Southern Red-E-Mix Co. v. Director of Revenue

894 S.W.2d 164, 1995 Mo. LEXIS 24, 1995 WL 86549
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 21, 1995
DocketNo. 77268
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 894 S.W.2d 164 (Southern Red-E-Mix Co. v. Director of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Red-E-Mix Co. v. Director of Revenue, 894 S.W.2d 164, 1995 Mo. LEXIS 24, 1995 WL 86549 (Mo. 1995).

Opinion

HOLSTEIN, Judge.

Southern Red-E-Mix Company, Rivers Bend Red-E-Mix Company, Howard Ready-mix Concrete Company, Midwest Ready Mix Company, Inc., and Northland Readymix, Inc. (the companies) seek review of a decision of the Administrative Hearing Commission (AHC) denying them a refund of sales taxes. The years for which refunds are sought range from 1989 through 1993. The AHC concluded that the delivery of concrete is part of the sale within the meaning of § 144.010.1(3),1 it is taxable, and the companies are not entitled to deduct delivery expenses from gross receipts. A decision of the AHC involving the construction of revenue laws falls within the jurisdiction of this Court. Mo. Const art. V, § 3. Decision affirmed.

The companies were in the business of selling ready-mix concrete, which is prepared by placing a mixture of concrete, sand, rock, and water in a mixing truck. Upon receipt of an order for concrete, each of the companies would quote a price per cubic yard for delivered concrete. Delivery charges were never stated separately. Rarely, if ever, did a customer want undelivered concrete. Sales of undelivered concrete were only done as a courtesy to the customer. Once the materials were placed in the truck and water added, the concrete must be used within several [166]*166hours. Also, concrete is custom mixed to the specifications of the individual customer. Therefore, the companies’ witnesses explained that “title” passes to the customers and they are liable to pay for the concrete once the concrete materials are placed in the truck. However, the companies would not charge a customer if the concrete was not delivered through no fault of the customer. The companies owned or leased the trucks used to mix and deliver the concrete and paid other expenses associated with the trucks. The drivers were employees of the companies.

Section 144.020 imposes a sales tax on the retail sale of tangible personal property or a taxable service. Sellers are required to report their gross receipts and remit sales tax based on the gross receipts. § HJp.021. Gross receipts are “the total amount of the sale price of the sales at retail including any services other than charges incident to the extension of credit that are a part of such sales made by the businesses herein referred to....” § 1U-010.1(3).

The companies argue they erroneously included delivery costs when reporting their gross receipts for the sale of concrete. They now claim a refund for that portion of the remitted tax. The companies contend that in the ready-mix concrete industry, title passes when the concrete is mixed in the truck at the seller’s plant. The companies claim that because the taxable event for sales tax purposes is when passage of title occurs, sales tax should not be paid on delivery expenses occurring thereafter.

In support of their argument, the companies rely on Kurtz Concrete, Inc. v. Spradling, 560 S.W.2d 858 (Mo. banc 1978), and L & M Ready Mix Co. v. Director of Revenue, No. 90-000246RS (Mo.Admin. Hearing Comm., Feb. 15, 1991). In Kurtz this Court discussed gross receipts and concluded that “[i]f services are rendered before title passes and these services are included in the amount of the sale price, then the charge for these services is taxable.” 560 S.W.2d at 860-61. However, the Court also stated:

[W]here the seller is to deliver the property at, or transport it to, a particular place, title ordinarily will not pass until the property is delivered to the buyer or reaches the agreed place; but this is not always true, and the title will pass notwithstanding the seller is to make such delivery if such is the intention of the parties.

560 S.W.2d at 862. This Court held in Kurtz that, because both the seller and the buyers testified that buyers are required to pay for their concrete when it enters the truck, title passes then and no sales tax is applicable to delivery charges. Id. However, in Kurtz the seller quoted separately material and delivery charges in every case and separately specified those charges on the billing. Id. at 859. Kurtz cannot be read to establish an industry-wide rule prohibiting taxation of delivery charges for concrete.

In L & M Ready Mix Co., the AHC found that a ready-mix concrete seller did not have to remit sales tax for delivery charges associated with its concrete sales. Decisions of the AHC are entitled to no deference as legal precedent in this Court. See Mo. Const, art. V, § 2. In any event, L & M did not purport to preclude a sales tax of all delivery charges on concrete.

Since Kurtz, this Court has addressed in other cases the issue of whether a service is part of the sale for purposes of assessing sales or use tax. In May Department Stores Co. v. Director of Revenue, 791 S.W.2d 388 (Mo. banc 1990), this Court, relying on Kurtz, noted that the intention of the parties is the guiding factor in determining whether services are to be included as part of the sale. Id. at 389. The issue in May Department Stores concerned whether shipping charges were part of the sale of merchandise for the assessment of use tax. This Court decided that the parties did not intend to include shipping charges as part of the sale because the shipping charges were stated separately and never billed as part of the merchandise. Id.

In Oakland Park Inn v. Director of Revenue, 822 S.W.2d 425 (Mo. banc 1992), this Court considered whether gratuities charged for banquets were to be included as part of the sale. The customers in Oakland Park were required to sign a contract providing for payment of 16% gratuity based on the [167]*167price of the food and drink. The hotel gave the customer an invoice that stated separately charges for the gratuity and charges for food and drink. Oakland Park did not collect or remit sales tax on the amount charged as a gratuity. This Court used two inquiries to decide the issue in that case: “(1) Is the gratuity really ‘mandatory?’; and (2) Is the amount collected and paid to the servers necessary to bring their wages up to the minimum federal wage or the local market rate?” Id. at 426. Each inquiry was answered affirmatively there and the assessment of sales tax was upheld.

Most recently, this Court considered the issue of including services as part of the sale in Brinson Appliance, Inc. v. Director of Revenue, 843 S.W.2d 350 (Mo. banc 1992). There it was held that sellers of appliances owed no sales tax for delivery and installation of household appliances. The sellers did not own or operate the delivery trucks, the buyers could choose to have the purchased item delivered or taken at the store, delivery services were provided by independent carriers, the seller collected payment for delivery charge with the delivery charge separately stated on the invoice, and the carrier assumed the risk of loss after the appliance was picked up from the store. In Brinson this Court explained that Kurtz,

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Bluebook (online)
894 S.W.2d 164, 1995 Mo. LEXIS 24, 1995 WL 86549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-red-e-mix-co-v-director-of-revenue-mo-1995.