Allen v. Commissioner of Revenue Services
Allen v. Commissioner of Revenue Services
Opinion
The plaintiffs, Jefferson Allen and Evita Allen, appeal 1 from the trial court's award of summary judgment upholding the decision of the defendant, the Commissioner of Revenue Services, denying their request for a tax refund for the taxable years 2002, 2006, and 2007. In this appeal, the plaintiffs claim that the trial court improperly concluded that: (1) it lacked subject matter jurisdiction with respect to the plaintiffs' claim for a refund for the taxable year 2002 on the basis of the three year limitation period to file an income tax refund pursuant to General Statutes § 12-732 (a) ; (2) § 12-711(b) -18 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies permitted the defendant to tax the plaintiffs' income derived from the exercise of options because the options were granted as compensation for performing services within the state; and (3) it is constitutional to impose a tax on income derived from the exercise of nonqualified stock options 2 by a nonresident who was granted the options as compensation for performing services within the state. We disagree with each of the plaintiffs claims. Because the form of the trial court's judgment with respect to the plaintiffs' claim relating to the taxable year 2002 was improper, we reverse the trial court's award of summary judgment with respect to that taxable year and remand the case with direction to render judgment dismissing that claim. We affirm the judgment of the trial court in all other respects.
The following undisputed facts and procedural history are relevant to this appeal. From 1990 to 2001, Jefferson Allen 3 served as president and chief financial officer of Tosco, Inc. (Tosco). During this period, Allen was domiciled in and performed services solely within Connecticut. As part of his compensation while employed with Tosco, he was awarded nonqualified stock options. 4 In 2002, while the plaintiffs were residing outside of Connecticut, Allen exercised the options he was granted by Tosco, resulting in $7,633,027 of income. The plaintiffs filed a Connecticut nonresident and part year resident income tax return reporting income from exercising these options in 2002 and paid the applicable tax.
After a period of nonresidency from 2002 to 2004, the plaintiffs returned to Connecticut in 2005. From January 1, 2005 to August 31, 2005, Allen served as the chief executive officer of Premcor, Inc. (Premcor), and performed services solely within Connecticut. As part of his compensation for performing services for Premcor, Allen was awarded nonqualified stock options. 5 The plaintiffs again moved out of Connecticut and resided outside the state in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, Allen exercised certain stock options he had earned performing services for Premcor, resulting in $43,360,812 of income. In 2007, Allen again exercised certain stock options that were earned as compensation for performing services for Premcor, resulting in $2,247,745 of income. The plaintiffs timely filed their tax returns and paid the applicable tax for the taxable years 2007 and 2008.
In October, 2009, the plaintiffs filed amended returns for the taxable years 2002, 2006, and 2007, claiming refunds for the income tax that the plaintiffs had paid in each of those years. The plaintiffs' claims for a refund were denied. In 2013, the Appellate Division of the Department of Revenue Services affirmed the denial. The defendant thereafter issued a final determination denying the plaintiffs' claims for refunds.
Pursuant to General Statutes § 12-730, 6 the plaintiffs timely filed an appeal from the defendant's determination in the Superior Court. The parties filed cross motions for summary judgment on stipulated facts, which the trial court granted in favor of the defendant. This appeal followed. Additional facts and procedural history will be set forth as necessary.
I
First we address the issue of whether the trial court properly concluded that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction regarding the plaintiffs' claim for a refund for the taxable year 2002 because they filed their claim after the lapse of the three year statute of limitations for such a claim pursuant to § 12-732 (a) (1). The plaintiffs concede that their request for a refund was filed after the lapse of the three year period.
7
Nevertheless, relying principally upon
Williams
v.
Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities
,
The following additional facts and procedural history are relevant to the resolution of this issue. The defendant commenced an audit of the plaintiffs' taxable year 2005 income tax return in July 2006. In March 2007, the defendant expanded the audit to include the taxable years 2001 through 2004. Around this same time, the plaintiffs filed a Connecticut nonresident and part year resident return reporting income from 2002 and paid the applicable tax. In October 2009, the plaintiffs filed amended returns for the taxable year 2002, claiming a refund for the income tax that the plaintiffs had paid. In October, 2012, the plaintiffs claim for a refund for the taxable year 2002 was disallowed. The defendant denied the request for a refund on the grounds that, pursuant to § 12-732 (a) (1), 8 the claim for a refund was untimely. The trial court affirmed the determination of the defendant, concluding that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to consider the plaintiffs' claim.
Our standard of review with respect to a trial court determination regarding subject matter jurisdiction is well settled. "A determination regarding a trial court's subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law. When ... the trial court draws conclusions of law, our review is plenary and we must decide whether its conclusions are legally and logically correct and find support in the facts that appear in the record." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Citibank, N.A.
v.
Lindland
,
"The principle that the state cannot be sued without its consent, or sovereign immunity, is well established under our case law. ... It has deep roots in this state and our legal system in general, finding its origin in
ancient common law. ... Not only have we recognized the state's immunity as an entity, but [w]e have also recognized that because the state can act only through its officers and agents, a suit against a state officer concerning a matter in which the officer represents the state is, in effect, against the state." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
DaimlerChrysler Corp.
v.
Law
,
The principles governing statutory waivers of sovereign immunity are well established. "[A] litigant that seeks to overcome the presumption of sovereign immunity [pursuant to a statutory waiver] must show that ... the legislature, either expressly or by force of a necessary implication, statutorily waived the state's sovereign immunity .... In making this determination,
[a court shall be guided by] the well established principle that statutes in derogation of sovereign immunity should be strictly construed. ... [When] there is any doubt about their meaning or intent they are given the effect which makes the least rather than the most change in sovereign immunity. ... Furthermore, because such statutes are in derogation of the common law, [a]ny statutory waiver of immunity must be narrowly construed ... and its scope must be confined strictly to the extent the statute provides." (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
Housatonic Railroad Co.
v.
Commissioner of Revenue Services
,
A tax appeal is a two step process. With respect to a claim for a refund for income taxes, the plaintiff must first timely file a claim with the defendant. General Statutes § 12-732 (a) (1) ; see
Federal Deposit Ins. Corp.
v.
Crystal
,
Our firmly rooted principles of sovereign immunity demand strict compliance with the procedures set forth in the relevant statutes. In determining the scope of the statutory waiver of sovereign immunity, we are mindful that the underlying refund claim may impose "a monetary obligation on the sovereign, and thus it is essential for its requirements to be satisfied." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Housatonic Railroad Co.
v.
Commissioner of Revenue Services
, supra,
We have also addressed this issue in the context of corporate taxes in
Federal Deposit Ins. Corp.
v.
Crystal , supra,
In short, the refund statute and the appeal statute set forth precise procedures a taxpayer must follow in order to invoke the jurisdiction of the trial court to review their claim. 13 In the present case, the plaintiffs failed to comply with the requirements of § 12-732 (a) (1). Because the plaintiffs failed to comply with the statutory prerequisites for their administrative refund claim for the 2002 taxable year, the trial court was without subject matter jurisdiction to consider that claim.
II
We next address the plaintiffs' claims with respect to taxable years 2006 and 2007. The plaintiffs claim that the income derived from the exercise of the Premcor options by Allen in 2006 and 2007 is not properly taxable under § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that § 12-711(b) -18 (a) requires a taxpayer to be performing services in Connecticut at the time of exercising the options, as well as at the time the options were awarded, in order for the income derived therefrom to be subject to taxation. The defendant contends that § 12-711(b) -18 (a) requires only that the taxpayer have been performing services in Connecticut at the time the options were granted. The plaintiffs further claim that taxation of the income derived from the exercise of the Premcor options violates the due process clause of the federal constitution. We disagree with the plaintiffs.
