Tesoro Refining v. State, Dept. of Revenue

246 P.3d 211
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedDecember 21, 2010
Docket39417-1-II
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 246 P.3d 211 (Tesoro Refining v. State, Dept. of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tesoro Refining v. State, Dept. of Revenue, 246 P.3d 211 (Wash. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

246 P.3d 211 (2010)

TESORO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Washington, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, Respondent.

No. 39417-1-II.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 2.

December 21, 2010.

*212 George Carl Mastrodonato, Michael Barr King, Carney Badley Spellman, P.S., Seattle, WA, for Appellant.

Donald F. Cofer, Atty. Generals Ofc./Revenue Div., Olympia, WA, for Respondent.

QUINN-BRINTNALL, J.

¶ 1 Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. appeals a trial court's decision granting summary judgment to the Department of Revenue (DOR) denying Tesoro a tax refund. Tesoro argues that the statute governing the relevant deduction, former RCW 82.04.433 (1985), unambiguously entitles a manufacturer that also sells certain products to take a deduction against its business and occupation (B & O) tax liability. Tesoro also argues that the retroactive application of the 2009 amendment of former RCW 82.04.433 would violate due process. DOR argues that because the statute is limited to amounts received from the activity of selling qualified products, the deduction could not have been intended to be applied against manufacturing B & O taxes. Thus, DOR asserts that retroactive enforcement of the 2009 amendment would not violate due process because the "clarifying amendment" did not change the meaning of the statute. Because the plain language of former RCW 82.04.433 entitles a refinery to a deduction of amounts derived from sales of qualifying products against its manufacturing B & O taxes and the 2009 amendment may not apply retroactively 24 years, we reverse the trial court's order granting DOR summary judgment and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

FACTS

¶ 2 Tesoro is a Delaware corporation which owns and operates an oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington. One of the refinery's products is marine bunker fuel, a residual fuel oil that remains after gasoline and distillate fuel are extracted from crude oil. Bunker fuel is primarily sold to ocean-going ships and vessels. Tesoro manufactures and sells bunker fuel in its Anacortes refinery and also sells bunker fuel directly to vessels in Port Angeles, Washington.

¶ 3 During the time period at issue, December 1, 1999 to December 31, 2007, Tesoro made more than 9,700 sales of bunker fuel to vessels engaged in foreign commerce for consumption outside the territorial waters of the United States. Tesoro reported its sales of bunker fuel on both the "Manufacturing" line and "Wholesaling and Retailing" line of its monthly tax returns as required under Washington State law. Then, pursuant to Schedule C of the return, Tesoro took a multiple activities tax credit, former RCW 82.04.440 *213 (2007), for B & O taxes that were otherwise payable.[1]

¶ 4 Former RCW 82.04.433(1) permitted a deduction from "tax amounts derived from sales of [a qualifying] fuel." Bunker fuel is a qualifying fuel. WAC 458-20-175 (Rule 175)[2] provides that under (former and current) RCW 82.04.433, in order to take the deduction, a seller must obtain a certificate signed by the buyer for each qualifying sale of fuel. Tesoro collected the requisite certificates for each sale that it contends it was entitled to deduct under former RCW 82.04.433.

¶ 5 Pursuant to former RCW 82.04.433, Tesoro initially requested a partial refund of $2,550,867 in B & O taxes paid on bunker fuel manufactured and sold during the period of December 1, 1999 through April 30, 2004.[3] DOR's Audit Division denied Tesoro's refund request. DOR's Appeals Division also denied Tesoro's refund request on the basis that the tax deduction did not apply to manufacturer B & O tax but only to wholesaler and retailer B & O tax.[4] Tesoro continued to pay an additional $4,128,997 in B & O taxes between May 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, on sales of bunker fuel for use in vessels engaged in foreign commerce outside the territorial waters of the United States.[5]

¶ 6 On February 11, 2008, Tesoro appealed DOR's Appeals Division determination in Thurston County Superior Court. The day before trial was set to begin, the legislature amended former RCW 82.04.433.[6] LAWS OF *214 2009, ch. 494, § 2-6. The amendment added language to the statute clearly limiting its applicability to wholesalers and retailers of qualifying fuel. RCW 82.04.433. The amendment also added language declaring, "This act applies both prospectively and retroactively." LAWS OF 2009, ch. 494, § 4. Nevertheless, Tesoro moved for partial summary judgment, seeking an order declaring that Tesoro, as a manufacturer and seller of bunker fuel, qualified for the former RCW 82.04.433 deduction and was entitled to refund of bunker fuel, qualified for the former RCW 82.04.433 deduction and was entitled to a refund of B & O taxes paid. DOR filed a cross motion for summary judgment.

¶ 7 On May 15, 2009, the trial court entered an order granting summary judgment to DOR, finding that former RCW 82.04.433 extended only to retailing and wholesaling B & O taxes, not to manufacturing B & O taxes, and that Tesoro was not entitled to a refund. Tesoro timely appeals.

DISCUSSION

¶ 8 We review summary judgments de novo. Torgerson v. One Lincoln Tower, LLC, 166 Wash.2d 510, 517, 210 P.3d 318 (2009) (citing Troxell v. Rainier Pub. Sch.Dist. No. 307, 154 Wash.2d 345, 350, 111 P.3d 1173 (2005)). Summary judgment is appropriate only if the pleadings, affidavits, depositions, and admissions on file demonstrate the absence of any genuine issues of material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. CR 56(c). A party against whom a claim is asserted may move for a summary judgment in his favor as to all or any part thereof. CR 56(b). Whether former RCW 82.04.433 applies to manufacturing B & O taxes is a question of law we review de novo. W. Telepage, Inc. v. City of Tacoma Dep't of Financing,

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246 P.3d 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tesoro-refining-v-state-dept-of-revenue-washctapp-2010.