Merrill Bean Chevrolet, Inc. v. State Tax Commission

549 P.2d 443, 1976 Utah LEXIS 817
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 26, 1976
Docket14263
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 549 P.2d 443 (Merrill Bean Chevrolet, Inc. v. State Tax Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merrill Bean Chevrolet, Inc. v. State Tax Commission, 549 P.2d 443, 1976 Utah LEXIS 817 (Utah 1976).

Opinions

MAUGHAN, Justice:

Here for review is a decision of the State Tax Commission sustaining a deficiency assessment for sales tax not paid on automobiles used, by plaintiff, in the demonstration of its stock in trade for the promotion of sales. We reverse.

Plaintiff is a franchised Chevrolet dealer. It is in the business of selling automobiles.

Its procedures for bookkeeping are established by General Motors, and all cars received by plaintiff are entered in the new-car inventory account. Upon determination by plaintiff that a vehicle is to be used as a demonstrator, such vehicle is transferred to the demonstrator account. GMAC provides flooring for all cars, and holds a security interest in them prior to delivery.

When a vehicle is entered in the demonstrator account, GMAC increases the interest one-half of one per cent, and plaintiff must provide collision insurance. The State issues a special title to the dealer for a vehicle used for demonstration; however, upon sale, the title issued to the purchaser is for a new vehicle. The demonstrator account is considered an inventory account, and plaintiff may take no depreciation on these vehicles for income tax [444]*444purposes. General Motors strictly limits the number of cars in inventory which may be used as demonstrators, and contrary to the Commission’s finding No. 8, a demonstrator may be transferred back to the new-car inventory with a consequent saving to the dealer. A six-month or six-thousand mile warranty, on a demonstrator, is provided by the manufacturer; and if the vehicle should be sold within the limits of the foregoing warranty, the buyer receives a new-car warranty of twelve months, or twelve-thousand miles on that vehicle. The State (Motor Vehicle Division), the federal government, the manufacturer, and the dealer deal with demonstrators as part of the new-car inventory.

When a demonstrator is assigned to a salesman, an agreement is signed; and an agreed price, including sales tax, is paid. Under this agreement, title to the demonstrator does not ultimately pass to the salesman. If the demonstrator is sold within a certain time, the salesman receives an 80 per cent rebate on the price, but no credit on the sales tax is given. Plaintiff keeps on hand more demonstrators than it has salesmen, for the reason that Chevrolet produces many different models and plaintiff attempts to keep sufficient demonstrators available to represent the product. At the time of the hearing, plaintiff had five unassigned demonstrators available.

Sales tax deficiency sustained by the Tax Commission related to the unassigned demonstrators, and to vehicles driven by Mrs. Bean, the wife of the principal owner of plaintiff, and dealer for plaintiff. The unassigned demonstrators were taxed on the basis that plaintiff occasionally loaned the unassigned demonstrators to a service customer, while the customer’s vehicle was being repaired.

Loans to customers were described by plaintiff’s manager, as a sales technique; he and Mr. Bean alone have authority to make such a loan. The loans are limited to those service customers, when a potential sale is anticipated. The Commission found some demonstrators are sold on this basis. Plaintiff’s manager testified the use of the demonstrators is strictly supervised so as to preserve the new-car warranties when the vehicles are sold. There is nothing in the record to indicate the subject vehicles, which were taxed, were not considered new cars.

With reference to the cars driven by Mrs. Bean, Mr. Bean signs a demonstration agreement; but does not pay a fee for the vehicles his wife uses. It is for this reason the Internal Revenue Service requires Mr. Bean to report such use as extra compensation to himself. Mrs. Bean drives from five to eight different demonstrators each year. She has driven as many as three different cars in three weeks; and the longest period of time in which she has driven an automobile is three or four months. The cars driven by Mrs. Bean are frequently those representative of the top of the line. These, salesmen are reluctant to accept, because of the increased cost under the demonstrator agreement.

The testimony of the auditor of the sales tax division was that assessment was made for only one vehicle driven by Mrs. Bean, because it would be unfair to tax all the cars that she had used in one year. He believed the basis for the assessment of the vehicle was the invoice price.

The Tax Commission found the vehicle used by Mrs. Bean was used for demonstration, errand running for the business, and personal use, including civic and community projects. Further, she was found to have caused the sale of these automobiles, although she did not participate in the formalities of closing. Mrs. Bean is not an officer, manager, or saleswoman of plaintiff.

It was the ruling of the Commission that the use of the vehicle by Mrs. Bean was only incidental to any demonstration purposes ; that the vehicle was personally consumed, and thus subject to sales tax.

All statutory references are to U.C.A. 1953 as amended. The subject taxes were [445]*445assessed pursuant to 59-15^t(a), wherein a tax is levied upon every retail sale of tangible personal property within this State. Under 59-15-2 (e) a retail sale includes every sale by the retailer or wholesaler to a user or consumer.

If there be a sale to the user or consumer, the transaction is taxed.1 The sales tax applies to all sales of tangible property made to the ultimate consumer.2 If property is consumed by the manufacturer as a last user, it is not exempt from sales tax.3

It is the theory of the Commission that, when the subject vehicles were withdrawn from the inventory account and used, the sale from Chevrolet to plaintiff became a taxable transaction. With this we cannot agree. Section 59-16-2(b) provides:

The word “use” means the exercise of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership of that property, except that it shall not include the sale, display, demonstration, or trial of that property in the regular course of business and held for resale.

This exception is set forth in a chapter on use tax, but it is to be noted this court has previously held the sales and use tax acts are complementary to each other, and the exemptions therein should be construed so as to effectuate the same purpose, e. g., if a purchase is exempt under one act, it is exempt under the other.4

The Commission has promulgated a regulation, S. 82, interpreting the exceptions set forth in 59-16-2(b). Any such interpretation must conform to the intent of the Act, for any interpretation which is not commensurate with, or is contrary to the express provisions of the Act is beyond the power granted the Commission.5 The regulation is contrary to the Act.

Relevant provisions of the offending regulation, S. 82, are:

Demonstration, display and trial (applies to sales and use tax). Tangible personal property purchased by a wholesaler or a retailer and held for display, demonstration or trial in the regular course of his business is not subject to tax. [The offense is the deletion of the term “sale” which is used with “demonstration, display or trial” in the exception set forth in 59 — 16—2(b).]

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Merrill Bean Chevrolet, Inc. v. State Tax Commission
549 P.2d 443 (Utah Supreme Court, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
549 P.2d 443, 1976 Utah LEXIS 817, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merrill-bean-chevrolet-inc-v-state-tax-commission-utah-1976.