The following additional facts and procedural history are relevant to the resolution of these issues. In October 2009, the plaintiffs filed amended returns for the taxable years 2006 and 2007, claiming refunds for the income tax that the plaintiffs had paid for both of those years. The defendant denied the plaintiffs' claims for a refund for taxable years 2006 and 2007 on the grounds that the Premcor options were granted as compensation for services Allen performed in Connecticut and, therefore, the income was properly reported as income from Connecticut sources. In 2013, the Appellate Division of the Department of Revenue Services affirmed the denial. The defendant thereafter issued a final determination denying the plaintiffs' claims for refunds. The plaintiffs timely appealed to the trial court, which affirmed the decision of the defendant and rejected the plaintiffs' constitutional claim.
A
Our resolution of this issue first requires a discussion of the legal framework applicable to the state and federal taxation of nonqualified stock options. General Statutes § 12-700 (b) authorizes the taxation of income "derived from or connected with sources within this state of each nonresident ...." The tax upon nonresidents is determined by the application of a formula that includes the nonresident's "Connecticut adjusted gross income derived from or connected with sources within this state ...." General Statutes § 12-700 (b). While the terms "adjusted gross income" and "Connecticut adjusted gross income" are defined by statute; see General Statutes § 12-701 (a) (19) and (20) ;
14
the legislature
delegated to the defendant ability to define the term " 'derived from or connected with sources within this state' ...." General Statutes § 12-701 (c). Pursuant to this statutory authority, the defendant has promulgated a regulation that addresses nonqualified stock options that provides in relevant part as follows: "Connecticut adjusted gross income derived from or connected with sources within this state includes ... income recognized under section 83 of the Internal Revenue Code in connection with a nonqualified stock option if, during the period beginning with the first day of the taxable year of the optionee during which such option was granted and ending with the last day of the taxable year of the optionee during which such option was exercised (or, if the option has a readily ascertainable fair market value, as defined in
Because § 12-711(b)-18 of the regulations incorporates § 83 of the Internal Revenue Code, we look to federal law for further guidance on the taxation of non-qualified stock options.
15
Under the federal law, the transfer of property in exchange for the performance of services
is generally subject to taxation. See
B
With that background in mind, we now address the proper construction of § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations. The plaintiffs claim that § 12-711(b)-18 (a) requires a taxpayer to be performing services in Connecticut at the time of exercising the options, as well as at the time the options were awarded, in order for the income derived therefrom to be subject to taxation. The defendant contends that § 12-711(b)-18 (a) requires only that the taxpayer have been performing services in Connecticut at the time the options were granted. We agree with the defendant.
"Administrative regulations have the 'full force and effect' of statutory law and are interpreted using the same process as statutory construction ...." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Sarrazin
v.
Coastal, Inc.
,
Hasychak
v.
Zoning Board of Appeals
,
"When construing a statute, [the court's] fundamental objective is to ascertain and give effect to the apparent
intent of the legislature. ... In other words, [the court] seek[s] to determine, in a reasoned manner, the meaning of the statutory language as applied to the facts of [the] case, including the question of whether the language actually does apply. ... In seeking to determine that meaning ... § 1-2z directs [the court] first to consider the text of the statute itself and its relationship to other statutes. If, after examining such text and considering such relationship, the meaning of such text is plain and unambiguous and does not yield absurd or unworkable results, extratextual evidence of the meaning of the statute shall not be considered. ... The test to determine ambiguity is whether the statute, when read in context, is susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation." (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
Price
v.
Independent Party of CT-State Central
,
The starting point in the analysis is the language of § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations itself, which is set forth in part II A of this opinion. The plaintiffs claim that ambiguity lies in the meaning of the word "during," as used in § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations. Because that term is not defined by regulation or statute, we look to the dictionary for guidance. General Statutes § 1-1 (a). "[D]uring" is defined as both "throughout the continuance or course of" and "at some point in the course of ...." Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961). By applying the first definition, § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations would subject option income to taxation only if the taxpayer had been performing services in the state throughout the period in which the options were granted and subsequently exercised. By applying the second definition, § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations would require that the nonresident taxpayer only have been performing services in the state at the time the options were awarded. The parties
disagree as to which definition of "during" is proper. As we have repeatedly noted, however, statutory language "does not become ambiguous merely because the parties contend for different meanings." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Glastonbury Co.
v.
