Robinson v. Bullock

553 S.W.2d 196, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3107
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 15, 1977
Docket12549
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 553 S.W.2d 196 (Robinson v. Bullock) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Bullock, 553 S.W.2d 196, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3107 (Tex. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

O’QUINN, Justice.

Appellant brought this lawsuit in February of 1976 against the Comptroller of Public Accounts to enjoin the collection of sales taxes in excess of $20,800.00 claimed due the State and the City of Dallas. 1

As a result of an audit by the Comptroller of appellant’s account books, the Comptroller determined that appellant owed the State and the city certain taxes, plus penalties and interest, on sales of beer for which no taxes had been paid.

At the taxpayer’s request, the Comptroller granted a hearing for redetermination, resulting in some reduction of the assessments. After being denied a rehearing, appellant filed suit within thirty days, relying principally upon provisions of the Administrative Procedure and Texas Register Act for authority to bring suit, without prior payment of the taxes in compliance with Articles 1.05 and 1.06, Title 122A, Taxation-General.

The Comptroller answered the taxpayer’s suit, and filed a cross action for the taxes *197 claimed due the State and the city. Subsequently the Comptroller filed motion for summary judgment on the cross action.

After hearing in April of 1976, the trial court entered judgment in September finding that the court was without jurisdiction to decide the merits of appellant’s cause of action and granting the Comptroller’s motion for summary judgment in the amount of $20,918.96.

We will sustain the trial court’s finding that it was without jurisdiction to entertain appellant’s suit. We will reverse the court’s award of judgment for the taxes, and will remand the cause for further proceedings on the Comptroller’s cross action to collect the taxes.

Appellant Robinson brings two points of error. Under the first point appellant contends that the trial court erred in finding as a matter of law that the court was without jurisdiction to hear and decide the merits of appellant’s suit. Under the second point appellant takes the position that evidence in support of the summary judgment for taxes did not establish as a matter of law that sales of beer are excluded from statutory exemptions from taxes granted as to sales of food. Appellant contends that beer is a food and is by statute exempt from the sales tax.

Appellant argues under the first point that compliance with Section 19(a) and (b) of Article 6252-13a (Administrative Procedure and Texas Register Act, effective January 1,1976) renders it unnecessary for the taxpayer to comply with Articles 1.05 and 1.06, Title 122A, Taxation-General, by paying the taxes before filing suit.

The administrative procedure provisions appellant relies on provide:

“(a) A person who has exhausted all administrative remedies available within the agency and who is aggrieved by a final decision in a contested case is entitled to judicial review under this Act. This section is cumulative of other means of redress provided by statute.

“(b) Proceedings for review are instituted by filing a petition within 30 days after the decision complained of is final and ap-pealable. Unless otherwise provided by statute:

“(1) the petition is filed in a District Court of Travis County . . .” Sec. 19(a)(b)(l), Art. 6252-13a.

It is appellant’s position that the Administrative Procedure Act repealed Articles 1.05 and 1.06 by implication under Section 22 by repealing all “laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act . . .” We find appellant’s contention without merit and overrule the point of error.

By Articles 1.05 and 1.06 (and the predecessor statutes, Articles 7057b and 7047j, V.A.C.S.) the Legislature provided a special method to enable taxpayers who question validity of a tax to bring suit against the State in an effort to recover taxes paid under protest. Cobb v. Harrington, 144 Tex. 360, 190 S.W.2d 709, 713 (1945); Bullock v. Electro-Science Investors, Inc., 533 S.W.2d 892, 894 (Tex.Civ.App. Austin 1976, no writ). These statutes created a right not existing at common law and prescribed a remedy to enforce the right; therefore the courts may act only in the manner provided by the statutes which created the right. Union Central Life Insurance Co. v. Mann, 138 Tex. 242, 158 S.W.2d 477, 481 (1941); Bullock v. Electro-Science Investors, Inc., supra.

To avail himself of the right granted under Articles 1.05 and 1.06, the taxpayer must comply with the statutes by making a written protest, setting out fully and in detail each and every ground or reason why it is contended that the demand for taxes is unlawful or unauthorized. The reasoning behind these statutory requirements, compliance with which are necessary prerequisites to bringing suit, have been considered and explained by the courts. This Court in 1976 reviewed the statutes and case law in this connection in Nu-Way Oil Company v. Bullock, 546 S.W.2d 336, 340 (Tex.Civ.App. Austin 1976, no writ).

The argument that Section 19 of the Administrative Procedure Act repeals by implication the substantive rights and córrela- *198 tive procedural remedies granted by Articles 1.05 and 1.06 fails to take into account settled law to the contrary.

Section 22 of the Administrative Procedure Act includes a specific repeal expressly specifying Article 6252-13 (Acts 1961, 57th Leg., p. 581, ch. 274, as amended 1962), but the remaining portion of the section is general only, declaring all “laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act” repealed. A general repealing clause is subject to the same rules of interpretation as other enactments, and the intent of the Legislature must prevail over the literal construction. First National Bank of Giddings v. Lee County Cotton Oil Co., 274 S.W. 127 (Tex.Com.App.1925, holding approved); Ex parte Coleman, 157 Tex.Cr.R. 37, 245 S.W.2d 712 (1951); Miller v. Calvert, 418 S.W.2d 869, 872 (Tex.Civ.App. Austin 1967, no writ).

Unless there is a repugnancy between the prior law and the later Act, a court may not find that the later Act repeals the prior statute. Gaddis v. Terrell, 101 Tex. 574, 110 S.W. 429 (1908); Miller v. Calvert, supra. We find no real or substantial repugnancy between Article 1.05, which grants the taxpayer a substantive right and a remedial mode of questioning validity of a tax statute, and the later general procedural route provided by Section 19 of Article 6252-13a to effect appeal from an adverse ruling of a State agency.

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Bluebook (online)
553 S.W.2d 196, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-bullock-texapp-1977.