RLK AND COMPANY v. State Tax Commission

438 P.2d 985, 249 Or. 603, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 689
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 27, 1968
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 438 P.2d 985 (RLK AND COMPANY v. State Tax Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
RLK AND COMPANY v. State Tax Commission, 438 P.2d 985, 249 Or. 603, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 689 (Or. 1968).

Opinions

O’CONNELL, J.

This is an appeal by the State Tax Commission from a decree of the Oregon Tax Court fixing the value for tax purposes of property popularly known as “Timberline Lodge.”

Plaintiff operates the property under a 15-year special-use permit which was issued in 1955 by the [605]*605United States Government acting through the United States Forest Service. The permit is quite restrictive, subjecting plaintiff to the control of the Forest Service with respect to many aspects of the operation of the resort facility. The principal question in this case is the interpretation of ORS 307.060 as applied to the assessment and taxation of the plaintiff’s interest in the property.

ORS 307.060 provides as follows:
“Property of the United States held under lease or other interest less than fee. Real and personal property of the United States or any department or agency thereof held by any person under a lease or other interest or estate less than a fee simple, other than a contract of sale, shall be assessed and taxed as for the full true cash value thereof subject only to deduction for restricted use. The lien for the tax shall attach to and be enforced against only the leasehold, interest or estate in such real or personal property. This section shall not apply to real property held or occupied primarily for purposes of grazing livestock. This section shall not apply to real or personal property held by this state or any county, municipal corporation or political subdivision therein which is:
“(1) In immediate use and occupation by such political body; or
“(2) Required, by the terms of the lease or agreement, to be maintained and made available to the Federal Government as a military installation and facility.”

The tax court decided that ORS 307.060 was to be interpreted as requiring the valuation of the fee interest less a deduction for restricted use. This was correct. The tax court included as one of the restrictions the limitation on the length of use under the permit. To reflect the value of this restriction, the tax court [606]*606computed plaintiff’s interest as having a declining value over the 15-year period of the permit.

This method of evaluation was erroneous. The effect of employing it was to evaluate plaintiff’s interest as lessee, not as the owner of the fee. Plaintiff contends that the state can constitutionally tax only the value of plaintiff’s interest and that interest must be measured in terms of its declining value during the life of the permit. This is incorrect.

The state would have the power to impose a tax on all lessees of real property upon the basis of the full value of the land, just as it may, and ordinarily does, tax lessors for the full value of the land. If one were to buy a lessee’s interest, the price would not be' determined by the value of the entire fee but upon the'basis of the value of the term. But we are not concerned with a sale of property in this case; the evaluation is made for the purpose of taxation. The value of property is in its use. The state can tax that value to the person who, for the tax period, is using it. If the possessor is making a full use of the property, the value to bim is exactly the same as it would be were he the owner. In effect, the lessee is the owner for each tax year he remains in possession under his lease, subject to any diminution in value resulting from restrictions made applicable to him which would not be applicable to an owner in fee.

Any contention that our interpretation of ORS 307.060 constitutes an unconstitutional discrimination against lessees taxed thereunder is answered in Sproul v. Gilbert et al, 226 Or 392, 359 P2d 543 (1961).

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RLK AND COMPANY v. State Tax Commission
438 P.2d 985 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
438 P.2d 985, 249 Or. 603, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rlk-and-company-v-state-tax-commission-or-1968.