Gillies
,
Subsection (a) of § 12-711(b)-18 of the regulations defines the income derived from stock options as includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income, subject to certain conditions. This subsection contains proviso language, "to the extent provided in this section," which indicates that other parts of the regulation further delineate how much of the income is includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income. Subsection (b) of § 12-711(b)-18 requires the application of a formula to determine how much income is includable in Connecticut gross income for nonresident taxpayers who perform services wholly within Connecticut. Subsection (c) of § 12-711(b)-18 requires the application of a different formula to determine how much income is includable in Connecticut gross income for nonresident taxpayers who perform services partly within and partly without the state of Connecticut. 18 If subsection (a) were construed to require the taxpayer to be performing services within Connecticut throughout the course of the relevant time period, then the option income of a taxpayer who performs services partially within and partially without Connecticut would, by definition, not be includable in Connecticut adjusted income. Consequently, the formula set forth in subsection (c) to be applied to such a taxpayer would be superfluous because such taxpayer's option income would not be includable in gross income pursuant to subsection (a). Likewise, under the plaintiffs' construction, there would be no need to distinguish between taxpayers performing services wholly in Connecticut and taxpayers performing services partially within and partially without Connecticut because the option income of the latter would not be includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income pursuant to subsection (a).
Second, the plaintiffs' proposed construction of the relevant regulation would lead to bizarre results. It is well established that "those who promulgate statutes ... do not intend ... absurd consequences or bizarre results." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
State
v.
Courchesne
,
Application of the second definition of "during," i.e., "at some point in the course of," furnishes a reasonable construction of the regulatory language at issue. Under this construction, if at any point during the taxable year in which the options were granted and the taxable year in which the options were exercised the taxpayer were performing services in Connecticut, the income derived from the exercise of the options would be includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income. In turn, subsections (b) and (c) of § 12-711(b)-18 of the regulations set forth the extent to which the income is includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income on the basis of whether the services were performed wholly or partially within Connecticut. This construction imposes no irrational or arbitrary conditions upon the taxation of option income and comports comfortably with the due process principle that a state may tax the compensation of nonresidents who perform services within the taxing state. See part II C of this opinion.
The plaintiffs' claim that the defendant's construction of the regulation would result in absurd results because a nonresident would be taxed upon the exercise of stock options but "income distributed from a pension or retirement plan to nonresidents" would not be subject
to taxation. Regs., Conn. State Agencies § 12-711(b)-12. This is absurd, the plaintiffs claim, because while both forms of income are earned while performing services in the state, only the former is subject to taxation. We disagree that this is an absurd result. First, we note that federal law prohibits state taxation of a nonresident's retirement income. See
Allen was performing services solely within Connecticut when he earned the Premcor options in 2005. Accordingly, we conclude that the income derived from the exercise of the Premcor options by Allen in 2006 and 2007 is properly taxable under § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations.
C
We next address whether the trial court properly concluded that the taxation of the income derived from Allen's exercise of the Premcor options in 2006 and 2007 while a nonresident of Connecticut violated the due process clause of the federal constitution. The plaintiffs claim that taxation of income derived from the exercise of stock options by a nonresident violates the due process clause because the options had no readily ascertainable value when they were granted and there was an insufficient nexus between Connecticut and the value attributable to the options at the time of exercise. The defendant claims that the fact that Allen was granted the stock options as compensation for performing services in Connecticut serves as a sufficient nexus to the state to satisfy the requirements of the due process clause. We agree with the defendant.
