Mississippi Department of Revenue v. David Heath

185 So. 3d 1052, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 368, 2015 WL 3954334
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJune 30, 2015
Docket2013-SA-01547-COA
StatusPublished

This text of 185 So. 3d 1052 (Mississippi Department of Revenue v. David Heath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mississippi Department of Revenue v. David Heath, 185 So. 3d 1052, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 368, 2015 WL 3954334 (Mich. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

BARNES, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. The Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) appeals the order of the Chancery Court of Montgomery County, which vacated MDOR’s assessment of use tax against David Heath, doing business as Heath Aviation, a Mississippi corporation located in Winona, Mississippi. Finding error with the chancery court’s decision against MDOR, we reverse, render, ánd reinstate the assessment of the Mississippi Board of Tax Appeals.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2. On September 25, 2008, MDOR issued an assessment of use ' tax of $120,114, and penalties and interest of $29,334, for a total amount of $149,448 against Heath Aviation for the period from July 1, 2006, through July 31, 2008 (“the audit period”). Heath Aviation repairs and services avionics equipment for 1 aircraft. Such equipment includes navigation, communication, and flight-control electronics. MDOR’s use-tax' assessment was based upon its conclusion that' Heath Aviation purchased parts, equipment, and other tangible property from out-of-state vendors for which no sales tax was paid. Heath Aviation appealed the assessment to the Mississippi State 'Tax Commission’s Review Board. 1 On March 26, 2009, after ¿'hearing, the Review Board entered an order upholding the use-tax assessment of $120,114 on the purchase of parts, but abating all penalties and interest/ .Heath Aviation appealed to the full Commission. 2 After a hearing, in June 2010 the full Commission upheld the decision of the Review Board. Aggrieved, Heath Aviation appealed to the chancery court. In July *1054 2013, a one-day trial was held. The chancellor vacated the order of the full Commission, ordering a refund of the $120,114 Heath Aviation had paid under protest. MDOR now appeals.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

¶ 3. Heath Aviation is solely owned and operated by David Heath. The company buys parts, equipment, and other tangible personal property to perform repairs and servicing on aircraft; it does not offer parts for retail sale. Parts are regularly purchased from both in-state and out-of-state vendors.

¶ 4. Prior to July 1, 2006, Heath Aviation was required to charge and collect from its customers a seven percent sales tax on gross income derived from repairing and/or servicing aircraft under Mississippi Code Annotated section 27-65-23 (Rev.2010). 3 “Gross income” included amounts paid by customers for parts, labor, and shipping. Heath Aviation paid all sales tax during this period and was never audited.

¶ 5. In 2006, the Mississippi Legislature amended section 27-65-23 through Senate Bill (S.B.) 2988, which deleted the requirement that businesses repairing or servicing aircraft were liable for the collection and payment of sales tax on gross income. The initial version of S.B. 2988 also sought to amend section 27-65-101(l)(ee) of the Mississippi Code Annotated (Supp.2014). This code section provides sales-tax exemptions for the purchase of certain industrial items. The proposed amendment would have deleted certain limiting language in one of the exceptions; however, the Legislature ultimately decided not to revise section 27-65-101(1)(ee). 4 The final version of the bill removed any reference to this code section or its proposed exemption.

¶ 6. At trial, Bartlett testified as to the proposed amendments and their effect on Heath Aviation’s tax obligations. She testified that the final version of the bill only changed 'section 27-65-23, removing 'the sales-tax obligation for the repair and servicing of aircraft; it did not amend section 27-65-101 or alter a business’s obligation to pay sales or use tax on its purchase of parts. Thus, Bartlett opined that Heath Aviation was no longer responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax on gross income from servicing aircraft, but it still had to.,pay sales or use tax on parts, depending on whether its seller was instate or out-of-state, and whether Mississippi sales tax was collected by its seller at the time of purchase. If Heath Aviation purchased parts from an in-state vendor, the vendor would be required to charge Mississippi sales tax to Heath Aviation. Alternatively, if Heath Aviation purchased *1055 parts from-an’ out-of-state vendor, Heath Aviation would be required to pay use tax to MDOR if the vendor did not charge Heath Aviation either its own state’s sales tax or Mississippi sales tax.

¶ 7. S.B. 2988 was signed by the Governor and became effective on July 1, 2006. David Heath heard about the change in the law from a customer; so he and his accountant, Murray Greenlee, questioned whether Heath Aviation was still obligated to pay sales tax after July 1. They contacted MDOR and were advised Heath Aviation did not have to collect or pay sales tax. ¡

¶ 8. On July 14, 2006, MDOR prepared a notice for all aircraft-repair facilities that might have been affected by the amendment to section 27-65-23. The notice was to be delivered to each business by field personnel in the district. The chancellor found that David Heath did not receive the notice. Bartlett, who wrote the notice and was then director of the Sales and Use Tax Bureau, testified that the notice’s purpose was to provide guidance on how MDOR would interpret S.B. 2988. The notice explained:

Effective July 1, 2006, all charges for repairs and servicing to aircraft are now exempt from sales tax. Sales or Use tax is now due on the purchase of all parts used in the repairing or servicing of aircraft. Tax must be paid to the vendor at the timé of purchase or directly to the state on a Use Tax Return if the parts are purchased from an out-of-state vendor who does not charge the Mississippi tax.

(Emphasis added).

¶ 9. In early October 2006, Heath contacted MDOR to determine whether Heath Aviation was fulfilling its tax obligations after receiving estimated sales tax assessments from MDOR. 5 Heath spoke with Bartlett. She testified that she told him that his business would no longer be subject to sales tax on charges to customers, but his purchase of parts would be subject to sales tax if he" bought those parts from a vendor in-state, and he may owe use tax if he bought 'any parts from oüt-of-state. However, Heath claims Bartlett did not advise him specifically that he might be required to pay use tax. The chancellor rejected Bartlétt’s claim that Heath received “the same, if not better, information” in the telephone call than, he would have obtained from the notice. 6 Bartlett also testified she advised him to surrender his sales-tax .permit if he was. not carrying any inventory, so he would not be responsible for filing sales tax returns and would not receive estimated tax assessments from MDOR. Finally, she told him Heath Aviation .was required to establish,a use-tax account if. it planned .on purchasing parts from out7of-state vendors.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Intel Corp. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
542 U.S. 241 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Miss. State Tax Com'n v. Medical Devices, Inc.
624 So. 2d 987 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1993)
Giles v. Friendly Finance Company of Biloxi
185 So. 2d 659 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1966)
Sprouse v. MISSISSIPPI EMP. SEC. COM'N
639 So. 2d 901 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1994)
In Re Guardianship of Duckett
991 So. 2d 1165 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008)
In Re Estate of Miller
840 So. 2d 703 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2003)
United States v. State of Miss.
578 F. Supp. 348 (S.D. Mississippi, 1984)
Buffington v. Mississippi State Tax Commission
43 So. 3d 450 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2010)
CLC of Biloxi, LLC v. Mississippi Department of Health
91 So. 3d 633 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2012)
Equifax, Inc. v. Mississippi Department of Revenue
125 So. 3d 36 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2013)
Davis v. Smith
891 So. 2d 811 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 So. 3d 1052, 2015 Miss. App. LEXIS 368, 2015 WL 3954334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mississippi-department-of-revenue-v-david-heath-missctapp-2015.