W. A. Schemmer Limestone Quarry, Inc. v. United States

240 F. Supp. 356, 15 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1490, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8449
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedSeptember 23, 1964
DocketCiv. No. 5-1306
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 240 F. Supp. 356 (W. A. Schemmer Limestone Quarry, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. A. Schemmer Limestone Quarry, Inc. v. United States, 240 F. Supp. 356, 15 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1490, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8449 (S.D. Iowa 1964).

Opinion

HANSON, District Judge.

This is an income tax refund case which raises a procedural problem. The applicable statutes are Sections 6532(a)(1) and (4) and 6511(a). These in part state:

“§ 6532. Periods of limitations on
suits
“(a) Suits by taxpayers for refund.—
“(1) General rule. — No suit or proceeding under section 7422(a) for the recovery of any internal revenue tax, penalty, or other sum, shall be begun before the expiration of 6 months from the date of filing the claim required under such section unless the Secretary or his delegate renders a decision thereon within that time, nor after the expiration of 2 years from the date of mailing by certified mail or registered mail by the Secretary or his delegate to the taxpayer of a notice of the disallowance of the part of the claim to which the suit or proceeding relates. * * *
“(4) Reconsideration after mailing of notice. — Any consideration, reconsideration, or action by the [358]*358Secretary or his delegate with respect to such claim following the mailing of a notice by certified mail or registered mail of dis-allowance shall not operate to extend the period within which suit may be begun.”
“§ 6511. Limitations on credit or refund
“(a) Period of limitation on filing claim. — Claim for credit or refund of an overpayment of any tax imposed by this title in respect of which tax the taxpayer is required to file a return shall be filed by the taxpayer within 3 years from the time the return was filed * * * or 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever of such periods expires the later * *

The tax involved is Federal transportation tax for the quarterly periods commencing June 1, 1957, and ending July 31, 1958. In January 1960 the taxpayer was assessed $15,243.13 for Federal transportation tax and interest thereon. This tax was paid in February and May of 1960.

In February 1960, a claim for refund was filed by the taxpayer and this claim was disallowed on May 1, 1960. On July 28, 1960, another claim for refund was filed. This second claim was disallowed in April 1961. This suit was. filed on October 3, 1962.

The suit was brought within two years of the time the second claim was disallowed but was more than two years after the first claim was disallowed. Both claims were filed within two years of the time the tax was paid. Rabkin and Johnson, Vol. 5, Section 76.04(1) states that: “The taxpayer cannot extend his time for suit by filing of a new timely claim, at least where no new grounds are set forth in the second claim.” This rule has considerable support in case law. Fajar-do Sugar Growers Association v. United States, D. C., 161 F.Supp. 912, affirmed 2 Cir., 264 F.2d 671; Eunson-Freeman Co. v. Corwin, 2 Cir., 112 F.2d 683; 18th Street Leader Stores v. United States, 7 Cir., 142 F.2d 113. The basis for this rule is not too clear. In the 18th Street Leader Stores case, it appeared to be based on a regulation but the other cases base it on an interpretation of the statute. In that case, the court said:

“Except for the limitation imposed by the Treasury Regulations 96, the applicability of which appellant denies, that only one claim shall be filed by any person for refund of floor stocks taxes, it appears that there is no limit upon the number of refund claims which may be filed within the statutory period applicable to the filing of claims, and that a defective claim may be corrected by the filing of a new one complying with the requirements. Cf. Mertens, Law of Federal Income Taxation, Vol. 10, § 58.24, as to the right to file successive refund claims in income tax cases. Generally, when new grounds or facts are discovered, entitling the taxpayer to refunds greater in amount than originally claimed, or furnishing further proofs of the original claim, they may be set up in the new claim. However, this is not to say that a new claim, based on the same grounds as a prior rejected claim, will operate to enlarge the limitation period which has started to run on the rejection of an earlier claim.”

In Eunson-Freeman Co. v. Corwin, supra, the court cited Pacific Mills v. Nichols, 1 Cir., 72 F.2d 103, and distinguished that case on the basis of new grounds having been submitted in the second claim. B. Altman & Co. v. United States, 40 F.2d 781, 69 Ct.Cl. 721, and the Fajar-do case also recognized that the two year period runs from the time of the second, timely claim if the same grounds are not merely repeated. Thus the cases which created the rule all recognized this exception to the rule. This exception where the second timely claim states new grounds was applied and followed in Pacific Mills v. Nichols, supra, Hills v. United States, 50 F.2d 302, 73 Ct.Cl. 128, [359]*359and Untermyer v. Bowers, 2 Cir., 79 F. 2d 9.

The first claim stated: “Federal transportation tax paid but not owed.” This claim stated no reasons or evidence why the tax was not owed. The second claim stated reasons and gave evidence why the tax was not owed. The taxpayer’s argument is that the first claim stated no grounds at all and the second claim stated grounds that had to be different grounds because the first claim stated no grounds at all.

The Commissioner admits that the first claim was general or vague (see p. 6 of Government’s brief filed August 5, 1964) but claims that the second claim merely gave additional information in support of this original claim. The United States takes the statement in plaintiff’s claim: “This claim is filed to supply additional information as to the reasons claimant believes the claim should be allowed” and attempts to bind plaintiff by this. This is not in any way conclusive that new grounds were not asserted when it is obvious new grounds were asserted. Distinction must be made between what is new information to support information already given on a claim and information amounting to new grounds as is true in this case.

The court finds that the second claim did set forth grounds for refund and that the first claim set forth no grounds for relief. Therefore, the second claim set forth new grounds for refund and the two year limitation period runs from that date.

The claimed admission by Mr. Schemmer that the grounds in the claims were the same is no admission at all. It makes no difference that some grounds as stated in the second claim Existed at the time of the first claim. The question is whether the first claim set out different grounds than the second one. Also, Mr. Schemmer would not know what facts constitute the legal definition of new grounds for refund.

In Pacific Mills v. Nichols, supra, although that ease is distinguishable from the present, the court did not consider that a claim in “rather general terms” prevented a second claim. In Hills v. United States, supra, the exact reasons why the grounds for the second claim were different is not given, but both arose out of the same type of claim. The court took a liberal view in favor of the taxpayer.

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Bluebook (online)
240 F. Supp. 356, 15 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1490, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-a-schemmer-limestone-quarry-inc-v-united-states-iasd-1964.