Stanley v. Gates

19 S.W.2d 1000, 179 Ark. 886, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 185
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 1, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by50 cases

This text of 19 S.W.2d 1000 (Stanley v. Gates) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stanley v. Gates, 19 S.W.2d 1000, 179 Ark. 886, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 185 (Ark. 1929).

Opinions

Hart, J.,

(after stating the facts). It is first earnestly insisted that the income tax law under consideration is a property tax, and is therefore violative of the equality and uniformity clause of article 16, § 5, of the Constitution; hut the court held adversely to thát contention in Sims v. Ahrens, 167 Ark. 557, 271 S. W. 720, where it was held that an income tax is neither a property tax nor an occupation tax within the meaning of the provision of the Constitution just referred to.

It is next insisted that this holding was obiter dic-twn, and should not be considered binding upon the court in the case at bar. We do not agree with counsel in this contention. In the first place, this court is committed to the rule that, where grave public interests are involved in a question, the court may waive every point except that of determining the constitutionality of the act. Trammell v. Bradley, 37 Ark. 374, and McClure v. Topf & Wright, 112 Ark. 342, 166 S. W. 174. In both those cases the 'constitutionality of local liquor laws was involved. An income tax law works a great and important change in our tax laws, and is a matter of grave public interest. Besides, we think the language used by the various judges in their opinions in that case indicate their judicial interpretation of the subject after careful study of it. The views expressed were pertinent to the subject at hand, and appropriate as indicating their reasons for the conclusions announced.

In the early case of County of Pulaski v. Irvin, 4 Ark. 473, the court said:

“The power of taxation, as has been justly said, is the greatest power that can be intrusted to a sovereign. In its exercise all the great interests of society are involved, and the government is put into operation and supported by its resources or influence. As a general principle, the right of taxation is given and belongs exclusively to the legislative department. And there is great propriety and necessity in thus lodging it; for, as it is to be exercised for the benefit and security of the State, so the whole people of the State, through the means of the elective franchise, should have the power of regulating and controlling its action. ’ ’

The framers of the present Constitution, in recognition of this great principle, in § 23 of the Declaration of Rights, provided that the State’s ancient right of eminent domain and of taxation is herein fully and expressly conceded. The principle was announced in Sanders v. Texarkana, 103 Ark. 529, 146 S. W. 105, as follows: “Unless inhibited by some constitutional provision, the State Legislature has full power over all matters of taxation and the collection and disbursement of taxes, and may exercise absolute control over all revenues collected by subordinate brandies of the State Government. Cooley on Taxation, p. 46.”

Again, in the original opinion in the case of Sims v. Ahrens, 167 Ark. 557, 271 Su W. 720, it was said: ‘‘In approaching the consideration of this question, it may be said that we do not have to search the Constitution for express authority to levy the tax. The power to levy it exists as an inherent right, unless the Constitution has denied the right to the .State to levy taxes of this-character. ’ ’

The court there considered whether the income tax was in violation of article 16, § 5, of the Constitution. The opinion of the majority of the judges was that the income tax law was in violation of that provision of the Constitution, and concludes as follows: “The State is without power to impose an income tax or occupation tax for State purposes, and the court below was therefore correct in holding that act unconstitutional, and the decree is affirmed. ’ ’

Judge Humpheeys and myself concurred in the result announced, instead of dissenting from the opinion of the majority in affirming the decree, because we believed that a gross income tax operating upon all persons and occupations alike was unconstitutional. Because the majority opinion was placed upon the broad ground that, under art. 16, § 5, of the Constitution, the Legislature was prohibited from enacting any kind of income tax law, it became necessary for us to give our reasons for our disagreement to the conclusions of the majority; and, after a careful consideration .of the question, and stating our reasons therefor, we said:

‘ ‘ Our conclusion in the whole matter is that the effect of our previous decisions that the proviso in art. 16, § 5, of the Constitution, giving the Legislature the power to tax certain occupations, by necessary implication precludes it from taxing other occupations for State purposes, and that if the provision had been left out of the section the Legislature might have taxed all occupations. The section contains no such restriction as to income taxes. Hence, if we are correct in holding that an income tax is not a property tax, and if it is not the same thing as an occupation tax, it necessarily follows that it is within the discretion of the Legislature to pass a properly classified net income tax law. ’ ’

A motion for rehearing was filed and granted, on the votes of Justices Wood, Hart and Humphreys. Judge Wood gave his reasons for the change of views in a carefully prepared and seasoned opinion, which concludes as follows: “Therefore, for the reasons stated, I concur in the conclusion reached by Justices Hart and Humpheeys, that ‘it is within the discretion of the Legislature to pass a properly classified net income tax law, and such therefore is now the opinion and holding of the majority of the court’.”

Judge Smith wrote a dissenting opinion, concurred in by Chief Justice McCulloch, which concludes as follows: “I therefore respectfully dissent from what is now the majority opinion.”

Reference to the various opinions in that case will show that the court recognized that there was a division in the authorities upon the subject whether an income tax was a property tax or not, and we deliberately adopted the view that it was not a property tax. If it is not a property tax, it does not make any difference what name it is called. Whether it is called an excise tax, or a tax in the nature of an excise tax, or a personal tax, is a mere matter of definition, and does not in any wise change its character.

But it is again urged upon us that to hold an income tax unconstitutional 'because art. 16, § 5, of the Constitution, after saying that all property subject to taxation shall be taxed according to its value, etc., contains a provision that: “The General Assembly «hall have power from time to time to tax hawkers, peddlers, ferries, exhibitions and privileges in such manner as may be deemed proper,” which they claim, by necessary implication, prohibits all forms of taxation except property taxes and the occupation, taxes named in the proviso. This is in application of the maxim, “expressio unius est exclusio alterius.” In State v. Martin, 60 Ark. 343, 30 S. W. 421, 28 L. R. A. 153, Mr. Justice Wood, speaking for the whole court, said that the court is thoroughly committed to the doctrine that the maxim “is not to be applied with the same rig'or in construing a State Constitution as a statute, and that only those things expressed in such positive affirmative terms as plainly imply the negative of what is not mentioned will he considered as inhibiting the powers of the Legislature.

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Bluebook (online)
19 S.W.2d 1000, 179 Ark. 886, 1929 Ark. LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stanley-v-gates-ark-1929.