Chuck's Package Store v. City of Morristown
Chuck's Package Store v. City of Morristown
Opinion
From 2011-2014, a municipality charged alcoholic beverage retailers higher inspection fees than was authorized by the municipality's ordinance. A group of alcoholic beverage retailers paid the excess fees, but not under protest. After the municipality denied the retailers' requests for refunds, they sued the municipality for recovery of the excess collections and other damages. The municipality moved to dismiss, arguing that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq. , required the retailers to have paid under protest any disputed taxes before filing suit to recover the overpayments. The trial court disagreed and awarded the retailers a judgment for the overpayments, ruling that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , applied and payment under protest was not required. The Court of Appeals affirmed. We hold that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq. , rather than sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , apply to a suit to recover municipal taxes. Under section 67-1-901(a), the retailers were required to have paid under protest the disputed taxes before filing suit. Because the retailers did not pay the taxes under protest, they are not entitled to refunds.
I.
A municipality may impose by ordinance an inspection fee on licensed alcoholic beverage retailers located within the municipality.
The city of Morristown in Hamblen County adopted an ordinance, under the authority of Tennessee Code Annotated section 57-3-501(a)(1), imposing an inspection fee on licensed alcoholic beverage retailers within its municipal boundaries. The city set the fee at eight percent of the wholesale price based on the county's population of less than 60,000. By January 2011, the county's population, according to the 2010 federal census, increased to over 60,000. Under the city's ordinance, the inspection fee should have decreased to a maximum fee of five percent of the wholesale price. However, from 2011-2014, the city of Morristown charged the retailers an eight percent inspection fee, which the wholesalers collected and remitted to the city.
In June 2014, one of the alcoholic beverage retailers, Chuck's Package Store, forwarded to the city a law firm advertisement letter advising that the city was overcharging inspection fees based on the population increase. The city's administrative services director acknowledged the error and pledged to refund the overpayments. However, in July 2014, after a meeting with other city officials, the administrative services director notified Chuck's Package Store that the city would not issue a refund.
On October 14, 2014, a group of alcoholic beverage retailers, Chuck's Package Store; The Cellar, Inc.; T & T Package Store, LLC; Morristown Beverage Associates, Inc., d/b/a Cork & Keg Package Store; The Package Store; and C & C Package, Inc., sued the city of Morristown in the Hamblen County Chancery Court to recover the overpaid taxes, damages, and other relief.
The city moved to dismiss, arguing in part that the retailers were not entitled to relief because they had failed to pay the disputed taxes under protest as required by Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901(a) and -911 (2013). The trial court denied the city's motion to dismiss, holding that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. (2013 & 2017 Supp.), applied and the retailers were not required to have paid under protest the municipal taxes before seeking refunds. Following a bench trial in April 2015, the trial court awarded the retailers a judgment for the excess taxes paid from January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014, in the amount of $452,120.51, prejudgment interest, and attorney's fees.
The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1807,
et seq.
, applied to relieve the taxpayers from the requirement of paying under protest disputed taxes before filing suit.
See
Chuck's Package Store v. City of Morristown
, No. E2015-01524-COA-R3-CV,
II.
We granted the city of Morristown's application for permission to appeal to determine whether taxpayers must pay under protest disputed municipal taxes before seeking refunds. 1 This issue requires us to decide whether Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq. , or Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , apply to a suit seeking a refund of municipal taxes. Based on the conflicting decisions from the Court of Appeals, there is a need for uniformity in this area of the law.
We review issues of statutory interpretation de novo and afford no presumption of correctness to the trial court's conclusions of law.
State v. Burgins
,
We begin with a review of the statutes at issue. Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-901 requires a taxpayer, before seeking a refund, to pay under protest any disputed state taxes:
(a) In all cases ... in which an officer, charged by law with the collection of revenue due the state, shall institute any proceeding, or take any steps for the collection of the sum alleged or claimed to be due ... the person against whom the proceeding or step is taken shall, if that person conceives the same to be unjust or illegal, or against any statute or clause of the constitution of the state, pay the revenue under protest .
In 1959, the General Assembly made the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-901(a) and other statutes (sections 67-1-902 to 67-1-905 and 67-1-908 to 67-1-910) applicable to proceedings for refunds of disputed taxes collected by municipalities.
