Hepler v. Director, Division of Taxation
Hepler v. Director, Division of Taxation
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff Paul Hepler appeals from a Tax Court decision which dismissed his complaint at the conclusion of a trial. Plaintiff’s
The Tax Court judge, on defendant’s motion for summary judgment, concluded that the statute did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of either the Federal or State Constitutions and that plaintiff was not entitled to attorney’s fees. The judge, however, determined that plaintiff was entitled to a plenary hearing to prove that plaintiffs use of the Venture III was as a commercial sport fishing (head) boat, entitling plaintiff to a statutory exemption.
At the conclusion of the trial, the judge issued a written opinion concluding that “plaintiffs vessel is primarily used as a charter boat and not as a party boat (head boat), and its purchase is not exempt from use tax.” We agree and affirm for the reasons expressed by Judge Rimm in his opinion of October 17, 1995, reported at 15 N.J.Tax 261 (Tax 1995).
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.