S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue

552 N.W.2d 102, 202 Wis. 2d 714, 1996 Wisc. App. LEXIS 718
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedJune 6, 1996
Docket95-3215
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 552 N.W.2d 102 (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue, 552 N.W.2d 102, 202 Wis. 2d 714, 1996 Wisc. App. LEXIS 718 (Wis. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinions

VERGERONT, J.

S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (taxpayer) appeals from an order affirming the determination of the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission that certain of the taxpayer's real estate is not "manufacturing property" within the meaning of § 70.995, Stats.1 Manufacturing property is assessed [717]*717by the Department of Revenue, rather than by the local assessor. Section 70.995(5). We conclude the real estate is not manufacturing property and affirm.

[718]*718BACKGROUND

The material facts are not disputed. The taxpayer is a manufacturer of commercial, consumer and spe-ciálty chemical products. The taxpayer's manufacturing plant, research facilities and office building are assessed as manufacturing property by the Department of Revenue. The subject property is Armstrong Park, a recreational/leisure center owned by the taxpayer and situated on a 94-acre parcel of land in the Town of Caledonia, between four and five miles from the taxpayer's other establishments. Armstrong Park consists of picnic areas, tennis courts, softball diamonds and two major buildings — the Johnson Mutual Benefit Association (JMBA) Recreation and Fitness Center and the Child Care Center. The JMBA Center contains a variety of gymnasiums, exercise rooms, an aquatic center, lounges, conference rooms, offices, a kitchen, storage areas and other miscellaneous rooms.

Aside from recreation and child care, the taxpayer uses the Armstrong Park facilities for employee meetings and corporate social events, including dinner parties. The facilities are used exclusively by the taxpayer's employees, retirees, their guests and families, and are not open to the public.

The taxpayer asked the Department to assess Armstrong Park as manufacturing property, arguing that it qualified as such under § 70.995(1), Stats., as well as § 70.995(2), which refers to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual, published by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

The SIC is a system developed by the federal government for classifying establishments by type of economic activity. The purpose of the SIC is to facilitate the collection, tabulation, presentation and analysis of [719]*719data relating to establishments and to promote uniformity and comparability of statistical data. STANDARD Industrial Classification Manual, 11 (1987).2

Under the SIC Manual, establishments primarily engaged in performing management or support services for other establishments of the same enterprise are called "auxiliary establishments." A recreational facility or child day care facility maintained by an enterprise solely for the benefit of its employeés is classified as an auxiliary. Auxiliary establishments have the same SIC classification as the primary activity of the operating establishment they serve. The taxpayer's operating establishment falls within the SIC manufacturing major group classification 28 — Chemicals and Allied Products. Therefore, the Armstrong Park facilities, as auxiliary facilities, fall within that same classification.

[720]*720When the Department refused the taxpayer's request to assess Armstrong Park as manufacturing property, the taxpayer filed a Form of Objection to Manufacturing Classification Decision with the Department's State Board of Assessors. The Board of Assessors denied the request.

The taxpayer filed a petition for review with the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission. The Commission granted summary judgment to the Department. The Commission concluded that Armstrong Park does not qualify as manufacturing property under § 70.995(1), Stats., because it is not used in manufacturing, assembling, processing, fabricating, making or milling tangible personal property for profit, and is not a warehouse, storage facility or office structure, the predominant use of which is in support of the taxpayer’s manufacturing property.

The Commission also determined that Armstrong Park does not qualify as manufacturing property under § 70.995(2), STATS. The Commission acknowledged that the Armstrong Park facilities are classified in major group 28 of the SIC Manual, and that, pursuant to § 70.995(2), Armstrong Park is therefore "deemed prima facie manufacturing property." However, citing § 903.01, STATS.,3 the Commission stated that the SIC Manual merely created a presumption that Armstrong Park is manufacturing property, which the Depart[721]*721ment had successfully rebutted "by showing that Armstrong Park fails to meet any of the 'manufacturing property' criteria required by related subsections (1) and (3) of § 70.995 or of the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual." (Emphasis in original.) The Commission also stated that even if it could find some manufacturing activity or process occurring at Armstrong Park along with the substantial recreational use, the taxpayer's claim would still fail because of the Department's "nearly total" discretion under § 70.995(4) in determining what, if any, portion of such property to assess. The trial court affirmed the Commission's decision.

The resolution of this case depends on an interpretation of § 70.995, Stats. The ultimate goal of statutory interpretation is to ascertain the intent of the legislature. Rolo v. Goers, 174 Wis. 2d 709, 715, 497 N.W.2d 724, 726 (1993). We first look to the language of the statute itself. See UFE Inc. v. LIRC, 201 Wis. 2d 274, 281, 548 N.W.2d 57, 60 (1996). If the plain meaning of the statute is clear, we do not look to rules of statutory construction or other extrinsic aids. Id. Instead, we apply the clear meaning of the statute to the facts of the case. Id. at 281-82, 548 N.W.2d at 60. However, if the statute is ambiguous, we may examine the scope, history, subject matter and purpose of the statute. Id. at 282, 548N.W.2d at 60. Furthermore, if the administrative agency has been charged with the statute's enforcement, a court may also look to the agency's interpretation. Id.

DISCUSSION

Section 70.995(5), Stats., provides that the Department "shall assess all property of manufactur[722]*722ing establishments included under subs. (1) and (2) [of §70.995]." The taxpayer contends that Armstrong Park qualifies as manufacturing property under both § 70.995(1) and (2).

The first two sentences of § 70.995(l)(a), STATS., provide:

In this section "manufacturing property" includes all lands, buildings, structures and other real property used in manufacturing, assembling, processing, fabricating, making or milling tangible personal property for profit. Manufacturing property also includes warehouses, storage facilities and office structures when the predominant use of the warehouses, storage facilities or offices is in support of the manufacturing property, and all personal property owned or used by any person engaged in this state in any of the activities mentioned, and used in the activity, including raw materials, supplies, machinery, equipment, work in process and finished inventory when located at the site of the activity.

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S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue
552 N.W.2d 102 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
552 N.W.2d 102, 202 Wis. 2d 714, 1996 Wisc. App. LEXIS 718, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sc-johnson-son-inc-v-wisconsin-department-of-revenue-wisctapp-1996.