In 1986, the General Assembly amended Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-901 to add subsection (b), which eliminated the requirement of payment under protest for taxes collected by the commissioner of revenue on or after January 1, 1986:
(b) This section shall not apply to any tax collected or administered by the commissioner of revenue when such tax is paid on or after January 1, 1986. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, it is the intent of the general assembly that it shall not be a condition precedent to any claim or suit for recovery of any taxes collected or administered by the commissioner when such taxes were paid on or after January 1, 1986, that the taxes were paid under protest, involuntarily, or under duress.
See
At the same time in 1986, the General Assembly amended Tennessee Code Annotated title 67, chapter 1, to add part 18.
See
Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-1807 (2013 & 2017 Supp.) removed the requirement of payment under protest:
(a) All taxes paid on or after January 1, 1986, shall be governed by the laws regarding refunds and suits for the recovery of taxes as set out in this part.
(b)(1) It shall not be a condition precedent for suit for recovery of taxes paid on or after January 1, 1986, that the taxes be paid under protest, involuntarily, or under duress.
(2) No suit for the recovery of any tax paid prior to January 1, 1986, shall be allowed unless such tax was paid under protest.
(c) To the extent that this section conflicts with any other law, this section shall control and supersede all such laws.
Aluminum Co. of Am. v. Celauro
,
Here, the city of Morristown and the retailers disagree on whether taxpayers are required to pay under protest disputed municipal taxes before filing suit for refunds. The city argues that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901,
et seq.
, govern suits seeking refunds of municipal taxes; section 67-1-901(a) requires payment under protest; and sections 67-1-901(b) and 67-1-1807, which eliminated the requirement of payment under protest, apply only to proceedings for recovery of state taxes. Relying in part on
Lebanon Liquors, Inc. v. City of Lebanon
,
In
Lebanon Liquors
, a group of liquor retailers sued the city of Lebanon to recover excess inspection fees paid on the wholesale purchase of liquor due to a change in county population.
The Court of Appeals reached the same result in other cases. In
Nashville Metro Government v. New Orleans Manor, Inc.
, No. M2013-00706-COA-R3-CV,
Similarly, the Court of Appeals has applied the requirement of payment under protest in cases involving disputed county taxes. Under Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-912(a), county taxes are subject to the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901 to 67-1-905 and 67-1-908 to 67-1-910.
In another case concerning recovery of disputed county taxes,
Heath v. Creson
,
The Court of Appeals has required payment under protest in challenges to other types of local taxes.
See, e.g.
,
State ex rel. Williamson Cnty. v. Jesus Christ's Church at Liberty Church Rd.
, No. M2009-02439-COA-R3-CV,
The retailers maintain that they were not required to pay under protest the disputed municipal taxes before filing suit because Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801,
et seq.
, applied and removed the requirement of payment under protest for all taxes-state and municipal. The retailers point to the broad language of section 67-1-1807(a), which provides "[a]ll taxes paid on or after January 1, 1986 shall be governed by the laws regarding refunds and suits for the recovery of taxes"; section 67-1-1807(b)(1), which removed the requirement of payment under protest for recovery of taxes paid on or after January 1, 1986; and section 67-1-1807(c), which states that "[t]o the extent that this section conflicts with any other law, this section shall control and supersede all such laws."
See
The retailers rely on decisions from the Court of Appeals in
Vulcan Materials
,
Following the reasoning of
Vulcan Materials
, the Court of Appeals held in
Admiralty Suites
that a group of hotels challenging the constitutionality of occupancy taxes levied by cities and counties did not have to first pay the taxes under protest.
Admiralty Suites
,
After reviewing Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq. , and Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , we hold that on or after January 1, 1986, the process for taxpayer recovery of state taxes differs from the process for recovery of municipal taxes. Before January 1, 1986, under Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-901, a taxpayer was required to pay under protest both state and municipal taxes before filing suit for a refund. On or after January 1, 1986, under Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901(b) and 67-1-1807(b)(1), a taxpayer is not required to pay under protest disputed state taxes collected or administered by the commissioner of revenue before filing suit for a refund. The statutory changes in section 67-1-901(b) and section 67-1-1807(b) did not eliminate the requirement of payment under protest in section 67-1-901(a) for disputed municipal taxes.
