Louisville & Nashville Railroad v. Amos
Louisville & Nashville Railroad v. Amos
Opinion of the Court
The several complainants, railroad companies, jointly prosecute this suit against the defendant, who is Comptroller of the State. The relief prayed is an order enjoining the defendant, as Comptroller, from taking any action to enforce collection from the complainants, of amounts claimed by the State to be due by them, as taxes on personal property for the year 1927, it being alleged that the said several charges, except as computed on an assessment based on twenty per cent of the actual value of complainants’ personal property, which are admitted to be lawful and are tendered to the defendant and deposited in the registry of the court, are unlawful exactions, payment of which by complainants should not be demanded and enforced.
The defendant demurred to the bill. There was filed a stipulation waiving any question of multifariousness or improper joinder of parties. Upon a hearing there was an order overruling the demurrer, and granting a temporary injunction in accordance with the prayer of the bill. The injunction was upon conditions, however, that each complainant pay into the registry of the court an amount
The complainants appealed. Defendant filed a cross appeal. The conditions of the order are assigned as error by complainants. Overruling the demurrer to the bill and granting the injunction are assigned as error by defendant.
In logical sequence, the assignment on the cross appeal should be considered first, since, if it is found the demurrer to complainants’ bill should have been sustained, or if the restraining order should have been refused, complainants’ assignments will have no basis.
The bill contains in substance the following allegations. Complainants are corporations, some of them foreign, others domestic, but all are common carriers operating in this State. Defendant is Comptroller of the State. All of the complainants, on or before the first Monday in March, 1927, severally made and filed with the defendant returns, under oath, as of January 1, 1927, upon forms furnished by defendant, containing a correct and complete statement of their personal property “and the full cash value thereof.” The total actual value” of the property of each complainant shown by the returns is stated. The returns were accepted by the defendant, so the bill alleges, and by the Railway Assessing Board. Upon the returns, the defendant, the
The bill then alleges “That it is now, was during the year 1927, and has been for many years past, the settled uniform and fixed custom, policy and practice of the taxing authorities throughout the State of Florida, and the several counties thereof, to assess, and the assessing and taxing authorities of the State systematically, habitually, intentionally, and designedly assess, * * * when such property is assessed or appears on said rolls at all, * * * the taxable personal property of individuals and corporations, other than those whose property is assessed and the value thereof for the purpose of taxation fixed by the Railway Assessing Board, at a very low valuation, and not exceeding twenty per cent of the actual value thereof and that such action on the part of such taxing authorities is not the result of inadvertence, oversight, honest mistake or judgment, or absence of knowledge either as to the existence of such personal property or the value thereof, all
It is further alleged “That the percentage of- value adopted by the Railway Assessing Board, viz., fifty per cent of the actual fair value thereof, and applied to the personal property of the complainants for the purpose of fixing, the assessment thereof for taxation, is, as is and was
It is also alleged that complainants have paid all taxes for the year 1927 upon all other property owned by them and subject to taxation in the State of Florida; that tender of amounts “representing the lawful taxes due computed
The rule is that a general demurrer to a pleading admits the truth of all such matters of fact as are sufficiently pleaded. Therefore, on demurrer it is admitted that the property of complainants is assessed on a basis of fifty per cent; that personal property of others is assessed on a basis of twenty to twenty-five per cent and that such lower valuation is systematic and intentional on the. part of the assessing officers; that it- is known to be so by the Railway Assessing Board; and that complainants have paid all other taxes due by them for the year 1927.
While it is uniformly held that mere errors of judgment by taxing officials in making assessments of property for taxation, will not constitute a proper basis or support for claims of unjust discrimination, yet, on the other hand it is equally well settled, in this and other jurisdictions, that intentional, systematic, under-valuation by taxing officials of other taxable property of the same class, which, in effe.ct, amounts to an intentional violation of the essential principles of practical uniformity, contravenes the constitutional rights of one whose property is over valued. Camp Phosphate Co. v. Allen, 77 Fla. 341, 81 So. R. 503; Sioux City Bridge Co. v. Dakota County, 260 U. S. 441, 67 Law Ed. 340; Sunday Lake Iron Co. v. Township of Wakefield, 247 U. S. 350, 62 Law Ed. 1154; City of Tampa v. Palmer, 89 Fla. 514; 105 So. R. 115.
Uniformity and equality of rate and just valuation are required. Unlawful discrimination is forbidden. Where illegal discrimination is practiced, it is immaterial whether it is effected by a single assessing board, or through the action of two independent boards or officials. Baker v.
