Western Paving Construction Co. v. Beer

917 P.2d 344, 20 Brief Times Rptr. 491, 1996 Colo. App. LEXIS 100, 1996 WL 154510
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 4, 1996
DocketNo. 94CA1510
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 917 P.2d 344 (Western Paving Construction Co. v. Beer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Western Paving Construction Co. v. Beer, 917 P.2d 344, 20 Brief Times Rptr. 491, 1996 Colo. App. LEXIS 100, 1996 WL 154510 (Colo. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

[346]*346Opinion by

Judge MARQUEZ.

In this C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4) action, defendants, Patricia Beer, Manager of Revenue for the City and County of Denver; the Department of Revenue of the City and County of Denver; and the City and County of Denver, (collectively Denver) appeal from a judgment reversing in part a ruling made by the Denver Manager of Revenue, imposing a use tax upon asphalt manufactured by plaintiff, Western Paving Construction Co. (Western Paving). Western Paving cross-appeals. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

Western Paving is a highway construction company based in unincorporated Adams County. Western Paving manufactures asphalt by combining asphaltic cement (a liquid petroleum derivative) with aggregates (a mixture of loose rocks and sand). The vast bulk of asphalt manufactured by Western Paving is installed onto roads and highways in the course of its construction activities. The remainder (approximately five percent) is sold to retail customers.

Western Paving purchases asphaltic cement from commercial oil refineries, but mines its own aggregates. At all times relevant to the present litigation, Western Paving paid sales or use taxes on the asphaltic cement utilized in the production of asphalt that was later used in the performance of its paving contracts in Denver. It did not, however, pay sales or use taxes on the aggregates included in the asphalt or the labor associated with its manufacture.

In 1989, Denver performed a tax compliance audit of Western Paving that covered November 1,1986, through October 31,1989. This audit resulted in the identification of deficiencies in use tax accrual on construction projects performed by Western Paving within Denver. Consequently, the city assessed use taxes and interest on the “manufactured cost” of the asphalt used by Western Paving on those jobs. This “manufactured cost” included the cost of the aggregates and labor used in production, but did not include the cost of asphaltic cement or the profit derived by the company.

Western Paving paid the assessed amounts under protest and timely sought a refund, which ultimately was denied. Western Paving then petitioned the Manager of Revenue for review. The hearing officer concluded that the asphalt assessment was proper. Western Paving then sought C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4) review.

The trial court concluded that the hearing officer had abused her discretion “to the extent the use tax assessment ... was for the aggregates” because they were not purchased at retail by Western Paving. Denver appeals that portion of the trial court’s order.

Western Paving cross-appeals the portion of the trial court’s order which it characterizes as implying “that the labor of its own employees in preparing asphalt constituted ‘labor or services purchased’ at retail that was includable in the ‘manufactured cost’ or otherwise subject to use tax assessment.”

I.

Denver contends that the trial court erred when it concluded that the general requirement of a purchase at retail contained in Denver Revised Municipal Code § 58-92 provided an exemption from the use tax otherwise imposed on manufacturers pursuant to Denver Revised Municipal Code § 53-106(a). We conclude that § 53-92 does not provide manufacturers an exemption from the use tax.

During the period relevant to this matter, § 53-92, designated “Legislative intent,” provided in pertinent part:

(a) It is hereby declared to be the legislative intent of the city, acting through its duly elected representatives, that, for the purposes of this article, every person who stores, uses, distributes or consumes in the city any article of tangible personal property or any service subject to the provisions of this article, purchased at retail, is exercising a taxable privilege.

During the times pertinent here, Denver Revised Municipal Code § 53-106, designated “Application to manufacturers of tangible personal property,” provided as follows:

(a) A manufacturer of tangible personal property is taxable under this article upon the use or consumption by the manufacturer of items of tangible personal property [347]*347manufactured by it that it also sells or installs for a price in the ordinary course of its business at retad, but the tax due hereunder in such case shall be levied only upon the gross value of all the materials, labor and services used and employed in the manufacture of said property, and not upon any profit that would have been derived from the ordinary retad sale thereof, (b) The tax is levied upon the full purchase price of articles sold after the manufacture or after having been made to order and includes the full purchase price of materials used and service performed in connection therewith, excluding however, such articles as are otherwise exempted in this article. The purchase price is the gross value of all the materials, labor, service, and the profit thereon, included in the price charged to the user or consumer.

The hearing officer determined that Western Paving was a “manufacturer” within the meaning of § 53-106 and that it manufactures asphalt which it then, in the ordinary course of its business at retad, seds or installs onto roads and highways for a price. Accordingly, the hearing officer further concluded that the asphalt assessment was properly computed on the gross value of ad the materials, labor, and services used and employed in its production.

The trial court concluded, however, that § 53-106 was not a “suitable basis upon which to assess the entire ... tax assessment.” (emphasis added)

In reaching this conclusion, the court stated:

Section 53-106 could be read to require the assessment of a use tax on the gross value of ad materials used in manufacturing regardless of whether such materials were purchased by the manufacturer or acquired by the manufacturer’s own mining operations. Such a definition would assess a tax not only upon the labor and services used by Western in creating asphalt, but also upon the aggregates. However, § 53-106 also contains a subpart (b). This subpart specificady excludes from taxation articles that are otherwise exempted in the use tax ordinance.

The court then found that “§ 53-92 specifi-cady cads for the assessment of a use tax only upon materials that were purchased,” and determined “that materials not purchased at retad are excluded from being taxed pursuant to § 53-106(a), according to § 53-106(b).” Thus, the court concluded that “the hearing officer erred in upholding the use tax assessment upon the aggregates Western mines itself,” and that “[o]nly the portion of the tax assessed upon the materials, labor and services purchased by Western in manufacturing asphalt is appropriate pursuant to § 53-106.”

The scope of review on appeal from a judgment entered in a C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4) proceeding is limited to ascertaining whether the tribunal, here the hearing officer, exceeded its jurisdiction or abused its discretion. Coates v. Cripple Creek, 865 P.2d 924 (Colo. App.1993). In determining whether a hearing officer abused his or her discretion, a reviewing court may consider whether the hearing officer misconstrued or misapplied applicable law, and whether, in light of the whole record, the findings of fact are supported by competent evidence. Stamm v. City and County of Denver,

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Bluebook (online)
917 P.2d 344, 20 Brief Times Rptr. 491, 1996 Colo. App. LEXIS 100, 1996 WL 154510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/western-paving-construction-co-v-beer-coloctapp-1996.