Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVERSELLERS
*TTOIINLIGLNLRAL
m, Rd6u Hutohlnr
countf AtmnV
muIt county
~rronrlllr, Tuar
oportlor wlthln thhsoounty
op ohutrrod ando? tho pro-
1528b BCS o? ~taar?
anawor quostian No. 1 in tho
thr Dirtriot Court of tho County
talaa~ tax hare jurl6dlotlai la
a dollnqwnt tax suit againet thr rleotrlo oo-op?
*I M unable to ilad any oasrr hIpzopattEah
will anmor tho above two quoatloa8,
oontentlon of thhr l!lootrlo Co-op that uador rootion
25(r) of Art1010 1528b tha oorporatlon belay a non-
profit pub110 utility ir not 8UbjoOt t0 8n ad taloroa
taz la+), and it la tholr rurttlar oontantlcm that
broauss tho R#al ~1rOtrliiOatlm Addnirtratiai a8
an agonoy of the Fedora1 Gotsrnwmt h88 a Dood of
s:oo. UU HUtOhh8, P-0 2
Trurt 0 rooord oworl~ all tho roportior of tbr
oo-op loortod rlthln the oollntl t L t they would bo
8UbjOOt a11y to (token) pqB@ilt8 rat&r than regular-
1 a88088Od 8d ValOra hX.8 a8 11110apply to PrOpOr-
tI 08 brlonglag to othar oorpaeatlanr.
‘1will
lp p r o o iayto
o ur
l881 8ta lan00
thlr
matter..
Rll OxengtlOn8 frm ad Taloram taxor mU8t bo bared
upon the prorlr10118of Sootion 2 oi Artlolo lIII of the Con-
#titution Of Texas. That 8OOtim authorloor tho Lc~lrlaturo
to exup t oertaln property fraa taxation, rod prolidar furthor
tbst *a 1 law8 oxom tlnu propsrtg from taxation othsr than tho
proprty p aboro aan tp onod 8hall be null and rold," wo aro ua-
able to Ulnd in raid Sootlon any prorlrlm whloh would author-
1x8 the l xunptlm of poporty boloa@lry to 8n lleotrloal oo-
oprratlvo lnoorporated tiar tha prorl8l~ar of Artlalo 1526b .
from ad ralorom taxoa.
The oorporatlom luthorlaod by tho prorl8loa8 of
artlolo 1528b are prlrato oorporatlonr, and tho more faot
that tho# a?0 noa refit oorpcratlonr door not maho thr tu
lxompt. Thor aro lpa no 80~80 8tatO agonoler, a8 aro tha
rariour Dirtriot and AuthOritior oro8tod dirootly by Aot8
Of the L@8htU?O pUr8Ufh t0 tit1010 m, SOOtiUl 59, Of
th0 COLl8titUtlOli.
srotlon 25 of Art1010 1526b road8 a8 roii0~I
*(a) Eaoh oorpcaatloa da11 bo oporatod without
profit to its momborr but the rator, fro8 , ront8, or
othor ohar(lr8 for ll#OtriO onorg a136 an) OthOr
iaollltlor, 8llpp11r8, lqulplpent, Or 8artloo8 fur-
nl8hd by the OOrpO?OtlOn 8ball be 8UfflOiOnt at
all tin.8
"(1) To pay all o rating and malntraawo ox-
~I¶808 neOO88ary or do8 ?rable iOr th0 prudent OOII-
duot Of it8 bU8lnWS ald the prinOIps1 Of and in-
tsrart on tho obligation8 irrwd Or l88UfArsdby th
oorporatlw in tho porformanoo of tha purpo80 for
whloh it war organlxd, and
go% Cedar Butohlnn, P8gO 8
“(2) Poor the oroatloo Of 208WVO8r
‘(b) The rwonuoa of the oorpaatlc+ ahall bo
dorotod flrrt to tho paymat or oporatrry ana
malntmanoa u a808 and tho rlnolpal md la-
torrrt On Out8 r UkdLng obllgat P =I) and thOr0aft.r
t0 8UOh rO8OmO8 fO? ilU~Ot~eJlt,
nOW OCfi8trUOtiOIA,
dopraolatlm, and oontlngoaolrr an tho Board ray
fran tlmo to tin0 prororlbr,
'(0) Rev0n~O8 not ro ulrod for tho purpo8ar rot
facth in Sub-rsotion (b ‘f of thl8 Saotion rhall bo
roturnsd from tlmo to tlmo to thr moaborr OQ a ro
r a tabasir looordlag to tho amount of buriarrr i on0
with laoh during tho porlod, llthrr la oaoh, La
abatoaont of ourrant aharger foe olootrlo morgy,
or otherwlro a8 tbr Board dOtOrlDina8l but 8UOh ro-
turn may be mado by wy of grnrral rata roduotlon
to mabarr, if th0 Board 80 OlOOt8,”
Certainly therr 18 nothing in thl8 8OOtiM to In-
dloatr d l~gl8latlro lntontiao to aompt any part of tho pro-
pertlrr of 8uoh 000oporatlrer from taxation,
Attention 18 oallod to Seotlon 30 of tho dlootrio
Cooper atlrr Corporatlan Aot t
formed hsroundrr &all jn~
%orporatlom
annually on or boforo
May fkrt to the Soorotary
of State, a lloo~o fro of Ten bollarr ($10) and
ruoh oorporatloM shall be asnpt from all othor
OX0180 tax08 Of rhst8ootOr kind Or oharaotar,.
fEmphasl8 addod)
Thl8
1s the on4 rsfusnor to a tax sremptlon oon-
talned ontire aot, and rinol it 18 limltod to lxoi8o
in the
hXe8 it EiU8t bs OOll8tNlOd l S 8 t8Oit ?~OO&UlitiOll that 8UOh
corporations ar8 8ubjeot to au other typI8 of taxo8,
‘fhe faot that tho I?. Yb A,, an lganoy of thbr Padrral
Corerment, 18 the holder of a deed of trurt on thr propsrtla8
of the oorporatlon oamot ohangr the lbwo oonolwlon. Tho
Rdu- Hutohiar, Pa@ 4
Rawle V. A. hold8 no aore than tho nabd 1``81 tit10 to tho pro-
pa ty, while thr l qultabk tltla, tha u8e, r,amdar in the ao-
oporatlto. It 18 rottiod that tho property lurt bo rurdorod
& 888888Od ti the Il=O Of tha trU8tO?, and th0 trU8tOO 18
not llablo for any part of the tuo8 looruin8 thoroon. Harvo)
T. ROvldmt Inrohmant Co., 156 S, 19, ll27) Buttr8m v. Oray
county, 62 red. (2) 47.
h aU8WOr t0 JOW 8eOand qUO8tial ThO 8btUtO8
pertaining to ruit8 to ?Or401080 tax lion8 (Art8. 7326 7326,
7326.1, and 7345b) rrqulrr thlt r uo h lltr bo brought h the
--~
bhtrlot oourt of tha OountY la uhloh thr rM1 rrtatr $8
81tUa tOd.
Far JoUr goner81 infora8tion and lS8i8tUlOO WOwo
urolcslag herowlth a oopr of our Oplalon No. O-2600.
Tour8 row truly,
Arthur L. Molhr
A8Bi8taUt