Estate of Bittinger
Estate of Bittinger
Opinion of the Court
Opinion,
. The facts of this case, as we gather them from the paper books, are substantially as follows:
William Bittinger resided in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and died there March 3, 1888, testate. He left a widow, but no children. His will was made October 6,1886, and probated by the register of wills of Adams county, March 9, 1888. He died seised of a farm and mill property, situated in Frederick county, Maryland, which by his will, he devised to the corporation of “ The Trustees of Pennsylvania College of Gettysburg, in the county of Adams.” The college accepted the devise. The commonwealth of Pennsylvania caused an appraisement to be made of this real estate for taxation, under the provisions of the act of assembly of May 6,1887, entitled, “ An act to provide for the better collection of collateral inheritance -taxes: ” P. L. 79. It was valued at $15,000, from which the appraiser deducted $5,000, as the value of the widow’s dower. From this appraisement the college appealed to the Orphans’ Court, which court sustained the appeal. The commonwealth then appealed to this court, and assigned as ■ error the ruling of the Orphans’ Court.
It was contended by the appellee, upon the argument at bar, that the act of 1887 is unconstitutional in this, that the title of said act does not clearly indicate its subject matter. The title is as follows : “An act to provide for the better collection of collateral inheritance taxes.” The title of an act of assembly
The collateral inheritance tax imposed by the act of 1887, upon real estate, is a tax upon the property itself. This clearly' appears from the second proviso in the third section of the act, which is as follows: “ And provided further, That the tax on real estate shall remain a lien on the real estate on which the same is chargeable until paid.” It has not been made to ap
The decree is affirmed, and the appeal dismissed at the costs of the appellant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ESTATE OF WM. BITTINGER
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. The collateral inheritance tax imposed by the act of May 6, 1887, P. L. 79, is a direct tax upon the property devised to or inherited by collaterals, in the hands of the devisees or heirs, and not merely a succession tax imposed upon the persons thus succeeding to real or personal estate. 2. Said act, in so far as it imposes such a tax upon realty situated in other states, transcends legislative power and cannot be enforced, real estate not being drawn to the person or domicile of the owner for taxation or any other purpose, and lienee not taxable outside of the jurisdiction where it is situate. 3. The facts that the devisor of land situate in Maryland was domiciled at the time of his death in Pennsylvania, and that the devisee of said land is a Pennsylvania corporation, mate no difference in the applicability of the rule denying to state tax laws an extra-territorial operation. 4. Whether the imposition by the act of May 6, 1887, P. L. 79, of collateral inheritance taxes upon estates not before taxable, is in violation of § 3, article III., of the constitution, in that the title of the act refers solely to the collection of taxes and does not clearly indicate the subject matter, not decided.