In this appeal challenging the constitutionality of a regulation, we apply the same standard of review for challenges to the constitutionality of a statute. "Determining the constitutionality of a statute presents a question of law over which our review is plenary .... It [also] is well established that a validly enacted statute carries with it a strong presumption of constitutionality, [and that] those who challenge its constitutionality must sustain the heavy burden of proving its unconstitutionality beyond a reasonable doubt .... The court will indulge in every presumption in favor of the statute's constitutionality .... Therefore, [w]hen a question of constitutionality is raised, courts must approach it with caution, examine it with care, and sustain the legislation unless its invalidity is clear." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Doe
v.
Hartford Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp.
,
The power of Connecticut to impose a tax is a firmly rooted inherent sovereign power. See
Shaffer
v.
Carter
,
"[T]he due process clause denies to the state power to tax or regulate the [entity's] property and activities elsewhere."
Connecticut General Life Ins. Co.
v.
Johnson
,
The standard has been refined to a two part test. "The [d]ue [p]rocess [c]lause demands that [1] there exist some definite link, some minimum connection, between a state and the person, property or transaction it seeks to tax, as well as [2] a rational relationship between the tax and the values connected with the taxing [s]tate." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
MeadWestvaco Corp.
v.
Illinois Dept. of Revenue
,
The first prong of the test, the minimum connection requirement, may be satisfied in a number of circumstances. "It is well established that a state may tax all of the income of one of its domiciliaries, irrespective of the source of that income, geographical or otherwise."
Chase Manhattan Bank
v.
Gavin , supra,
With respect to the second prong of the test, a rational relationship between the tax and the values connected with the taxing state, "its principal application has been in cases in which a state seeks to attribute to its tax base some portion of the property or income of a multistate business enterprise that does business in the state. In such cases, the 'values' to which the test refers are numerical, economic or fiscal values-property values in a broad sense; not values in a social science sense-and the cases require, in general terms, that only a fair proportion of the property or income of the total enterprise be attributed to the taxing state. See, e.g.,
Mobil Oil Corp.
v.
Commissioner of Taxes of Vermont
, supra,
We conclude that taxation of the income derived from Allen's exercise of the Premcor options comports with the due process clause of the federal constitution. The jurisdictional fact that Allen earned the stock options while performing services in Connecticut serves, for purposes of the due process clause, as a sufficient "minimum connection, between a state and the person, property or transaction it seeks to tax ...." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
MeadWestvaco Corp.
v.
Illinois Dept. of Revenue
, supra,
The plaintiffs claim, however, that the fact that Allen exercised the stock options after he had ceased performing services in Connecticut and began residing outside of Connecticut severs the jurisdictional nexus. The plaintiffs, in support of their argument, rely on
Chase Manhattan Bank
v.
Gavin , supra,
The plaintiffs further contend that the income realized from the exercise of the stock options is not a result of the performance of services in Connecticut; but rather that the income is a result of the appreciation in value of the underlying stock, which is not connected to Allen's performance of services within the state. We disagree with this characterization of the income derived from the exercise of stock options.
26
The plaintiffs rightly point out that the stock options had no reasonably ascertainable fair market value at the time the options were awarded and, consequently, were not subject to taxation at the time they were granted. See
Accordingly we conclude that § 12-711(b)-18 of the regulations applies to the plaintiffs in this case and, as applied, does not violate the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment.
The form of the judgment with respect to the 2002 taxable year is improper, the judgment is reversed with respect to that taxable year and the case is remanded with direction to dismiss the plaintiffs' corresponding appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction; the judgment is affirmed in all other respects.
In this opinion the other justices concurred.
The plaintiffs appealed to the Appellate Court, and we transferred the appeal to this court pursuant to General Statutes § 51-199 (c) and Practice Book § 65-1.
"Stock options [also known as call options] allow an employee to buy the employer's stock at a specified future date at a price [know as the strike price or exercise price] fixed on the date that the stock is granted. Stock options are granted with the expectation that the stock will increase in price during the intervening period, thus allowing the grantee the right to buy the stock significantly below its market price." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Scully
v.
US WATS, Inc.
