Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GROVERSELLERS ~noanwGCNCIAL Honorable Olin Culberron, Chnirman Railroad Connal~alon OS Taxa Austin, Texar opinion No. O-7113 R0: Refund of lioenae butane gaa handler’s Dear Sir: iv0 have r0r reply reading aa Sollowar %r. 0. 8. Park, Alvapdho, oatlon for a lloenee(to the Gas Utilities DioSai deposited with lioense 1rsuoa; to bs.Asrd with liquoffed petroleum gases as a fuek’, nor shall euoh person, firm, or oorpora- tion engage in the dale, traneportatlon, dis- pensing or storage o? liqueifed petroleum gases within this state, exocrpt where stored by the ultimate oonswner for consumption only, without having tirst obtained from the Railroad Commlr- slon of Texas under the provisions of this Aot 527 Honorable Olin Culbarson - Page 2 a lloanse 80 to do. Applloations for auoh ll- oanaes shall be In writing and shall ocmtain such In?$rqa$f;on as the CoauuIaaIon shall pre- soribe. Y3eotlon 10. For the urpoaa o? defraying the expanses of administer Eng thia Aot, eaoh araon, firm, car oration or assooiation engaged En one or more oQ the pursuits named In subaaotion (1) of thir aaotion, axoapt as otherwise provided In this Bubaaotion, shell at the time of lsauanoo of such lloensa, and annually thereafter, on or between September 1st and September 15th of aaoh oalandar year pay to the Railroad Commlaaion a special ?ee o? Twenty-?lVa ($25.00) Dollars; aroept that eaoh person, tinn, or corporation who OparntaB a trUOk Or truOk8 In ths wholeeale or retail delivery of liquefied petroleum gas, shall at the time o? issuanoe of such lioensa, and annually thereafter, On or between September 1st and September 15th of aaoh oalendar year, pay to th8 Railroad OommIaaIon a apsoial fee .o? Fiitp ($50.00) Dollars, and vhen Buoh ?I?ty dollar fee Is paid, said firm or oorporation shall not be iiable for the payment of the Twenty-fiva ($25.00) Dollar fee as provided herein. “I? the lioen8e here provided for ia IBBUed after the month of September of any year, all fees shall be prorated to the rezriaining portion of the year to August jlat following, but In LO oasa lass than one-fourth of the total annual fee,” (Chapter 558, Aots 49th Lag., R. S., 1945, p. 629). As we understand the facts set forth In your letter, the lioensee in question voluntarily paid the lioense fee pro- Tided for under the provisions of the Butane Gas Act and a lioense was lsauad. He now desires a refund of the fee. T:e have found no nroviaion In Title 102 of the Re- vised Civil Ststutas o? Texas, 1925, or any amendments thereto, Whereby the Legislature has authorized the refund O? such a license fee. Under the olroumstanoes set forth In Your latter, the law Is well settled that a refund may not bs made. Ses 27 Tax. Jur. (Lioensea g 75) pps~ 921, 922; City o? Rouston vs* Feizar, 76 Tex. 365, 13 S. W. 266; Galveston County v8. Gorham, 49 Tax. 279; Austin National B8snk VS. Sheppard (SUP. Ct. 19%)‘ 71 S. 1~. (2d) 242; and oompare Opinions No. O-6019 (refusing 525 Honorable Olin Culberson - Page 3 rsfund of filing fee for rssl estate lioenae) and Opinion No. o-6302 (refusing refund of proportionatepart of paokaga store p3rnIt fee). We therefore anawsr your question In the negativa. Yours vary truly ATTORNEYGENERAL OF TZXAS