Lewis v. Mayor of Savannah

107 S.E. 588, 151 Ga. 489, 1921 Ga. LEXIS 307
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedMay 11, 1921
DocketNo. 2233
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 107 S.E. 588 (Lewis v. Mayor of Savannah) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lewis v. Mayor of Savannah, 107 S.E. 588, 151 Ga. 489, 1921 Ga. LEXIS 307 (Ga. 1921).

Opinion

Hill, J.

J. C. Lewis, doing business as the J. C. Lewis Motor Company, brought his petition for injunction against the Mayor [490]*490and Aldermen of the City of Savannah, alleging that the defendant, on July 16, 1919, adopted an ordinance to assess and levy taxes and raise revenue for the city, the material portion of which is as follows: “Every person, firm, or corporation selling or furnishing gasoline or kerosene or oil of any kind or character from a filling-tank or station, or having a filling-tank or station for any of said purposes, whether being used or not, situated in the City of Savannah, either upon the streets or sidewalks or lanes of said city or elsewhere, shall pay a license of $30.00 for each tank or filling apparatus; provided, however, that permission heretofore granted to use any portion of the streets or sidewalks or lanes of said 'city, or elsewhere, for the sale or furnishing or having of any one or more of the above commodities or articles shall be subject to revocation at any time by council, and the unearned portion of any license paid will be refunded in the discretion of council upon petition duly presented, in the event of such revocation.” On October 3, 1919, the city marshal levied an execution issued in favor of the city on property belonging to petitioner, for the sum of $75 alleged to be due to the city by petitioner as specific taxes for the second half of the year 1919'under the tax and revenue ordinance. It was alleged that petitioner had paid to the city the specific taxes due by him for the entire year of 1919; that the city had issued to him a license which was paid for by him, authorizing him to conduct throughout the year 1919 in the city the business of selling automobiles, automobile accessories and automobile supplies, including gasoline. It was further alleged that gasoline is the most necessary and essential of all automobile supplies, and is universally so regarded, and is necessarily used and is usually sold by all persons dealing in automobiles. Under another ordinance of force throughout the year 1919 in said city, appearing in the municipal code, § 821, the keeping of gasoline, except in metallic filling-tanks, is prohibited, and such tanks were and are not permitted within any building in the City of Savannah by the terms of the ordinance which provided that such tanks must be at least three feet within the ground and eight feet from any building. In connection with the license the city permitted "petitioner to place five filling-tanks, three being for gas and two for oil, for use in the operation of his business; the pumping devices connected with the five tanks projecting above the ground and constituting encroachments upon the [491]*491streets of the city. There was no condition attached by the city to its permission to establish encroachments. Under the'charter of the city it has not the authority to permit an encroachment of this character and to require compensation therefor, the only power given the city in this particular being that conferred by an act of the legislature (Acts 1893, p. 307) whereby the city is authorized to charge a reasonable compensation for the use of'its streets, lanes, public ways, and thoroughfares by telegraph and telephone, railroad and light companies. The ordinance of July 16, 1919, supra, does not impose a lawful and valid business or occupation tax, and is violative of the provisions of paragraph 1 of section 2 of article 7 of the constitution of Georgia, in that it is not ad valorem. It imposes a tax on each tank or filling-apparatus, without regard to whether the same is used in business or not, and without regard to the size of the tank or the number of pumping devices connected therewith or the volume of business done thereby. It is unreasonable and illegal in that it requires petitioner to pay a license tax for the use of filling-tanks for lubricating oil underneath the ground, and expressly by its terms exempts from the payment of the tax dealers who keep lubricating oils within their stores or premises. It is further unreasonable and illegal in that it requires petitioner and others who may sell kerosene oil from a filling-tank underneath the ground to pay a special tax, and does not require any tax from a grocer, or other person, who retails kerosene oil from an ordinary metallic tank. It is further void in that the amount of tax imposed upon petitioner is excessive and unreasonable. Petitioner was required to pay for the conduct of his business during the year 1919 $100. In addition thereto he was required by law to pay to the State and county a specific tax for the conduct of his automobile business the sum of $165, and as a further specific tax to conduct a repair business the sum of $25; and if the execution be enforced, petitioner would be required to pay for the year an additional tax of $150 upon the tanks. The invalid portions of the ordinance can not be severed from the valid (if there be any valid provisions) without defeating the object of the legislative body in its enactment, and by no lawful rules of construction can any valid and lawful provision be segregated from the ordinance so as to legally support the issuance of the execution against petitioner. The execution is proceeding illegally because, on September 12, 1919, the recorder [492]*492of the city in the police court, in the case of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah against petitioner, in which it was alleged that this defendant was due the plaintiff in fi. fa. the amount of the execution as a specific tax for the second half of the year 1919, and in which case the validity of the ordinance was an issue, and the case coming on to be heard before the recorder, which court under the law had jurisdiction to determine such issues, adjudged that petitioner was not indebted to the plaintiff in fi. fa. in any sum whatever, and that the ordinance of July 16, 1919, was void. A copy of the decision of the recorder is attached to the petition. Petitioner has no other remedy except.the writ of injunction; and he prays that the municipal corporation and its officers and agents be enjoined from proceeding under the execution, and that the same be declared void.

The petition was demurred to both generally and specially, and also answered. The court, after hearing evidence in the case, sustained the general demurrer, and did not rule upon the grounds of special demurrer; and in the same order the rule nisi theretofore issued was discharged and the temporary injunction prayed for was refused. To this judgment the plaintiff excepted.

The plaintiff contends that the subject-matter of the present suit was adjudicated by the recorder of the City of Savannah. The 18th paragraph of the petition is as follows: Said execution is proceeding illegally, because on the 12th day of September, 1919, in the police court of said "city before his honor, John E. Schwarz, Eecorder thereof, there came on to be heard the case of the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah vs. your petitioner, in which the said plaintiff in fi. fa. had caused to be docketed a charge against your petitioner, in which it was alleged that this defendant was due the said plaintiff in fi. fa. the amount of said execution as a specific tax for the second half year 1919, and in which case the validity of said ordinance was an issue; and said case coming on to be heard before the said court, which under the law had jurisdiction to determine said issues, the said court adjudged that your petitioner was not indebted to said plaintiff in fi. fa.

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Bluebook (online)
107 S.E. 588, 151 Ga. 489, 1921 Ga. LEXIS 307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lewis-v-mayor-of-savannah-ga-1921.