,
While both Jefferson Allen and Evita Allen are the plaintiffs in this appeal, only income earned by Jefferson Allen is relevant to this appeal. For the sake of simplicity, hereinafter we refer to Jefferson Allen, individually, by his surname.
It is undisputed that all of the options pertinent to this appeal did not have a readily ascertainable fair market value at the time they were awarded to Allen.
In August, 2005, Premcor was acquired by Valero, Inc. (Valero). As a consequence of the acquisition, Allen's stock options were converted to options for Valero stock. For the sake of consistency, we refer to the options Allen earned in 2005 as Premcor options.
General Statutes § 12-730 provides relevant part: "[A]ny taxpayer aggrieved because of any determination or disallowance by the commissioner under section 12-729, 12-729a or 12-732 may, within one month after notice of the commissioner's determination or disallowance is mailed to the taxpayer, take an appeal therefrom to the superior court for the judicial district of New Britain ...."
The parties agree that the due date for filing an income tax return for the taxable year 2002 was April 15, 2003. See General Statutes § 12-719 (a) ("[t]he income tax return required under this chapter shall be filed on or before the fifteenth day of the fourth month following the close of the taxpayer's taxable year"). Consequently, the last day that the plaintiffs could have filed a claim for a refund was April 15, 2006. The plaintiffs filed their claim for a refund for income tax paid for taxable year 2002 on or about October 13, 2009.
General Statutes § 12-732 (a) (1) provides in relevant part: "If any tax has been overpaid, the taxpayer may file a claim for refund in writing with the commissioner within three years from the due date for which such overpayment was made, stating the specific grounds upon which the claim is founded, provided if the commissioner has extended the time for the filing of an income tax return by the taxpayer, the taxpayer may file a claim for refund within three years after the date on which the income tax return is filed by the taxpayer or within three years after the extended due date of the income tax return, whichever is earlier. ... Failure to file a claim within the time prescribed in this section constitutes a waiver of any demand against the state on account of overpayment. ..."
With respect to the plaintiffs' claim that the prescribed three year limitation period set forth in § 12-732 is not jurisdictional, we find their reliance upon
Williams
v.
Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities
, supra,
The plaintiff in
DaimlerChrysler Corp.
also did not qualify as a " 'taxpayer' " as that term was contemplated by the Connecticut Sales and Use Taxes Act, General Statutes § 12-406 et seq.
DaimlerChrysler Corp.
v.
Law , supra,
The plaintiff in
Crystal
, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, was appointed as receiver to two insolvent banks.
Federal Deposit Ins. Corp.
v.
Crystal , supra,
General Statutes § 12-225 (b) (1) provides in relevant part: "Any company which fails to include in its return items of deductions or includes items of nontaxable income or makes any other error in such return may, within three years from the due date of the return, file with the commissioner an amended return, together with a claim for refund of taxes overpaid as shown by such amended return. Failure to file a claim within the time prescribed in this section constitutes a waiver of any demand against the state on account of overpayment. ..."
Consistent with our principles with respect to sovereign immunity and subject matter jurisdiction, the three year period may not be equitably tolled. See
Williams
v.
Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities
, supra,
" 'Adjusted gross income' means the adjusted gross income of a natural person with respect to any taxable year, as determined for federal income tax purposes and as properly reported on such person's federal income tax return." General Statutes § 12-701 (a) (19). " 'Connecticut adjusted gross income' " means adjusted gross income subject to modifications not relevant to this appeal. General Statutes § 12-701 (a) (20).
"We long have held that when our tax statutes refer to the federal tax code, federal tax concepts are incorporated into state law. ... Although this rule does not require the wholesale incorporation of the entire body of federal tax principles into our state income tax scheme, where a reference to the federal tax code expressly is made in the language of a statute, and where incorporation of federal tax principles makes sense in light of the statutory language at issue, our prior cases uniformly have held that incorporation should take place." (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
Berkley
v.
