Bsi Holdings, LLC v. Ariz. Dep't of Transp.
Bsi Holdings, LLC v. Ariz. Dep't of Transp.
Opinion
¶ 1 Arizona Revised Statute § 28-8336 establishes a license tax for "a nonresident whose aircraft is based in this state for more than ninety days but less than two hundred ten days in a calendar year." We granted review to determine the meaning of the term "day" as used in § 28-8336. Although we reject the court of appeals' holding that it "means any calendar day during which the aircraft was on the ground in Arizona for any period of time,"
BSI Holdings, LLC v. Ariz. Dep't of Transp.
,
BACKGROUND
¶ 2 BSI Holdings ("BSI") is an Oregon limited liability company formed to purchase, operate, and maintain a jet used by Arizona resident (and BSI member) Richard Burke and his family for personal purposes. The jet was regularly flown into and out of Scottsdale Airport, where BSI had a tie-down arrangement/hangar agreement during the period at issue.
¶ 3 In 2004, BSI and the Arizona Department of Transportation ("ADOT") resolved an aircraft license tax fee dispute, agreeing that BSI would pay no tax for 2003 and the nonresident rate applicable for aircraft based in Arizona for more than 90 days but fewer than 210 days for 2004. See A.R.S. § 28-8336. BSI subsequently paid the nonresident rate for tax years 2005 through 2012.
¶ 4 ADOT later conducted an audit and concluded the jet was based in Arizona for more than 210 days in each year from 2004 through 2012 and therefore subject to the higher license tax rate prescribed in A.R.S. § 28-8335. The agency assessed BSI for $161,004 and recorded a lien against the jet.
¶ 5 After an unsuccessful administrative proceeding, BSI filed this action to challenge ADOT's assessment. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment disputing, among other issues, the meaning of the term "day" in § 28-8336.
¶ 6 The tax court granted partial summary judgment in favor of BSI. It concluded that the term "day" in § 28-8336 is undefined and unclear. The tax court cited
State ex rel. Arizona Department of Revenue v. Capitol Castings, Inc.
,
¶ 7 The court of appeals vacated and remanded the tax court's judgment.
BSI Holdings
,
¶ 8 We granted review because the interpretation of § 28-8336 presents an issue of statewide significance. We have jurisdiction under article 6, section 5(3) of the Arizona Constitution and A.R.S. § 12-120.24.
DISCUSSION
¶ 9 We review questions of statutory construction and grants of summary judgment de novo.
BMO Harris Bank, N.A. v. Wildwood Creek Ranch, LLC
,
¶ 10 Article 9, section 15 of the Arizona Constitution establishes a license tax on aircraft registered for operation in this state in lieu of ad valorem property taxes. The provision does not apply to "[a]ircraft owned by a nonresident who operates aircraft for a period not in excess of ninety days in any one calendar year, provided that such aircraft are not engaged in any intrastate commercial activity." Ariz. Const. art. 9, § 15 (3).
¶ 11 Arizona's aircraft tax scheme prescribes various license tax rates for nonresidents who own noncommercial aircraft registered in this state. See, e.g. , A.R.S. §§ 28-8335 to -8341. Relevant here is A.R.S. § 28-8336, which establishes a license tax of 0.1% of the average fair market value of the aircraft when the "aircraft is based in this state for more than ninety days but less than two hundred ten days in a calendar year."
¶ 12 Although the statute does not define "day," both sides argue that its meaning is clear. Yet their respective definitions are as different as night and day: BSI and the tax court define "day" as a full 24-hour period, while ADOT and the court of appeals define it as any period of time within a day.
¶ 13 Because the legislature did not define "day" for § 28-8336 purposes, we look to the term's ordinary meaning. Although "day" is a commonly used word, it has no fixed meaning. When we speak of a term of days, e.g., the first hundred days of a presidential administration, we generally mean 24-hour days. Yet in other situations, e.g., forty days and forty nights, we differentiate between days and nights. In terms of work or play-"I work five days a week"-people generally understand we are talking about increments of days. Sometimes days can embrace different fractions of days-"I went to the library every day this week"-and could mean ten minutes or 24-hours. As demonstrated by these examples, most often the listener discerns the meaning of "day" based on the context in which it is used.
¶ 14 Dictionaries reflect these divergent meanings in both the ordinary and legal use. See, e.g. , Day , Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day (last updated May 15, 2018) (variously defining "day" as "the time of light between one night and the next," "the period of rotation of a planet," "a specified time or period," or "the time established by usage or law for work, school, or business"); see also Day , Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) (defining "day" as "[a]ny 24-hour period," the "period between the rising and the setting of the sun," or "[a]ny specified time period").