It is also well settled that a tax payer, although assessed on a basis of not more than full value, may be unlawfully discriminated against by undervaluation of property of the same class of other tax payers. Southern Ry. Co. v. Watts, 260 U. S. 519, 67 Law Ed. 375. And this may be true, although the discrimination is effected through the action of different taxing officials. Greene v. Louisville & I. R. Co., 244 U. S. 499, 61 Law Ed. 1280.
But it is contended here that because the bill does not disclose the basis of the assessment of complainants’ property, other than their personal property, it cannot be determined on this record that there is any discrimination against them, non constat other property of complainants may be under valued, and, if taking their property- as a whole, there is no over, valuation, then there is no discrimination against which equity will relieve, because there is no injury. The case of Baker v. Druesedow, supra, is cited to sustain this contention. In that case the Supreme Court of the United States-followed a decision of the Texas Supreme Court, holding there was no discrimination, against which equitable relief would be granted, if, taking the tax on tangible and the tax on intangible property together, the t.ax payer is not called upon to pay on the average, on a higher percentage of the actual value than are other persons and property.
If the allegations of the bill are proved, complainants may be awarded some relief. So, in so far as.the order overruled the demurrer, it was not error.
Injunction is a proper remedy in a case of this kind. The rule is, that where an intentional, unjust discrimination is shown in the assessment of taxes, the collection of the tax may be enjoined. Cooey v. Johnson, 95 Fla. 946, 117
In Graham v. City of West Tampa. 71 Fla. 605, 71 So. R. 926, the court said: “Where the essential requirements of the law are not observed in making valuations of property for assessment, and the valuations as made are shown by admissions or proofs to be clearly excessive, unjust and unequal, appropriate relief may be had in equity, even though the proceedings authorized by law for seeking relief from administrative officers were not utilized, where the case made shows a flagrant violation of or omission to follow the mandatory requirements of the law in valuing property for taxation.”
We have seen that the good faith and validity of the actions of taxing officers will be presumed. This rule is applicable here to the actions of the defendant' challenged •in this suit. It is also well settled- that where equity may properly be invoked to restrain the collection of taxes on the ground of the invalidity of the assessment, the complainant must make a complete case for equitable relief by excluding every reasonable hypothesis of a legal assessment against him. Roberts v. American National Bank, 94 Fla. 427, 115 So. R. 261. The law contemplates that assessing officers shall make just, fair and impartial valuations of property for assessment purposes. And their valuations, when made in the manner provided by law and with practical regard to existing conditions and circumstances of character, locality, use and other matters that may affect values, will in general not be disturbed by the courts, unless it ap
But this case, upon application for a temporary injunction, was presented to the chancellor on a sworn bill of complaint. There was no answer for defendant denying the allegations of the bill or any of them. Nor were they otherwise controverted, except inferentially by affidavits of county assessing officers and others showing the basis of assessment of personal property made by such officers. There were filed a number of affidavits, on behalf both of complainants and defendant. Upon consideration of the affidavits in evidence the chancellor found that an assessment of complainants’ property on a basis of 26.80 per cent of its value would place their assessments on a parity with other similar property. This was a finding of fact. At the argument it was stated thatj;he chancellor reached this conclusion by taking into consideration, first, affidavits filed on behalf of complainants; second, where complainants had no affidavits, then those filed by defendants; and third, where neither filed affidavits, a presumption that the, county assessment was on a basis of fifty per cent of actual value. If taxable personal property, other than property the value of which is fixed for the purpose of taxation by
Therefore, considering as true all the allegations of the bill which the demurrer admits and upon the showing made it can not be said that the .court erred in granting the temporary injunction.
But complainants assign as errors the conditions of the restraining order. They admit the tax to be legal, computed upon an assessment based on twenty per cent of the value of their property. The chancellor considered the evidence submitted and found the tax to be legal, computed on 26.80 per cent of the value of their property. And having so found, so conditioned the order that taxes on that basis should be paid into the registry of 'the court before' the injunction should become effective. This was not such an improvident exercise of judicial discretion as to render the order erroneous. Meccano Ltd. v. Wannamaker, 253 U. S. 136. On the contrary, such jurisdiction is expressly conferred by statute. Chap. 8586, Acts 1921; Secs. 1038, 1039, 1040, Comp. Gen. Laws.
The condition of the order requiring assent of complainants to distribution by defendants of amounts tendered with the bill, in accordance with further decree of
No errors have béen made to appear, either on the appeal or cross-appeal. So the order appealed from will be affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, a corporation v. Ernest Amos, Comptroller of the State of Florida
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published