxable year (in addition to any other tax on net income), upon the net income of every person which arises from the sources specified below:
. “(1) A tax equal to 80 per centum of that portion of the net income from the sale of articles with respect to, which a Federal excise tax was imposed on such person but not paid which is attributable to shifting to others to any extent the burden of such Federal excise tax and which does not exceed such person’s net income for the entire taxable year from the’ sale of articles with respect to which such Federal excise tax was imposed.”

The provisions of this act apply only to taxable years ended in the calendar year 1935 and thereafter. One of the taxable years of complainant ended on October 26, 1935, and the other ended on October 31. 1936.

There are twenty-four cases pending .in this court challenging the validity of this act. While the facts in each case may be somewhat different, yet the law, as construed in this case, shall be applicable to each case, and this opinion, while filed in the instant case, shall be equally applicable to each.

The bill of complaint was filed on the 6th day of August, 1936. On the 25th day of August, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss the bill upon the ground “that this court is without jurisdiction of the sub *219 ject matter of this suit. * * *” The motion was briefed by both parties and argued orally. Although the complainant presented briefly the question of the validity of the act in its oral argument, the defendant neither briefed nor argued that question. The court, at the time, was of the opinion that it was not necessary to determine the validity of the act in passing upon the motion to dismiss and suggested that argument be confined to the jurisdictional question presented by such motion. In other words, the question presented by such motion was, in addition to that of complainant having an adequate remedy at law, primarily, whether or not the allegations contained in the bill were sufficient to take the case outside of the statute prohibiting the maintenance of a suit for the purpose of restraining the assessment and collection of a federal tax (26 U.S.C.A. § 1543) and thus confer jurisdiction upon a court of equity. The court, on the 30th day of September, overruled the motion to dismiss, thereby holding that a court of equity has jurisdiction of the subject-matter in this suit. (D.C.) 16 F.Supp. 549. The question of the validity of the act was not considered in that ruling, and, if any of the language contained in the written memorandum filed upon that date can be so construed, it was not so intended. An examination of the allegations contained in the bill clearly discloses jurisdiction in a court of equity. See E. C. Atkins & Company v. Dunn (C.C.A.) 28 F.(2d) 5; Hart v. Keith Vaudeville Exchange, 262 U.S. 271, 43 S.Ct. 540, 67 L.Ed. 977; Binderup v. Pathe Exchange, 263 U.S. 291, 44 S.Ct. 96, 68 L.Ed. 308.

After the overruling of the motion to dismiss, the defendant refused to answer, and consequently, in accordance with Equity Rule 29 (28 U.S.C.A. following section 723), an order pro confesso was entered on the 27th day of October. More than thirty days having elapsed since the entry of such order, complainant is now entitled to a final decree. There remains, however, one question for the court to determine before the entry of such decree, and that is whether or not the challenged act is valid. The nature of the decree depends upon the answer to that question. As was said in the case of Huston, Collector, v. Iowa Soap Company, a corporation, 85 F.(2d) 649, 652 (C.C.A.8): “A court of equity will not grant an injunction in the face of the statute unless there exists simultaneously an illegal tax and some such ‘special and extraordinary circumstances.’ If either element is lacking, injunctive relief will be denied.” In its ruling upon the motion to dismiss in the instant case, the court determined only that the allegations contained, in the bill of complaint disclosed “circumstances which are rather exceptional and extraordinary” and sufficient to justify a court of equity in assuming jurisdiction. The other element, that is, the validity of the challenged act, must now be determined.

Pursuant to Equity Rule 70% (28 U.S. C.A. following section 723), the court has filed its special findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The complainant is a New Jersey corporation organized under the laws of that state, but having its principal place of business in the city of Indianapolis, Ind., in which state it is admitted to do business. The defendant is the collector of internal revenue for Indiana, and is required, under the law, to collect all taxes imposed by virtue of the challenged act. Complainant is a first processor of hogs and has been since the 12th day of May, 1933, the date of the enactment of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (48 Stat. 31), under which act it was liable for the payment of certain taxes as therein provided. It paid such taxes until the early part of the year 1935, at which time it refused to make further payments, and on the 15th day of June of that year it filed suit in this court to enjoin their further collection. An injunction was issued enjoining temporarily the collection of further taxes thereunder, upon condition, however, that complainant deposit in designated banks the amount of such taxes as they became due, such sum thus deposited to be returned to it in the event such act was finally declared invalid, but to be paid to defendant in the event its validity was upheld. Shortly following the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of United States v. Butler et al., 297 U.S. 1, 56 S.Ct. 312, 80 L.Ed. 477, 102 A.L.R. 914, declaring such act invalid, there was returned to complainant, by order of this court, the entire amount thus deposited in the total sum of $2,543,832.30. This sum represents the amount of processing taxes which complainant refused to pay under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, and for which it would have been liable had that act been held valid.

*220 It is complainant’s contention that the proposed levy under title 3, section 501 (a) (1) of the act in question (26 U.S.C.A. § 345 (a) (1), is not a true tax, but is an arbitrary and capricious exaction amounting to confiscation of its property; that its property will be. taken by virtue of the provisions of the act without due process of law and for a public use without just compensation.

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Kingan & Co. v. Smith, 17 F. Supp. 217, 18 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 939, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1757 (S.D. Ind. 1936).

17 F. Supp. 217 (Kingan & Co. v. Smith) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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