Main Street Bank, Inc. v. City of Richmond
Main Street Bank, Inc. v. City of Richmond
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The Main Street Bank, Inc., proceeded under sections 567 and 571 for relief against an alleged erroneous assessment of State and local taxes for the year 1914. The trial court dismissed the motion, and the bank is here complaining.
One controlling question is whether or not the bank can proceed under those sections, and to determine this it is only necessary to refer to the statutes under which the taxes were levied.
Sections 17 to 22, inclusive, of the revenue law, provide for the taxation of bank stock. Under section 17 it is expressly provided that no tax shall be assessed upon the capital of a bank, and that the bank shall annually return to the local commissioner of the revenue a report in which shall be given the names and residences of all of its stockholders, together with the number and actual value of the shares of stock held by each stockholder, for certain deductions of personal debts of individual stockholders from the value of the shares owned by such stockholders, and for the adjustment of the credits due to each stockholder by reason of deductions so authorized. Section 18 provides that it shall be the duty of the commissioner of the revenue, when he receives such report to assess each stockholder upon the value of the shares of stock owned by him thus ascertained, and that three assessment lists shall be made out, one of which shall be delivered to the bank, one to the Auditor of Public Accounts, and the other retained by the commissioner; that the assessment list thus delivered to the bank shall be a. notice to the bank' of the tax assessed against each of its stockholders, and have the legal force and effect of a summons upon suggestion formally issued and regularly served; that the tax assessed upon each stockholder shall be the first lien upon the stock standing in his name and upon the dividends due and to become due thereon, and
Section 567, referring to State taxes, and section 571, referring to levies and local taxes, provide that any person assessed therewith who is aggrieved by any such assessment may proceed by motion for the correction of any as
The error alleged in this case grows out of the report made by the officers of the bank, wherein the gross value of the property of the stockholders thus liable for taxation is stated to be $153,524.89, or over $39 per shore, whereas because the bank was carrying its real estate upon its books at an excessive valuation, as well as a large amount of worthless bills receivable which should have been omitted, the gross assets liable for taxation should only have been reported at $93,572.71, or something above $24 per share.
It is unnecessary for us to consider in this case whether or not this error on the part of the officials of the bank can
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Main Street Bank, Inc. v. City of Richmond and Others
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Taxation—Bank Stock—Erroneous Assessment1—Proceeding to Correct by Bank.—Code of 1904, sections 567 and 571, provide that any person assessed with State and local taxes, who is aggrieved by any such assessment may proceed by motion for the correction of any -assessment which is erroneous. As under sections IT to 22 of the revenue law, Code of 1904, appendix, providing for the taxation of bank stock, it clearly appears that the tax is a tax against the individual stockholder and not against the bank, and that the bank, as such, is in no event responsible for the tax unless it has funds of the stockholder in its possession out of which the tax can be paid, the bank cannot proceed under sections 567 and 571, Code of 1904, for relief against an alleged erroneous assessment of State and local taxes upon the stock of the bank, but the remedy of each stockholder, however, is clear under sections 567 to 571, inclusive. This remedy is complete and effective.