Commonwealth v. Abbotts Alderney Dairies
Commonwealth v. Abbotts Alderney Dairies
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The prayer of the appellant as stated in the appeal taken to the Court of Common Pleas is. that “Abbotts Alderney Dairies may be declared exempt from a payment of a mercantile license tax as a retail vendor of goods, wares and merchandise upon such sales made not in a store or permanent place of business, but at the homes of customers by drivers of wagons as above described.” There is, therefore, a single question at issue. The subject of the right of exemption because of the fact that the appellant is a manufacturer and selling its products at its own place of business was not raised by the appeal and was not considered by the court below. For that reason it cannot be considered here. It is true as contended by the learned counsel for the appellant the subject was not heard on a case stated but we consider it clear that the question presented by the appeal was the single inquiry whether the sales made away from the place of business could be taken into consideration in the assessment. Evidently there were no facts before the court on which there could have been a determination of the proportion of the businéss of the appellant which should have been classed as manufacturing. The question not having been raised by the pleadings the court cannot be held to have erred in not deciding that which was not brought up on the appeal. The first section of the Act of May 2, 1889, P. L. 184, provides: “that each retail vendor of or retail dealer in goods, wares and merchandise shall pay an annual mercantile license tax of two dollars, and all persons so engaged shall pay one mill additional on each dollar of the whole volume of gross business transacted annually.” The assessment was made against the defendant under this statute. It is admitted that the appellant maintained a place of business at 3041 Chestnut street and at 57 Armat street
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- Mercantile tax — Dairy company — Sales of milk through drivers— Act of May 1899, P. L. Í8k- A dairy company engaged in tbe manufacture of butter and cbeese and in the purchase and sale of milk and cream, is liable to the mercantile license tax as a retail vendor where it appears that it loads its products on wagons at its permanent place of business, and that the drivers of such wagons have routes or lists of customers and deliver milk, cream, butter and cheese to the customers at their houses, keeping accounts and collecting and remitting the proceeds thereof to their employer. Where such a company appeals from the Board of Mercantile Appraisers but on the appeal does not raise the question of its right of exemption because it is a manufacturer and sells its products at its own place of business, the appellate court will not consider such question on an appeal from the order of the Common Pleas sustaining the decision of the mercantile appraisers.