State v. Cook
State v. Cook
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The Burlington and Mount Holly railroad and transportation company was incorporated in 1848, (Sess. Acts, p. 23,) and was exempt from ordinary taxation. In 1857, (Sess. Acts, p. 400,) this company was authorized to extend its road to Pemberton, and the name was changed to the Burlington County Railroad Company, and there being
The existing company having been taxed by the assessor of the township of Northampton, in which its principal office is situate, upon its capital stock, amounting to two hundred and twenty thousand six hundred and four dollars, and upon its real estate in said township, valued at seven thousand dollars, the question submitted to us is, whether it is liable to these taxes.
It is plain, I think, that the liability of the company to taxation depends entirely on the true construction of the section of the charter of 1866, before quoted. This section makes an entirely new provision respecting the taxes to be paid, differing from those contained in the original charters, and although it does not, in terms, exempt the new company
It was insisted by the counsel of the company, that the phrase “such other state tax,” referred exclusively to a tax assessed for state purposes. But, in my opinion, taxes for county and township purposes are state taxes, as was held in the case of Camden & Amboy R. R. Co. v. Hillegas, 3 Harr. 13. The case of The State v. Flavel, 4 Zab. 370, did not overrule that decision, but held only that an exemption which expressly distinguished between state and county taxes must be interpreted otherwise.
The tax in question was intended to be assessed in pursuance of the fifteenth section of the tax law of 1866, (Sess. Acts, p. 1084,) which enacts “that all private corporations of this state, except banking institutions, and except those which by virtue of any contract in their charters, or other contracts with the state, are expressly exempted from taxation, shall be and hereby are required to be taxed at the full amount of their capital stock paid in, and accumulated surplus.” This is not “ a general law applicable to all railroads over which the legislature had power for that purpose.” It imposes no tax upon any railroad whose charter expressly exempts it from taxation, as was held by this court in the case of The State v. Pancoast, decided at the last term.
The case of The State v. Miller, 1 Vroom 368, which was affirmed by the Court of Errors, and other cases of a like character, established the doctrine that the legislature had power to tax all railroads, whatever exemption might be contained in their charters, which, by reason of an express provision to that effect, or by reason of the laws authorizing them having been passed since 1846, were liable to have their charters repealed or altered.
There is undoubtedly much force in the argument of the counsel for the township, that inasmuch as it cannot be
Aíípibmbd in part, 4 Vroom 474.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE STATE, ON THE PROSECUTION OF THE CAMDEN AND BURLINGTON RAILROAD COMPANY v. FRANKLIN COOK, COLLECTOR OF TAXES, &c.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published