Perkins v. Dept. of Rev.

Oregon Tax Court·Decided February 3, 2016·No. TC-MD 150331C·Unpublished

Opinion

IN THE OREGON TAX COURT

MAGISTRATE DIVISION

timber Tax

RANDALL A. PERKINS, )

)

Plaintiff, ) TC-MD 150331C )

v. )

)

DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, ) State of Oregon, )

)

Defendant. ) FINAL DECISION OF DISMISSAL1

This Final Decision of Dismissal incorporates without change the court’s Decision, entered January 15, 2016, signed by Magistrate Robinson. The court did not receive a statement of costs and disbursements within 14 days after its Decision was entered. See TCR MD 16 C(1).

This matter is before the court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Motion), filed July 9, 2015, based on lack of jurisdiction and untimeliness. Plaintiff appeals Defendant’s distraint warrants, recorded February 15, 2000 and July 21, 2005, and related collection proceedings for the 1993 through 1995 tax years. Oral Argument was held in the Oregon Tax Courtroom on August 31, 2015, in Salem, Oregon. Robert C. Weaver, Jr., Attorney, Garvey Schubert Barer, appeared on behalf of Plaintiff. James C. Strong, Assistant Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice, appeared on behalf of Defendant.

At the August 31, 2015, proceeding, Plaintiff orally moved to strike a declaration Defendant submitted with its Motion. Because the primary basis for Defendant’s Motion was a lack of jurisdiction, and under Tax Court Rule (TCR) 21 A declarations are allowed in support of motions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, the court overruled Plaintiff’s request. The court’s use of the declaration applied only to the lack of jurisdiction argument in Defendant’s Motion.

1 The inclusion of the dismissal language in the caption is to correct a clerical error.

FINAL DECISION OF DISMISSAL TC-MD 150331C 1

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS

Plaintiff filed his Complaint on May 14, 2015, alleging that Defendant untimely instituted collection proceedings against him in violation of ORS 321.600.2 3 (Ptf’s Compl at 4, 6.) Defendant’s July 9, 2015, Motion asserted that the tax court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction to consider appeals taken from collection actions under ORS 305.410 and, in the alternative, that Plaintiff’s appeal is not timely. (Def’s Mot at 1, 3-4, 7.) On July 29, 2015, Plaintiff filed his Response to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Response). In his Response, Plaintiff argued that the court does have jurisdiction under ORS 305.410(1) because of Defendant’s “violation of ORS 321.600, the statute of limitations for the institution of collection proceedings for timber taxes.” (Ptf’s Resp at 3.) As to the timeliness issue, Plaintiff contends that “no statutory time limit applies to bar [his] cause of action challenging [Defendant’s] collection proceedings * * *.” (Id.) On August 7, 2015, Defendant filed its Reply to Plaintiff’s Response. A. Underlying Taxes Plaintiff was the owner of forestland in Clackamas County, Oregon between 1993 and 1995. (Ptf’s Compl at 1; Def’s Mot at 1.)4 Plaintiff failed to file timber tax returns or pay the tax due for those years as required under ORS 321.005 through ORS 321.185 “Forest Products Harvest Tax” (Harvest Tax) and ORS 321.257 through ORS 321.390 “Western Oregon Forestland and Privilege Tax” (Timber Privilege Tax). (Id.; Ptf’s Resp at 2.) Plaintiff’s taxes

2 The court filed Plaintiff’s Complaint on May 18, 2015. Per Oregon Revised Statute 305.418(1), Complaints are deemed filed as of the “date shown on the post-office cancellation mark stamped upon the envelope containing it[.]” The postmark on Plaintiff’s Complaint was stamped May 14, 2015.

3 The court’s references to the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are to 2013, unless otherwise noted.

4 Although neither party expressly stated that Plaintiff harvested trees, the court assumes that a harvest must have occurred to give rise to the underlying assessment. Plaintiff did acknowledge that his various timber taxes were due on the applicable due dates, and there is no claim that trees were not cut. (Ptf’s Resp at 4-6.)