¶ 15 ADOT urges upon us the common law meaning of the term "day," which it argues we should adopt pursuant to A.R.S. § 1-201 (stating the common law, when not repugnant to the written law, "is adopted and shall be the rule of decision in all courts of this state"). The common law "deems any fraction of a day to be a 'day.' "
Maciborski v. Chase Serv. Corp. of Ariz.
,
¶ 16 Other definitions and uses of "day" in Arizona law cut in different directions. As the court of appeals noted,
BSI Holdings
, 242 Ariz. at 625 ¶ 19,
¶ 17 Nor are we bound to follow ADOT's present interpretation of the statute. Whatever deference we might pay to such an interpretation,
see
Stambaugh
, 242 Ariz. at 512 ¶¶ 21-23,
¶ 18 The statutes' purpose of generating fees from users does not dictate a clear outcome either. On one hand, if an aircraft begins the day in Arizona, flies to San Diego at lunchtime, then returns to Arizona, it may have imposed costs on the Arizona airport, yet its operations would not count as a day for tax purposes under BSI's formulation. Under ADOT's definition, by contrast, an aircraft could briefly touch down in Arizona on multiple days and expose itself to higher tax rates even if it barely uses Arizona facilities.
¶ 19 That brings us to the crux of the difficulty in determining the meaning of the word "day" in § 28-8336. We must not interpret terms in isolation, but rather in their overall context.
See, e.g.
,
Estate of Braden ex rel. Gabaldon v. State
,
¶ 20 BSI conceded it was "based in" Arizona for the 24-hour periods it was on the ground during the years in question, a concession it may not now relitigate. Thus, the only issue properly before us is whether, for purposes of § 28-8336, the aircraft was "based in" Arizona for fewer than 210 days during the calendar years in question; and that issue could turn on whether an aircraft ceases to be "based in" Arizona for tax purposes on days it leaves the state.
¶ 21 In the tax court, ADOT said it "makes its determination of whether an aircraft is 'based in this state' by inspecting the totality of the circumstances, including: day count, the aircraft's use, and tie-down and hangar agreements." But it never explained how it applies those factors. Indeed, BSI disputes that ADOT has used any other criteria other than a day count. Because the matter was decided on summary judgment, the tax court made no factual findings on this issue.
¶ 22 "Base" is generally defined as "that on which something rests for support; foundation."
Base
, Webster's New International Dictionary 225 (2d ed. 1944);
see also Base
, Webster's II New College Dictionary 92 (1995) (defining base as "a fortified center of operations"). Used as a verb in legal parlance, it means "[t]o take up or maintain one's headquarters" or "to have one's main place of work in a particular place."
Base
, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014). Those definitions imply more of a domiciliary analysis rather than physical presence alone.
Cf.
DeWitt v. McFarland
,
¶ 23 The court of appeals held that "an aircraft is based in Arizona" for purposes of
§ 28-8336"for any day during which it is physically present on the ground in this state for any period of time."
BSI Holdings
, 242 Ariz. at 625 ¶ 20,
¶ 24 However, we cannot fully resolve whether BSI's aircraft qualifies for the lower, nonresident tax rate for the years in question without knowing what "based in" means, a question that was neither fully argued by the parties nor addressed by the courts below. We therefore remand to the tax court to determine the meaning of the term "based in" under § 28-8336, and then to determine how many days the aircraft was based in Arizona for tax purposes for the relevant period. In making those determinations, the tax court should apply our holdings that an aircraft does not lose its Arizona base simply by leaving for part of a day, nor does it acquire an Arizona base merely by briefly touching down in the state. In other words, the court should count all days or fractions of a day when the aircraft was based in the state, even if it was not physically present there. It should not count days that the aircraft landed momentarily in Arizona when it was not based there.
¶ 25 If at the end of the day, having exhausted other statutory construction tools, the tax court determines the statute is still ambiguous, it should construe it in favor of the taxpayers.
Harris
,
¶ 26 Although the legislature is best-positioned to define these terms, if the courts do so, we must as best we can make sense of the statutory scheme in its entirety before calling it a day.
CONCLUSION
¶ 27 BSI's request for attorney fees is denied as it has not prevailed here on the merits. We vacate the court of appeals' opinion and remand the case to the tax court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BSI HOLDINGS, LLC, Plaintiff/Appellee, v. ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Defendant/Appellant.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published