Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN 273 RonorableR. L. Rlllott,Pug 2 “Qwry $3; In eve+* you _ rule that _ _the eats hu forfeitedita llaa lo,the lltuatlon above, ha8 the person retuoving 8al.dhouan otnmlttad w wrong f'orvbioh he may be held Liable, w did tha atatea iailuca,to aat at the tlm aoqlstaly alconwata him? abow lltuatIan "I will atate that in tilt*? the eame praon rtl3.1 ovna both lotr aud the houae, and It ia reesllja motbod to evade the pS3JlWAt Of dellnqucstt?&X?t8 M ibat ILot . . . ." In the firat plaw there OIU ba no questionbut that the taxes vere properlyuaoared agai~rtthe houre and lot to- gether aa realty. Artiole 7146 of the ReviaodOlvil (Itstoter of Texas, pcovldeaaa folfovrr "Realpropertyfor the purposeof taxation, ahsll be construed to inelude the land itarlf, whetherlaid out In tcvn lot8 or othwvime, and all buil.diaga, atrwturea uldizsprovemeatr, or oekar flxtursa or whatrower ktnd +~ree~, and all the righta and privileger belongingor Aa any wlae appertaining thereto,and all abea, tainerala, quarriarurd ioaalleIn and undw t&e eutor* A 1ikQ Ueflnition OS the teras'real prep&y* la eon- tsinad in ArtloLa 7319 of the Rwlaed Ctrll Btatutet, vhioh reads aa Zoll5vat Vor the puPpore of taxation, real property ahall IpoLude all landa vlthla this m&e, and all bulldlqa and iixtwea thereon md l p p er teZn- ing thereto, woept aueh a8 are exprsaalyexmptsd by lav. AQte l&35, p. f!AJjor Acta 1897, p. 132; a. L. vol. 10, pp. 780--1186.R m Tour fad sltulatlo2t you are lqm=-tlY mt@mned vlth the quaa,ion of vbether 0~ not th@ et&a and oountg lien 6ga3net the hwae ia loet uhan the lama uaa 8eV6%%8 iFma the i;t on vhloh It vata lmatctd vhn tame vam tmwaoad eiA8t We be~ove thatamuer to this qwatioa ~~~~geduby Y A&le 7172 of the Revla& ClrlP.Rtatutoa, f ollcnrs t Honorable R. L. Rlllott, page 3 "All tuba upon real propertY ahall be a lien upon much property until th4 same shall have been yald. Anb should the uaatamr rall to 8aa4an sag real ertate for any f3n4 or mor4 years, the lien rhall b4 good fcr everg gear that he should fail to (Um4aa for; md he maY, in llrtlng property Iw taxes auf Yerr thereatte~, uaeaa aUth4baaktaxer due the~aon, acoordlng to the provialoaa of this title." Undrrr the plsin w~rdlng 02 the (Lbavequoted Artl.ele, all taxer upon reel property (and the hour4 in queatlmt VW real propsrttjvlthin tbs meaning oi the tax statutes at the tlm the tax vaa aaaeaaed agtiat It) ee a lion wt eta& proparty until the tutor heve be4n paid. In the faata You rubmit the taxpaY4r la attompti&mq to evade a fom1orw of the state*8 listson the house In quertlon by IPO It to a lot upon whieb all taxes hnve been paid. Ve em'"f f~ad n8 author- lty to the etfoot that lwh a remora by tbs taxpayer for rueh purpcre vould in an va yoperate to lxtiaguiah tho lien t rsid hours. 8par Ieally under Artlale 7172, lup r 8, th e Len 'ipi" agaiatt lu6h house ma mated 8a oi the tlse the tax vaa aeaeraed aad CBA oaly be extingu%ahed by the taxes be&g paid. It la our opinion, therefow4, that the state and oouaty tax llea still remains sigainetthe houme in question ae well aa upon the lot on whloh atid hour* Yam looabd at the timethe tuet vex-e sae4ra46. agblnat it. You also lnqttlrb vhether or not tb4 tu 6olleate.r my ttrue t eertl.fionteon the tacond lot on uhleh aI t8xea hav4 been pa%d and t~ponvhioh the bowe ia now Lceazted,stating much f8ott that all tuea have been paid. ft 1s the tettbd law of thtt W?t.te that a bourn%4v4n thmgh attached to a rwliy may be aonaidored psmorul prop4rtY for oertaln pttrpaot. the aaaea of Willcr v. 8l.m 153 8. W. 3383 Clayton v. v E ax-dav. Phanata6h, PhllZllpp,159 9. U. 1171 and 2% 9. lf. 523. Ii the taxnarer hae moved #it house ever to the aeccnd i&onZy e.eA t&pkwy measure and ham not affixed the same thereto with the ifitantionthat It baocme art o? the rea%tY M a flxtiwe. then LA aueh enae the tar 00h Wtar would ba’au- thorlaca8 to iaaun a tm fmrtiiieate ehatirq all taxer paid au awh lot wlriahaertiflaat.4should however stats m its l'aeethat it dcaa not mmr th4 house located 6x1au& lot. On th4 other hand, it tha taxpayer h8l affIxed the hours to Thea aeoond lot to that the aaaw may not be l4vered it is the opfn#oa of this dspa&zent that he h8a thRr4bY orsatdl a llan 8galnat auah RonorableR. 1. lUllott,we 4 8econd lot for the taxen UN&I are due agaIn& the how.. In the owe of Wllur v. Bsmbsugh, 153; 9. W. 338, the court rtatod a8 follovs: * Xt I8 a general rule tlmt mcturea, rwh 8; i iowe, beaw part of the realty upon whkh it la Mtuated, and, 88 8uoh, cannot be 8WOreb. There i8 nothing in the reoord rhich t&O8 tbl8 Oa8e out of the tie. Rad Willor been .a-b.M fide pUl'8hWcsr,there oould b0 no qW8tiOIi but he would have held the houae a8 part of the land, bnd appelleewould have had to look to Rsed per8anallj for tompenration. fi the rule8 of equity haVS f’~stem.vd a trU8t an the hou8S W&it& 10 wt of the laad UpOn Vhbh it 18 8ltUated, then, a8 it wnnot be 11overedtherofiom, a oourt of @quit we thirrk, all deoraea lien on the land oi l&oh It t8 a part and dLreOt a 8ble thfweof in Order to prot8ot the hteI?ert of appellee. Atkinson t. lhrd, 47 Ark. 533, 2 S. if.TI Vlpion v. Ilfohol- ICUi, 54 %3X. oil’. A '. 43, ilk 8. It.388; l&tnneaJ v. ?hker, 59 Tex. 18 f 3 Paasroy'r Rq. Jurf8. (34 Rd.) I 10~1." It Is our oplnloxl, if the how9 baa beanrlxedto tha 14ndat the,eont tzwm in 8WhllWUWP t&&the I- cr8rulotbe removed, thatthetarpayar,beoau8e of the oirowmtanoe8 of thlr OU8,hll8FOdXd 8 lt~Xi8@tiZl8t8UOh hid U@UlyhfOh thehOllU 18 nov loWted UU.!that both hewe aad 1Ot would be 8ubjeOt to fOreOlO8WO t0 8S%ti#e the 8tate 6fld @OlUlty tax li6n. Your8 very truly lt10rdb