Reeves County Appraisal District and Loving County Appraisal District v. Midcon Compression, L.L.C.
Reeves County Appraisal District and Loving County Appraisal District v. Midcon Compression, L.L.C.
Opinion
Valerus Compression Services owns and leases out compressor stations used to deliver natural gas into pipelines. Some of these compressors are in use in Reeves and Loving counties. In response to a 2012 amendment to the Tax Code that included leased heavy equipment in a statutory formula used to value heavy equipment held by dealers for sale, Valerus began paying taxes on the compressors located in Reeves and Loving counties to Harris County, where Valerus contends it maintains its principal place of business. But Reeves and Loving counties continued to place the compressors on their appraisal rolls at full market value, arguing that their presence within the counties fixes taxable situs there.
The respective appraisal-review boards sided with the counties. Valerus sought judicial review. In the trial court, the counties argued Tax Code sections 23.1241 and 23.1242 -the provisions the legislature amended in 2012-are unconstitutional on their face and as applied because the statutory formula for valuing leased heavy equipment bears no relationship to any measure of market value as required by the Texas Constitution. The counties also argued that taxes on the compressors were due to Reeves and Loving counties, not Harris County. Finally, they argued the compressors are not "heavy equipment" under Tax Code section 23.1241(a)(6), and therefore do not fall under the challenged statutory framework. The trial court sided with the counties on the first two issues but with Valerus on the third.
Both parties appealed, but the counties dropped their argument that Valerus's compressors are not "heavy equipment" under section 23.1241(a)(6). The court of appeals reversed the trial court's determination that sections 23.1241 and 23.1242 are unconstitutional but affirmed its conclusion that the compressors' taxable situses are Reeves and Loving counties rather than Harris County.
See
Both parties sought our review and this case was consolidated for briefing with four other similar cases. On March 2, 2018, we issued an opinion in
EXLP Leasing, LLC v. Galveston Central Appraisal District
,
In
EXLP Leasing
, we considered the same constitutional challenges considered by the court of appeals in this case and held that the Galveston County appraisal district failed to rebut the presumed constitutionality of Tax Code sections 23.1241 and 23.1242. Specifically, we rejected the district's argument that "for constitutional purposes, 'value' under article VIII, section 1(b) means the actual market value a willing buyer would pay a willing seller for the compressors at issue."
The court of appeals in this case likewise concluded that "the constitution does not prescribe a particular formula or standard for determining the 'market value' of property."
On the question of where the compressors at issue are properly taxed, however, the court of appeals' conclusion differs from ours in
EXLP Leasing
. We concluded that " sections 23.1241 and 23.1242, read together, reflect the legislature's intent to fix the situs of dealer-held heavy equipment at the location where the dealer maintains its inventory rather than at the various locations where the equipment might otherwise by physically located."
Valerus further moved for summary judgment that taxes on the compressors at issue "were properly declared and paid in Harris County, not in Loving County." On the record before us, however, we cannot say that Valerus was entitled to judgment that taxes were properly paid in Harris County. In
EXLP Leasing
, we held that " sections 23.1241 and 23.1242, read together, reflect the legislature's intent to fix the situs of dealer-held heavy equipment at the location where the dealer maintains its inventory rather than at the various locations where the equipment might otherwise by physically located."
In this case, however, Valerus paid taxes in Harris County, where Valerus says it maintains its principal place of business. Our holding in
EXLP Leasing
, however, clarifies that taxable situs is tethered to "the location where the dealer maintains its inventory."
For these reasons, and without hearing oral argument, see TEX. R. APP. P. 59.1, we affirm the court of appeals' judgment in part and reverse in part, rendering judgment that sections 23.1241 and 23.1242 control the taxable situs of the compressors at issue in this case. However, because summary judgment could not have been granted on Valerus's argument that it properly paid taxes in Harris County, we remand to the trial court for further proceedings on where taxes for the compressors at issue are due under Tax Code sections 23.1241 and 23.1242.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- REEVES COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT AND LOVING COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, Petitioners v. VALERUS COMPRESSION SERVICES, a Texas Limited Partnership and Valerus Compression Services Management, LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company, General Partner, Respondents
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published