State, Indiana Department of Revenue v. Hogo, Inc.

550 N.E.2d 1320, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 224, 1990 WL 18429
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 28, 1990
DocketNo. 27A04-8903-CV-00101
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 550 N.E.2d 1320 (State, Indiana Department of Revenue v. Hogo, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State, Indiana Department of Revenue v. Hogo, Inc., 550 N.E.2d 1320, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 224, 1990 WL 18429 (Ind. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

MILLER, Judge.

This case concerns whether Jerry Horn, an officer, majority stockholder, and member of the board of directors of Hogo, Inc. was personally liable for sales and withholding taxes owed by the corporation and, if he were so liable, were such taxes discharged in his personal bankruptcy. The trial court, in a summary judgment proceeding, held that Horn, was personally liable but that the taxes were discharged in bankruptcy.

In this appeal Horn claims:

There was an issue of material fact as to whether he had sufficient control of the corporation's funds to be liable under IND. CODE §§ 6-2.5-9-8 and 6-3-4-8(f).

On the other hand, The Indiana Department of Revenue claims:

(1) That the withholding and sales taxes were not discharged in Horn's personal bankruptcy; and
(2) The judgment in the amount of $9,093.41 (the amount in the original complaint) was contrary to the evidence and should have been in the amount of $10,956.84 (the amount in the amended complaint).

We hold that Horn was personally liable, that such taxes were not discharged in bankruptcy and the amount of judgment should be corrected. I

FACTS

This is a consolidated appeal of three cases-two from the Grant Circuit Court and one from the Grant Superior Court. All three cases were brought by the [1322]*1322Indiana Department of Revenue [Revenue] to collect taxes owed by Hogo, Inc., Jerry Horn, the president of Hogo, and his wife, Catherine.

Hogo, a restaurant business, was incorporated in January, 1979. At the end of 1979, Hogo owed Revenue approximately $10,000 in sales/use taxes and $800.00 in withholding taxes. Notice of assessment was given to Hogo and Horn, but neither party protested or paid the taxes.

In 1987, Revenue filed two suits in Grant Circuit Court against the Horns (but not against Hogo). One suit was for withholding taxes for 1979, and the other was for personal income taxes ($78.28) for 1978. The withholding taxes were the same taxes owed by Hogo, for which Revenue claimed Horn was individually liable. Revenue also filed suit in Grant Superior Court against Hogo and Horn (but not his wife), the amended complaint demanding recovery of the 1979 sales/use taxes ($10,185.91) and the same withholding taxes ($820.98) which were the subject of one of the Circuit Court cases.

Grant Cireuit Court combined the two cases before it and entered judgment in each case against the Horns for the total amount of the withholding taxes (but not the personal income taxes). Grant Superi- or Court granted summary judgment against Hogo and in favor of Horn, holding that, although Horn was individually liable for the taxes, the debt had been discharged in Horn's personal bankruptcy. Revenue appealed the Superior Court decision and the Horns appealed the Circuit Court decisions. This court agreed to consolidate the cases.

DECISION

Both parties agree that the Circuit Court's decisions should be reversed because the withholding taxes which are the subject of those decisions are included in the Superior Court's judgment, and would, depending on our decision in the Superior Court appeal, result in double recovery or conflicting judgments. We agree. We note that the Circuit Court judgments are identical, and include only the withholding taxes, thereby resulting in double recovery even without the Superior Court judgment.1 We further note that the personal income taxes are not included in these judgments. The amount of such taxes is approximately $75.00. Revenue does not question the trial court's failure to include the amount of the personal income taxes in the judgment. Revenue may have considered such amount to be de minimus or may have concluded that such taxes were discharged in bankruptcy. Because Revenue does not argue this issue we will not consider it further. Therefore, we vacate both circuit court judgments.

I. Horn's individual liability for Hogo's taxes.

The Department claims Horn is individually liable for Hogo's sales taxes pursuant to Ind.Code § 6-2.5-9-8 which provides:

An individual who:

(1) is an individual retail merchant or is an employee, officer, or member of a corporate or partnership retail merchant; and (2) has a duty to remit state gross retail or use taxes to the department of revenue; holds those taxes in trust for the state and is personally liable for the payment of those taxes to the state. If the individual knowingly fails to remit those taxes to the state, he commits a Class D felony;

and its withholding taxes pursuant to Ind. Code § 6-3-4-8(f), which provides:

... [(Aluy amount deducted or required to be deducted and remitted to the department under this section shall be considered to be the tax of the employer and with respect to such amount he shall be considered the taxpayer. In the case of a corporate or partnership employer, every officer, employee, or member of such employer, who, as such officer, employee or member is under a duty to deduct and [1323]*1323remit such taxes shall be personally liable for such taxes, penalties and interest.

Horn claims he was under no duty to remit the taxes because another individual was responsible for paying such taxes, and this is a question of fact which could not be resolved by summary judgment.

Generally, an officer of a corporation who is involved in the management of the corporation and has the authority to control its finances is presumed to have a duty to remit taxes. See Dunkerson v. Ind. Dept. of Revenue (1987), Ind. Tax, 513 N.E.2d 209; Van Orman v. State (1981), Ind.App., 416 N.E.2d 1301.

Federal courts have reached the same conclusion in interpreting similar federal statutes. McCarty v. United States (Ct.Cl.1971), 437 F.2d 961; White v. United States (1967), 372 F.2d 513, 178 Ct.Cl. 765. In McCarty, the court stated:

As a general proposition it may be safely postulated that one who is the founder, chief stockholder, president, and member of the board of directors of a corporation . is rebuttably presumed to be the person responsible under section 2707 of the Code and is thus liable for the penalty, in the absence of an affirmative showing by him that in actual fact he lacked the ultimate authority to withhold and pay the employment taxes in question.... (emphasis added).

McCarty at 967-68.

Horn does not challenge the standard to be applied in determining whether he had a duty to remit the taxes. Instead, he argues there is a question of fact concerning his authority to control the funds of the corporation and that he was not given an opportunity to rebut the presumption that he had such authority.

Horn misunderstands summary judgment proceedings.

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550 N.E.2d 1320, 1990 Ind. App. LEXIS 224, 1990 WL 18429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-indiana-department-of-revenue-v-hogo-inc-indctapp-1990.