In re the Appeal of the Des Moines Union Railway Co.
In re the Appeal of the Des Moines Union Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
The cold-storage warehouse, erected by the Pabst Brewing Company on the lot of the Des Moines Union Eailway Company, was so used by Milwaukee Beer Company through its agent, Hovde, in the storage of beer kept by it for sale, that a mulct tax should have been assessed for the quarters ending June 30 and September 30, 1904. Bell v. Hamm, 127 Iowa, 343; State v. Miller, 114 Iowa, 396. This was not done, however, and no return was ever made by the assessor, as required by section 2433 of the Code, as amended by section 1, Acts 29th General Assembly, or by three citizens as allowed by section 2435, as amended by section 2 of the same act. The sole inquiry is whether the assessment and collection of the mulct tax is within the statute providing for assessment of and collection of taxes on omitted property. The district court so held, and therein erred because (1) the mulct tax is not a property tax; and (2) the provisions in relation to the assessment for and levy of other taxes are not applicable thereto. The sections prescribing the procedure for the assessment and collection of the tax proceed upon the theory that the tax is on the business, and the lien against the property is created as an aid to its collection. Thus section 2433, as amended, provides that:
In the months of December, March, June, and September of each year, and before the twentieth day of each of said months, the assessor of each township, town or city, or assessment district thereof, shall return to the county auditor a list of persons who are or since the last quarterly return have been engaged in carrying on within said township, town, city or assessment district, the business of selling or.keeping for sale intoxicating liquors, or maintaining any place where such liquors are sold or kept for sale, and also a description of the real property wherein or whereon such business is carried on or such place is maintained, with the name of the tenant or occupant and owner or agent. Any assessor wil*733 fully failing to comply with the provisions of this section shall pay a fine of $50 and costs for each offense.
Then follow provisions with reference to notice, and in the next section, upon failure of the assessor to act, three citizens of the county are authorized to procure the listing of names and places by the county auditor. Section 2436 reads:
On the first day of January, of April, of July, and October of each year there shall be due and payable from each person returned to the county auditor by the assessor, or by three citizens as aforesaid, as a person carrying on the business of selling or keeping for sale intoxicating liquors, or maintaining a place where such liquors are sold or kept for sale, a quarterly installment of the mulct tax herein provided for, and the tax due from any person so returned by the assessors, or by three reputable citizens shall be a lien upon the real property wherein or whereon such business is returned as being carried on or such place maintained, whether the person carrying on such business, or maintaining such place, is correctly described or not.
If the installments of tax due and payable as aforesaid are not paid within one month after the same become due and payable, then a penalty of 20 per cent, shall be added thereto, together with 1 per cent, per month thereafter until paid. Whoever is assessed under the provisions of this chapter shall be liable at least for one quarterly installment of the tax herein provided for, notwithstanding any such person may discontinue the business when so assessed, and notwithstanding the fact he may have been in the business for a less period than three months; and, if he shall continue therein for a longer period than three months, he shall be liable for an additional quarterly installment, subject to abatement on account of discontinuance of the business before the expiration of such second or subsequent quarter. Section 2437 requires the county auditor on the last day of December, March, June and September to certify to the
The lien thus created was held not to take priority over a mortgage on the real estate on which intoxicants were sold, though taxes on personal property had been held to constitute a prior lien. In Guedert v. Emmet County, 116 Iowa, 40, the court, speaking through Weaver, J., said that “ the mulct tax is not primarily a charge on property, but is assessed against the person on account of the business in which he is engaged, and is made a lien on property simply as an aid to its collection.” And farther on the tax is referred to as “ not primarily a tax or charge upon the saloon keeper’s property, but a price or penalty set upon his business, and the lien is a collateral feature, provided
Having reached this conclusion, we next turn to the statutes in relation to the discovery and taxation of omitted property to ascertain if they are broad enough to cover the omissions involved in this case. Section 1374 of the Code provides that, “ when property subject to taxation is withheld, overlooked or from any other cause is not listed and assessed, the county treasurer shall, when apprised thereof, 'at any time within five years at which assessment should
The thought that the section is not applicable to mulct taxes is farther emphasized by the circumstances that the provisions with reference to their assessment and collection are specific and complete in themselves, save that section 2439 of the Code enacts that, “ after the expiration of one month from the date when such tax becomes due and payable if not paid, it shall be delinquent and collectible by the treasurer in the same manner as- that in which other delinquent taxes are collectible and all the provisions as to the collection of other delinquent taxes shall apply.” In expressly making the provisions for the collection of other
Affirmed on appeal of C. W. Murrow, treasurer, and otherwise. — ■ Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In the Matter of the Appeal of the Des Moines Union Railway Company, Owner Pabst Brewing Co. of Milwaukee, Wis., Milwaukee Beer Co. and C. M. Hovde, Occupants, from the action of C. H. Murrow, Treasurer of Polk County, Iowa, in listing and Assessing Certain Mulct Taxes. Pabst Brewing Co. of Milwaukee, Wis., Milwaukee Beer Co. and C. M. Hovde, C. H. Murrow, Des Moines Union Ry. Co.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published