González v. Secretary of the Treasury
González v. Secretary of the Treasury
Opinion of the Court
This case involves a situation similar to that in Fuentes v. Secretary of the Treasury, ante,, p. 472. On August 18, 1953 plaintiff Diego González filed a petition for injunction in the Superior Court, San Juan Part, alleging that on March 10, 1952 the Secretary of the Treasury assessed deficiencies in his income tax for' the years 1943 to 1949, both inclusive, in the amount of $37,972.85; that upon making the aforesaid assessment the Secretary did not comply with the provisions of § 57(a) of the Income Tax Act of 1924 which requires a notice to the taxpayer by registered mail from which he may appeal to the superior court; that as a result of the Secretary’s failure to give such final notice the assessment of the tax was null and void. He requested that the Secretary be ordered to withdraw from collection the above-mentioned taxes and to proceed to notify pursuant to law the determined deficiencies.
Against this petition the Secretary of the Treasury filed a motion' for summary judgment in his favor. With said motion he submitted a sworn statement setting forth: (1) that'on October 22, 1951 he sent plaintiff a tentative notice of deficiency by registered mail No. 9692 for the years 1943 to 1949, both inclusive, for the amount of $65,345.18; (2)
The parties having been heard, on November 8, 1954 the trial court denied the petition for injunction. On appeal, this Court reversed said decision on March 11, 1958 by judgment rendered on the grounds stated in the case of Fuentes v. Sec. of the Treasury, 80 P.R.R. 198, and we remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. Once more before the trial court, the Secretary submitted the ease on the evidence which accompanied his motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff did not contest said evidence. On January 23, 1959 the trial court decided that the Secretary of the Treasury had notified tax determinations to plaintiff by registered mail on October 22 and on December 13,1951, before assessing, and had complied with the provisions of "§ 57 (a) of the Act. It being so, the petition for injunction was dismissed.
The notice of appeal filed in the case at fyar is the same as the one filed in the case of Fuentes. As in that ease, this appeal will be dismissed for lack of a constitutional question.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.