Gavin
,
Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations, § 1.83-7 (a), provides in relevant part: "If there is granted to an employee or independent contractor (or beneficiary thereof) in connection with the performance of services, an option to which section 421 (relating generally to certain qualified and other options) does not apply, section 83(a) shall apply to such grant if the option has a readily ascertainable fair market value (determined in accordance with paragraph [b] of this section) at the time the option is granted. The person who performed such services realizes compensation upon such grant at the time and in the amount determined under section 83(a). If section 83(a) does not apply to the grant of such an option because the option does not have a readily ascertainable fair market value at the time of grant, sections 83(a) and 83(b) shall apply at the time the option is exercised or otherwise disposed of, even though the fair market value of such option may have become readily ascertainable before such time. If the option is exercised, sections 83(a) and 83(b) apply to the transfer of property pursuant to such exercise, and the employee or independent contractor realizes compensation upon such transfer at the time and in the amount determined under section 83(a) or 83(b)...."
Because we conclude that § 12-711(b)-18 (a) of the regulations is unambiguous, the plaintiffs are not entitled to a construction in their favor. See
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
v.
Commissioner of Revenue Services
,
We disagree with the plaintiffs' contention that the contrast between subsections (a) and (c), i.e., the fact that the latter contains a formula while the former does not, highlights the ambiguity in § 12-711(b)-18 of the regulations. Subsection (c) delineates the quantum of income that, pursuant to subsection (a), is defined as includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income; it is not itself a definition of income includable in Connecticut adjusted gross income separate and apart from subsection (a).
Title 4 of the United States Code, § 114 (a), provides: "No State may impose an income tax on any retirement income of an individual who is not a resident or domiciliary of such State (as determined under the laws of such State)."
"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." U.S. Const., amend. XIV, § 1.
In addition to the due process clause, the commerce clause of the federal constitution places an additional limit upon the state's power to impose a tax.
MeadWestvaco Corp.
v.
Illinois Dept. of Revenue
,
In
Quill
, the United States Supreme Court concluded that the due process requirements were satisfied by the fact that the taxpayer "engaged in continuous and widespread solicitation of business within [the] [s]tate" such that the taxpayer "clearly ha[d] fair warning that [its] activity may subject [it] to the jurisdiction of a foreign sovereign." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Quill
v.
North Dakota
,
We note also that the plaintiffs also enjoyed the benefits and protections afforded domiciliaries while Allen was performing the services for which he was granted the stock options.
While it is true that use of stock option awards as a form of executive compensation has declined recently; S. Hannes & A. Tabbach, "Executive Stock Options: The Effects of Manipulation on Risk Taking,"
The plaintiffs also rely on a recent Ohio Supreme Court case which stated that, "[u]nder [
Shaffer
v.
Carter
,
The plaintiffs' reliance upon the "secondary holding" in
Molter
v.
Dept. of Treasury
,
There is a methodology for ascertaining the present value of stock options. "The Black-Scholes option-pricing model is a standard model used by analysts for pricing options. Fisher Black and Myron Scholes, the developers of the model, won Nobel Prizes in economics following the development of the model. The existence of variables (the risk free rate, volatility of the underlying stock, expiration date of the option, etc.) may cause the model to have less reliability, however, in certain circumstances."
In re Coleman Co. Inc. Shareholders
,
We are unmoved by the plaintiffs' warning that "horribles would parade" as a result of our conclusion. Contrary to the plaintiffs' claim, a state of prior residence would not be able to impose a tax on a nonresident taxpayer living and working in another state simply because the taxpayer enjoyed benefits and protection during his time of residence in that state. Jurisdiction is not predicated on whether a taxpayer has ever enjoyed the benefits or protections of a state "that made the executive's income possible"; instead, "the benefits afforded by the state ... must generally span the time period during which the income was
earned
...." (Emphasis added.)
Chase Manhattan Bank
v.
Gavin
, supra,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jefferson ALLEN Et Al. v. COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE SERVICES
- Cited By
- 18 cases
- Status
- Published