State ex rel. Thompson v. Nichols

69 P. 771, 29 Wash. 159, 1902 Wash. LEXIS 571
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 17, 1902
DocketNo. 4196
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 69 P. 771 (State ex rel. Thompson v. Nichols) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Thompson v. Nichols, 69 P. 771, 29 Wash. 159, 1902 Wash. LEXIS 571 (Wash. 1902).

Opinion

[161]*161The opinion of the court was delivered by

Anders, I.

This is an original application for a writ ■of review, directed to the state board of equalization, commanding it- to certify and transmit to' this court a transcript of the records of its proceedings at its September, 1901, session.

The relator seeks by this proceeding to- obtain a judgment of this court declaring the act of said board in raising the total valuation of the taxable property of the state, as shown by the abstracts returned by the various county auditors to the state board of equalization, and especially in raising the total valuation of taxable real property in Lincoln county, to be null and void. It is alleged in substance, among other things, in the affidavit filed in this court by the relator, and admitted by the demurrer thereto interposed by the attorney general on behalf of the defendant, that the said board -of equalization, at its regular session at Olympia commencing on September 3, 1901, and continuing until September 21, 1901, then and there attempted to raise and increase1, and did raise and increase, the total value- of the taxable property of the state as fixed by the several county boards of equalization of this state, as shown by the1 abstracts and returns of the various county auditors on file with said board, in the sum of $22,036,395. It also1 appears by said affidavit that the valuation of the taxable property of the state was equalized by the state board of equalization at its. regular session in September, 1900, and that the valuation then fixed and established was raised and increased by said board at its September, 1901, session, and that thei valuation of the taxable real estate of Lincoln county was increased, in the sum of $1,615,674, over and above the valuation thereof as [162]*162fixed by the state board of equalization in 1900, and exclusive of real; estate becoming subject to taxation, and improvements upon real estate madei since tbe assessment thereof in the year 1900. It further appears that the relator herein is-, and for several years last past has been, a resident and tax payer in Lincoln county, and now owns a large amount of real and personal property in said county subject to- taxation.

It is earnestly contended by the learned counsel for the relator that the action of the s-tate board o-f equalization herein complained of was- not warranted by law, or, in other words, that the state bo-ard had no authority or power to- raise the aggregate valuation of the property of the state as fixed by the several county boards of equalization, and transmitted to the state auditor by the various county auditors. And if this contention he true, in point of fact, it must be conceded that that act of the board was and is null and void, for it is a firmly established principle of law that- hoards of equalization, whether county or state, possess only such powers, as- are conferred upon them either by statute or the constitution. But so- long as such bodies keep- within tbe limits fixed by legislative authority, and violate no provision of tbe constitution, their acts are not subject to- review by the courts.

“Tbe power of taxation,” says Judge Cooley, “is an incident of sovereignty, and is possessed by the government without being expressly conferred by the peopla • It is a legislative power, and when the people, by their constitutions, create a department of government upon which they confer the power to make laws, the power of taxation is. conferred as part o-f the more general power. . . . Everything to- which the legislative power extends may he the subject of taxation, whether it be person or property, or possession, franchise, or privilege, [163]*163or occupation or right. Nothing but express constitutional limitation upon legislative authority can exclude anything to which the authority extends from the grasp of the taxing power, if the legislature in its discretion shall at any time select it for revenue purposes. And not only is the power unlimited in its reach as to subjects, but in its very nature it acknowledges no limits, and may be. carried to any extent which the government may find expedient. It may therefore be employed again and again upon the same subjects, even to the extent of exhaustion and destruction, and may thus become, in its exercise1, a power to destroy.” Cooley, Taxation (2d ed.), pp. 4, 5.

Trom the principles thus stated, it follows that our legislature, if not inhibited by the constitution, not only has the power to determine the subjects of taxation, but to prescribe the method of assessment and collection of taxes. And it is not disputed in this case that the legislature had the right to1 create a state board of equalization, and to designate its duties and the manner- of performing them. Indeed, it is generally understood that such boards are necessary in order to secure uniformity and justness in the imposition of taxes upon the citizens of the state.

Counsel for the relator have cited several judicial decisions in support of their contention, but the question now. under consideration must be determined in accordance with the provisions of our own constitution and statutes.. Decisions based on statutes essentially different from ours cannot be deemed of controlling force here, except in so. far as they announce principles of law of universal application. Section 1, of art. 7, of our constitution provides that:

“All property in the. state, not exempt under the laws of the United States, or under this constitution, shall be [164]*164taxed in proportion to its value, to be ascertained as provided by law. Tlie legislature shall provide by law for an annual tax sufficient, with other sources of revenue, , to defray the estimated ordinary expenses of the state for each fiscal year. And for the purpose of paying the state debt, if there! be- any, the legislature shall provide for levying a tax annually, sufficient to- pay the annual interest and principal of such debt within twenty years from the final passage of the law creating the debt,”

And § 2 provides as follows:

“The legislature shall provide by luw a uniform and equal rate of assessment and taxation on all property in the state, according to- its value in money, arid shall prescribe such regulations- by general law as shall secure a just valuation for taxation of all property, so that every person and corporation shall pay a tax in proportion to the value of his, her or its property. . .

It will be seen from the above quotations that the legislature is required by the constitution, to provide by Jaw such an annual tax as may be necessary 1o defray tlie ordinary expenses of the state; to provide for levying a tax annually for the payment of the interest and principal of the state debt, if any, within a designated time; to provide by law a uniform and equal rate of assessment and taxation on all taxable property of the state, according to its value'in money, and to- prescribe such regula-, tions as shall secure a, just valuation for taxation of all property. These provisions, it will be noticed, are very general in their character, and the particular provisions of the laws and regulations necessary to effectuate the reu quirements of the constitution, are left to the judgment, of the legislature. And that the legislature has en- • deavored to comply with the above stated mandates of the constitution will be made manifest by an examination, of the revenue act of March 15, 1891 (Laws, p. 136; BaL. [165]

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Bluebook (online)
69 P. 771, 29 Wash. 159, 1902 Wash. LEXIS 571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-thompson-v-nichols-wash-1902.