Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

I OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Tou requoat Ml* op lpartmant on tba quertion e~tained in pur 1 , quoted below, aa fOllow~( e proper bash wiu Lon8 Leaf lLo h lr ta o xr ep o r t, to show thet it ua~ 011.I)#ooatempl~t.84 nstlon 0r the oorpor~tlon~e traaohbe t& Xi&t bi80108e# that it h & d in lXOeIa Of $&~.oo in l eooant8 wablo la at the olose of btmlnoar imaombar 5 194t and #tN!,714.4t shown aa *To ‘?tookholdor8 Upon ?inU 49&.tfoa~~ .” l. l. :!f; "It la our opinion tha ttm debte cf (L oorporatlon entSrlli U atate Or 1iqUidatiOn IBUd firat be paid and any illstrlbutlanmade to the etookholdors first oher+.yd a&n8t SUIF&‘IlUS balM808, Nld apply the rmainlng diVidOnd8 a&Eat the ~Ut8tMMtill~mpitd 8tOOk. If thi8 pToo*dure bad boon followed, approximately .?365,000.00 in outatandinr,capital 8tiOk would i!avebeen available for oocalderatlon in ooaputing the amount of franohlae tax paysblo. "In vie+ Of WS 8bOTe f#IOt8,8hOuld t\-18d~~tment acoopt tileminimus payment 0r #20.00 la full 8ati8raotlon of the sorporation*a franohlac tax or ohodd ua oonpute the tax upan $36t,914.49 ohom a8 due lTa Btookholdora upon Flaal Llquldatloa*9a Uo -1 8180 oonai6u in this oonnoetion tbe letter ot Iionorable J. L. Lookott, dated July 26, aa follow8, Vti oaaulon for thi8 letter io a letter Jwt re- oelreb rrom ths offlar of the seorduy of State dated JUly 24, 1042, OOpf Or uhloh i8 &ttWh~b hereto. “In oonnestIon with ym,r oor:d4aratioa of the quaa- tiOU 8UbMittOa tG JOU by the SeOTewr Of d&O WO UOuld like to h** ywl take Into oau8Id*r8tIon the r0Li~ faota, afflbvit or other verlflo~tion of ubloh will br fUd8h46 t0 YOU If 80 d4~84~84dr ~Ltqu;datioa aC Wlu Long Loaf Lombor Oompuy had bea3 uodor 0008ldorutA0n, tie ia h*t qroed upan amme the stookholdaa, for rorrtb8 prior to the and of the year 1948. At l me+tIly of the dookhol4ora he14 oa or about Uovembu 14, 1942, llquld~$lon wu a@ead upon but formal a&Ion tharaon Ua8 not Won beowaee the roqolrwY prior notloe of the me&lag fad aot boon gltan, eo tbst lmmmdldoly aftor djournnent or that mutln6 propor notloo ~88 i8aUed far a mw&In(r on %oember 1.0, 1942 nt whioh all of the otook outetaadi~ w&a rot.& for iiqul6nitioa and eir~olotion 0r the oorporatlon to ba 8irc0td rorthwith. Tbueafter, and prior to Dooam- bar St, 1942, tha corporation lstually @old and deliitorti itn mill, wh10:x hd been ~eTiOU84 8hut down: it8 lo&W . , , operations had bssn prorlou6ly dlsaontlnued. The entire llquldatin~ aI8trlbutlon of ~1.030.000 In or8h was paid out after rdoptlon of t&e rkolutlon for liquidation and diuolutlon at:dafter male of the mill, ate. Aa tiriddt illaorpll8nea with ReTieed Statute 7097 8howI?rgthe oorporatlm wa8 In lotual dl&eolution was filed with the frmohl8e tax report. ” From flu Information before un, there is no quaatlon but tht the d&r Lo Luf Lumber Conpany 18 In the prooe8s of bona lid. llqul3 atIon, wlthln the purview of Art.lol*7097, v. R, c. 8. ThI8 bsla(!true, the sole quutlon for our a0t0wnhi0n 18, what 8m0unt or frM8hi8e tu, ii any under the hw, d008 t5e wla Lanp, LOat Lumber Coqany ow under Artlola 7091, V. F..C. 3.. reading a8 iollowst @Tf a oorporatlon I8 aotually in pro0088 0r llquldation, suo!3oorporation 8hall only be roqufred t0 pxy 8 fmOhi80 tax oalsulated tmon the di.ffmenOe t0m rrPOUn3 Of Oapiki 8tOOk i88Ud ad 88 to iha aiwunt of 1lqulid~tIa dida d lotully paid an4 that 8UOh OOr~OZY~tiOtl 18 &. (D aOtrdJ. bon8 iid0 8t8t4J Of llqulaatlon." ( 3q lh ul l8 a a o d) ?IadO0m it helpful in UI lffmt to ~IVO at 8 OOrreOt M8w8r to thi8