Adams v. Vicksburg Waterworks Co.
Adams v. Vicksburg Waterworks Co.
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The opinion in the case of Wirt Adams, Revenue Agent, v. Samuel R. Bullock & Co., ante, 27, 47 South. 527, practically settled all the contentions in this case.
In this case, as in other cases, we shall not set out the pleadings, since the question to be decided is not to be determined by the applicability of any of the pleadings, but on its merits. There is an agreement in the record which shows that the parties agree that the value of the solvent credits belonging to the waterworks company were as follows, to wit: For 1901, nothing; for 1902, $5,000; for 1903, $5,000; for 1904, $25,000; for 1905, $30,000. It is further agreed that the only property which was listed for taxation against the Vicksburg Waterworks Company for the years in question appears on the personal rolls of the county and shows that the waterworks company was assessed as follows: That is to say, only on “capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing,” and this only for the years 1901, 1902, and 1903, there being no other assessment of any kind against this company for the years 1904 and 1905, it having conveyed the property to the City Waterworks Company some time in 1903. On the hearing a jury was waived and the questions submitted to the court for decision. The court adjudged that the property listed for taxation under the head of “capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing” included the mains, pipes, hydrants, etc., and ordered the assessment returned by the board of supervisors against this
'We' think this case should be affirmed on both appeal and cross appeal. As to the direct appeal, the listing of the property as “capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing” must include the pipes, hydrants, etc., as these things necessarily constitute the capital invested in this business. The description in the tax list is meaningless if it does not comprehend this class of property under the facts of this case. But, while this is true, by no sort of distorted definition of the meaning of “capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing” can it be made to comprehend solvent credits. A solvent credit is a thing quite distinct from property designated as “capital invested in merchandise or manufacturing.” When listed for taxation, a solvent credit cannot be said to be “capital invested in manufacturing.” It is a separate and distinct kind of property, and should be listed as such for taxation.
The judgment is affirmed on direct and cross appeal.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Wirt Adams, State Revenue Agent v. Vicksburg Waterworks Company
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Taxation. Assessment. Description of property. “Capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing.” An assessment for taxation of a waterworks company for “capital invested in merchandise and manufacturing” includes its pipes, hydrants, etc., hut not its solvent credits.