Commonwealth v. Westinghouse Air-Brake Co.
Commonwealth v. Westinghouse Air-Brake Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
These are cross appeals from the same judgment. The case was tried in the court below without a jury under the Act of April 22,1874, P. L. 109, and hence the facts found must be accepted as conclusively established for the purpose of review. The Commonwealth contends that some items were improperly deducted from the valuation of the capital stock, while the defendant company urges that the court erred in not allowing further deductions. The case presents some interesting questions which to be understood must be explained. The defendant company is a domestic corporation having the right to make and sell air-brakes manufactured under the Westinghouse patents which it has the power to take and hold. It has never undertaken to do any other kind of
“The defendant contends that it is the real owner of the Wisconsin and Canadian companies; that having purchased the manufacturing plant in Wisconsin at a receiver’s sale it became the owner, and that it was not any less the owner because it erected a corporation under the name of the National Brake and Electric Company and holds the property by means of the stock in that company. It argues that having thus become the owner of property located permanently out of the State, such property is not subject to taxation here, and if not, its value must be deducted from the aggregate capital stock upon which the tax has been charged in this settlement. The same contention is made with respect to the Canadian Westinghouse Company, Limited. The defendant established a plant at Hamilton, Ontario, and formed an organization known as the Canadian Westinghouse Company, Limited, for the purpose of maintaining its business in Canada. It holds the plant through the medium of the stock in that company. It thereby became none the less the real owner of the plant. It owns the plant and the evidence of its ownership is the shares of stock which it holds in that corporation.”
As to these two properties this puts the question in
As to the ownership of shares of stock in certain foreign corporations a different question arises. It is not pretended that the defendant company either owns or controls the property and business of these corporations. In order to establish business relations with these corporations the defendant company purchased a limited amount of their capital stock, but it had nothing to do with their incorporation and but little if anything with their control and management. The defendant simply owns some shares in these corporations. In no proper legal sense can it be said that a Pennsylvania corporation which owns a few shares of the capital stock of a foreign corporation, is thereby made the owner of personal property or real estate permanently located beyond our jurisdiction. To such a case the rule as to property permanently located outside our State does not apply. The purchase by a domestic corporation of a limited number of shares of the capital stock of a foreign corporation for the purpose of investment, or for incidental business reasons, does not constitute an ownership of property permanently located outside our State so as to entitle the domestic corporation to a deduction
We also agree with the learned court below in refusing to make a deduction for the shares of capital stock held by the defendant company in the International Construction Company and for the value of the bonds of the Mexican Car and Foundry Company, which deductions were asked on the ground that these investments were made with a view of aiding the defendant’s manufacturing business, and therefore represents capital employed in manufacture. It is a sufficient answer to say that the exemption allowed to manufacturing corporations by our acts of assembly only applies to so much of their capital stock as is actually and exclusively employed in Pennsylvania.
We have not deemed it necessary to discuss what constitutes tangible and intangible property, or whether a tax on shares is a tax upon the property and assets of a corporation, because these questions have been so repeatedly considered by our courts that nothing of value could be added by anything we might say. We have indicated in a general way the broad underlying principles upon which such cases should be decided and these are conclusive under the facts of the case at bar.
The learned court below gave the case most intelligent and exhaustive consideration and we are in accord with the conclusions reached.
Judgment affirmed and both appeals dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Commonwealth v. Westinghouse Air-Brake Company
- Cited By
- 12 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Corporations — Taxation—Capital stoch tax — Valuation—Property outside Slate — Property engaged in manufacturing — Investments. 1. No state has the power to tax tangible property permanently located beyond its jurisdiction, no matter under what guise it may undertake to do it. The power of the legislature to impose a tax is limited to persons, property and business within the jurisdiction of the State. 2. Where a corporation, for business or legal reasons, finds it necessary to incorporate companies in other states in order to conduct business there, and owns all the stock in such companies, it is to be deemed the owner of the properties belonging to such companies and located outside of Pennsylvania, for purposes of valuing its capital stock for taxation; but where a domestic corporation owns only a limited number of shares of capital stock of a foreign corporation, it is not thereby made the owner of personal property or real estate permanently located outside the State and is not entitled to a deduction for the value of the shares so held. 3. The fact that a corporation owns stock or bonds which it has acquired with a view to aiding its manufacturing business in Pennsylvania, is no ground for a contention that property so owned is actually engaged in manufacturing in Pennsylvania and therefore exempt from taxation.