Puerto Rico Distilling Co. v. Bonet

52 P.R. 651
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedFebruary 11, 1938
DocketNo. 7443
StatusPublished

This text of 52 P.R. 651 (Puerto Rico Distilling Co. v. Bonet) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Puerto Rico Distilling Co. v. Bonet, 52 P.R. 651 (prsupreme 1938).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Travieso

delivered the opinion of the Court.

When the plaintiff, a corporation engaged in the manufacture and sale of a product known as “Alcomotor” or “Alcoholine” which is a mixture of fixed proportions of alcohol and gasoline, was required by the Treasurer of Puerto Rico to pay $2,527.24 by way of a tax or excise on 32,673 gallons of the aforementioned product plus interest and surcharges thereon, it paid those amounts under protest and filed suit in the District Court of San Juan for their recovery with legal interest from January 27, 1934, in addition to costs and attorney’s fees.

As the basis of its action the plaintiff alleges that Act No. 15 of August 24, 1933 ((2) p. 80), under which the protested tax was imposed and collected, is null and void for the following reasons:

1. Because Section 1 of the statute imposes a tax on the plaintiff’s product by reason of its manufacture and sale on the Island, and exempts identical products manufactured in continental United States, and introduced, sold or used in Puerto Rico, from the imposition and collection of the tax, thus violating the principle of the last proviso of Section 3 of the Organic Act, which forbids such discrimination.

2. Because said Section 1 of the act cited, when it creates the discrimination mentioned also violates paragraph 22 of Section 2 of the Organic Act which refers to the uniformity of the rule of taxation in Puerto Rico.

3. Because Act No. 15, supra, is in conflict with the provisions of paragraphs 8 and 15 of .Section 34 of the Organic Act, (1) in that it contains two distinct subjects, to wit: [653]*653(a) the imposition of a tax by an amendment to a prior act, and (6) the appropriation of the product of said tax for definite works and public services.

4. Because the statute in question appears to have been approved by the Governor of Puerto Rico pursuant to a Joint Resolution of the Legislative Assembly and in the form provided for in that resolution, for which reason its approval is null and void because it was imparted in violation of the provisions of paragraph 5 of Section 34 of the Organic Act, in connection with paragraphs 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14,15, and 16 of the same Section; and, furthermore, because said Joint Resolution has not, according to the provisions cited, the- effect or nature of a law.

5. Because when the Joint- Resolution authorizing the Governor’s approval of Bill No. 15 was approved, the latter had already been submitted for the Governor’s approval, and therefore the Legislative Assembly, having exhausted its power and jurisdiction over such a bill, according to Section 34 of the Organic Act, could not amend, alter or modify its text.

6. Because the bill corresponding to said Act No. 15 was passed in a special session of the Legislative Assembly (August 1, 1933), without its inclusion in the Governor’s -convocation (convocatoria), in violation of the provisions of Section 33 of the Organic Act.

A demurrer for the insufficiency of the complaint to state a cause of action having been sustained, plaintiff appealed. His brief contains four assignments of error. They can be summed up as one, to wit: “The lower court erred in holding that Act No. 15 of August 24,1933, is valid and effective.”

We shall examine in the light of the cases and in the same order that they are expressed in the complaint the grounds alleged for the nullity of the act in question.

1st and 2nd. It is alleged that' Section 1 of the act is null because it gives rise to a discrimination against the product manufactured on the Island and in favor of the [654]*654same product when imported from the United States for sale in Puerto Eico. Said Section 1 reads:

"Section 1.—An internal-revenue tax of seven (7) cents is hereby levied, and shall be collected and paid, once only, on each gallon of gasoline introduced into, or manufactured, sold or consumed, or otherwise disposed of for «consumption in, Puerto Rico; and said tax shall be collected by the Treasurer of Puerto Rico by affixing and cancelling such internal-revenue stamps as he may prescribe for said purpose; Provided, That this tax shall have the same character as internal revenue taxes, and, therefore, shall be applied in a uniform and general manner to the gasoline produced in foreign countries and brought into Puerto Rico as well as to the gasoline produced in the Island, and said tax shall be collected by the Treasurer of Puerto Rico subject to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Act, as soon as the gasoline is manufactured or produced in, or introduced into, Puerto Rico, by affixing and cancelling internal-revenue stamps on such documents as the Treasurer may determine for said purpose; And provided, likewise, That for the purposes of this Act any mixture or combination containing gasoline, or in which gasoline is used, shall be included within the term ‘gasoline’ as used in this Act. A tax of four (4) cents is hereby levied, and shall be collected, and paid, once only, on each gallon of gas oil and diesel oil introduced into, or manufactured, used, or consumed or otherwise disposed of for consumption in, Puerto Rico, which tax shall be levied and collected in the same manner as that hereinbefore established for gasoline and its combined products.”

There is no controversy as to the power which Section 3 of the Organic Act, as amended by Act of Congress of March 4, 1927, grants to our Legislative Assembly of imposing an excise or consumption tax on gasoline manufactured in Puerto Eico and on that brought into the Island from a foreign country or from the United States. The issue submitted to us in this case is whether the Legislative Assembly in exercising such power violated any of the constitutional principles pointed out by the appellant.

The able argument presented by appellant to support his contention that Section 1 of Act No. 15, supra, is null and void by reason <©£ the discrimination thereby established, does [655]*655not convince ns. The mere reading of the Section under consideration convinces us that the manifest purpose of the Legislature was to impose a consumption charge on all gasoline manufactured on the Island or imported or introduced from any other country for consumption in Puerto Rico. The Section provides that the tax shall be levied and collected and paid once only; and no gasoline is exempt from its payment, no matter where it is manufactured or from where it is imported. As soon as the product is within the jurisdiction of the Treasurer of Puerto Rico, ready to be sold or consumed in Puerto Rico, that official has the power and the duty to levy and collect the tax of 7 cents per gallon, without any exception as to the point of origin of the gasoline.

The contention of the appellant that the first proviso (disponiéndose) of the Section quoted discriminates in favor of the North American product and against the same product when manufactured within the Island or imported from a country other than the United States, is untenable. In providing that the tax “shall be applied in a uniform and general manner to the gasoline produced in foreign countries

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Bluebook (online)
52 P.R. 651, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/puerto-rico-distilling-co-v-bonet-prsupreme-1938.