FINAL DECISION OF DISMISSAL TC-MD 150331C 2 became due January 31, 1994, January 31, 1995, and January 31, 1996, respectively.5 (Ptf’s Compl at 1-2; Ptf’s Resp at 2.)

Defendant assessed Plaintiff for the unpaid Harvest and Timber Privilege Taxes on September 24, 1997, for tax year 1993, September 26, 1997, for tax year 1994 and July 6, 1999, for tax year 1995. (Def’s Mot at 1; Decl of Cindy Test at 1.) Plaintiff did not appeal the assessments to the tax court. (Def’s Mot at 1.) Defendant issued notices and demand for payment of the unpaid Harvest and Timber Privilege Taxes on November 23, 1999 and February 4, 2004. (Id.; see also Def’s Mot Exs A, B.) B. Distraint Warrants On February 15, 2000, Defendant recorded five distraint warrants against Plaintiff with the County Clerk in Multnomah County. (Ptf’s Compl at 2; Def’s Mot at 2.) Defendant recorded an additional distraint warrant in Multnomah County on July 21, 2005. (Id.) Defendant also recorded six distraint warrants in Benton County on April 19, 2006 and October 16, 2013. (Id.) Plaintiff states that under ORS 321.570(2) and ORS 250.125, “[t]he filing of distraint warrants by Defendant in Multnomah County * * * created judgment liens against Plaintiff that could be used to satisfy a debt for a period of 10 years from the time of the creation of the liens.” (Ptf’s Compl at 3.) The distraint warrants each state that “this warrant is a judgment against the debtor and a lien on all real or personal property.” (Ptf’s Compl at 19, 23, 25, 31, 36, and 40.) C. Notices of Garnishment Defendant stated that it issued notices of garnishment for Plaintiff’s unpaid Harvest and Timber Privilege Taxes on five occasions between March 24, 2000, and October 29, 2013.

5 Under the 1991 version, ORS 321.045(1) and ORS 321.287(1)) required payment of the Harvest and Timber Privilege Taxes semi-annually. Payments on the underlying tax assessments for 1993 were due July 31, 1993 and January 31, 1994. (See Ptf’s Compl at 1-2, fn 1 & 2.)

FINAL DECISION OF DISMISSAL TC-MD 150331C 3

(Def’s Mot at 2.) Plaintiff claims that Defendant began garnishing his wages on September 8, 2006. (Ptf’s Compl at 3.) Defendant does not dispute that claim. Plaintiff states that as of May 7, 2015, Defendant has collected $57,634.22 in taxes towards his 1993 Timber Privilege Taxes. (Id.; Ptf’s Resp at 2.) Defendant states that it has no record that Plaintiff challenged any of the garnishments at the time it issued its notices of garnishment, and Plaintiff makes no claim to the contrary. (Def’s Mot at 2.) D. Relief Requested Plaintiff requests that the court enter an Order that “[d]eclares that Plaintiff’s [Harvest and Timber Privilege Taxes] are uncollectible and that the distraint warrants issued for their collection are invalid under the statute of limitations found in ORS 321.600.” (Ptf’s Compl at 7.) Plaintiff also asks that the court order Defendant to refund all amounts garnished. (Id.) Finally, Plaintiff requests that the court order “the release of all judgment liens created in Multnomah and Benton County.” (Id.) In Plaintiff’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff again emphasizes that he is seeking declaratory relief; “[t]he Complaint requests a declaration that [Defendant’s] collection proceedings for timber taxes due on January 31, 1994 are void and that all garnished funds are to be refunded * * *.” (Ptf’s Resp at 2.)

II. ANALYSIS

The issues before the court are (1) whether the court has jurisdiction under ORS 305.410, to consider Plaintiff’s appeal and; (2) whether Plaintiff’s appeal is timely. In reviewing Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss under TCR 21 A(1), the court considers “matters outside the pleading, including affidavits, declarations and other evidence.” In all proceedings before a magistrate of the tax court “a preponderance of the evidence shall suffice to sustain the burden of proof. The burden of proof shall fall upon the party seeking affirmative relief * * *.” ORS

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Perkins v. Dept. of Rev., (Or. Super. Ct. 2016).

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