We base our decision on the following considerations. First, the 1986 enactments of Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-901(b) and Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , that removed the requirement of payment under protest reference only taxes collected by the commissioner of revenue; there is no mention of taxes collected by a municipality. We cannot add "municipal taxes" to these statutes to expand their scope.
Second, the provision in Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-1807(a) that removed the requirement of payment under protest for state taxes is self-limiting. It provides that "[a]ll taxes paid on or after January 1, 1986, shall be governed by the laws regarding refunds and suits for the recovery of taxes
as set out in this part
."
Third, Tennessee Code Annotated section 67-1-911(b) provides that "[i]n order to carry out the legislative intent that all of [ sections 67-1-901,
et seq.
], which now apply to the recovery of state taxes erroneously paid, be conformed to apply also to the recovery of taxes erroneously paid to municipalities."
Finally, any construction of section 67-1-1807 that removes the payment-under-protest requirement for all taxes-including municipal taxes-would impliedly
repeal the payment-under-protest requirement in sections 67-1-901(a) and 67-1-911 for municipal taxes. Implied repeals are disfavored.
Johnson v. Hopkins
,
III.
We hold that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq. , govern actions to recover disputed municipal taxes. Under section 67-1-901(a), a taxpayer must pay under protest disputed municipal taxes before filing suit for a refund. Here, the retailers did not pay the municipal taxes under protest before filing suit; therefore, they are not entitled to recover the overpayments. We reverse the trial court and the Court of Appeals and remand this cause to the trial court for any further proceedings. Costs are taxed to Chuck's Package Store; The Cellar, Inc.; T & T Package Store, LLC; Morristown Beverage Associates, Inc., d/b/a Cork & Keg Package Store; The Package Store; and C & C Package, Inc., for which execution may issue if necessary.
On appeal to this Court, the city of Morristown argued for the first time that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801,
et seq.
, were inapplicable because the overpayments at issue were fees rather than taxes, citing
Memphis Retail Liquor Dealers' Association, Inc. v. City of Memphis
,
This statutory provision was enacted in 1873 and underwent minor amendments until subsection (b) was added in 1986.
See
1873 Tenn. Acts 71-73; Shannon's Code, § 1059 (1918); 1932 Tenn. Code § 1790;
The legislative history of Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , supports this conclusion. The Wilder Bill, Tennessee Public Acts 1986, chapter 749, named after the bill's sponsor, Lieutenant Governor John Wilder, added sections 67-1-1801, et seq. , and section 67-1-901(b), among other statutory amendments. In the legislative debates, Senator Milton Hamilton asked Lt. Gov. Wilder whether the 1986 bill is intended to apply "to local government too or is it just about the state," to which Lt. Gov. Wilder responded, "Not yet, Senator Hamilton, it's just the state." Wilder Bill: Hearing on S.B. 1437 Before the Senate Finance, Ways & Means Comm. , 94th Gen. Assemb. (Tenn. 1986) (statements of Sen. Milton Hamilton, Member, S. Comm. of Fin., Ways & Means, and Lt. Gov. John S. Wilder, Speaker of the Senate and bill sponsor).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CHUCK'S PACKAGE STORE, Et Al. v. CITY OF MORRISTOWN
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- From 2011–2014, a municipality charged alcoholic beverage retailers higher inspection fees than was authorized by the municipality's ordinance. A group of alcoholic beverage retailers paid the excess fees, but not under protest. After the municipality denied the retailers' requests for refunds, they sued the municipality for recovery of the excess collections and other damages. The municipality moved to dismiss, arguing that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq., required the retailers to have paid under protest any disputed taxes before filing suit to recover the overpayments. The trial court disagreed and awarded the retailers a judgment for the overpayments, ruling that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-1801, et seq., applied and payment under protest was not required. The Court of Appeals affirmed. We hold that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 67-1-901, et seq., rather than sections 67 1-1801, et seq., apply to a suit to recover municipal taxes. Under section 67-1-901(a), the retailers were required to have paid under protest the disputed taxes before filing suit. Because the retailers did not pay the taxes under protest, they are not entitled to refunds.