OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
IIonorablo John I?. Shook
Crfmfnal Matriot Attorney
Dear Sfrr
anted, vrhiab 18 be-
part 0r the grip
‘l’he the and
ot trust aeourlng a note for
xeauted axad filed for reoord be-
ax usat into offsot. P. new in-
been exsoated for the sole pur-
the intereat. rate, the princl-
and time of zaturlty raseinlng
Is srroh an lastruuient rubjeat to the
*S. A deed ot trust seat&ring a note for
Q~b,ooo.00 wa e emouted and film? for reaord
Prior to the rtfectlre date or the note tax law.
359
Eonorablo Jokn R. sbaok, Page I
The a&o is pyablr la semi-annual lnstallaanta
until Daoember 1046, at vrhiah tire the balEmOe
in tbr ham of $88,000.00 ~111 boom due. An
lnstmnnnt has been aooutod and proaonted for
reoordlng extending tha the of pay-at of the
,OW.OO that w1J.l beooaa dna in 1948. Tharo
PI naw duo on tha aoto the SUMof $48,000.00.
18 the lnstroaont kublo as to the sum oi
$4S,OOO.W aow duo, or only the SM of @8,000.00,
the papaant of whfqh alono is extondod?
-4. Ii l8 the prooedlngiaot l
l*tloa,
the rata ot lataroat prwidod in tho orlglml
note la being radoood by th8 BOWlnStr\tplsnt,
woald the question bo aaatarod.tho aama or dlt-
ferohtly?
6. "14 th4 oontraot 0r a aeohanlo, son-
traotor or aatarlal man nubfaot to tha tai Wan
tiled in aaoordanoo with Art1010 5453 of tha
It. 0. S., to soouro a lien upon property enum-
orated In Artiola 56681
6. *Is tho affidavit of a ~ohanlo, aon-
traotor or material man tmbjoot to tha tat wluta
fllod for rooord la loaordanoowith Art1010
845s to leo ur o a maohanio~a lion n&an labor haa
boon parrormed or natarlal iusnlahed by rlrtuo
of aa oral 00nttraotF
Artlola 70470 Vornoa'a Annotated Clrll Statutoa,
tha aens balng Sanato Bill No. t4, Aota 1939, 46th La&-
latulY, reads in part as followa :
-(a) Exaapt as horeln othazwiae provldod
there la hereby levied and aaneaaad a tax of
Tao (1OQ) Cants on oaah one Hundred (.$lOO.QO)
Dollars or rraotlon themor, ovar tha Sioat Twu
Hundred (&200.00) DOllara, on all notoa and ob-
Ugationa aeoured br ohattolkwtgago, doad oi
tNSt, ma~hanl~*a.li~n OontMot, vandor'a lien,
Oonditlonal aalaa oontnot and all lnatrumenta
Or a slmllar nature which aro illad or rao~rd-
ad in tha ortloa or tho County Clark under tha
Eaglatretlon Laws of this State; provided that
Ia0 tax shall be letlod OE inatru&enta aeotArin6
U amoant of ‘fwo Hundred ($200.00) DollarS, Or
360
Honorable John B. Shook, Page 8
lass. hftor tha lfr 4 0tf74 date 0s thla Aot, ox-
orpt as harolnaftor provldod, no luoh 1natraMnt
&all bo fllad or rooordod by any Count7 Olark
la this State until thora has been affixad to auuh
lnatrumaat atmpa in aaoordauoe with tho prorl-
llona of.this sootion; prowldIng fnrthsr that
lrhonld tha lnatrumant fllod in the oftlaa of tha
Co unty Clark bs laonrltyof an obligation that has
proparty plodgod as aeourlty ln a @ate or States
othor than Texas, tho tar ahall bo baaad upon the
maonablo oaah valub Of all ptopertt plodgti la
Texas in tha proportion that said proparty In Texas
boars to’tho total raluo of th@ propartr mourlng
the obllgatlona~ and, prorldlng further that ox-
oopt as to ranawuIa or rttonaloaa of aooruid in-.
taroat, tha prorlaIona oi thla lootIon ahall not
apply to laatmmanta given ln ranawal or lxtanalona
of ~lnatrumbnts ‘th$ratofon dampad under the provl-
@ions ot this Aot or the oua amended heroby, aud
ahall not apply to laatrtmanta glron in the rofund-
lng of exIating bonds or obligations where the pra’
Oedlng instnmant Of aeourlty was stamped VIAaooord-
ame with this dot or the ona amended hanbfl proi
rldad iurthor that the tax lovled in this Aot shall
apply to o&y on8 lnatrua8nt,the one of tha pat-
oat danominatton, wham aeraral ‘inatrwhanta are oon-
terpotaneoual~ lxaoutt6 to’aeeoure on0 obllgdtlon;
and prorldod further that when on06 stamped as pro-
rldod horoln, M Inatnmant 8ay be rooorded in any
n&a&or of oountloa In this Stats wIthout again bolng
so stamped . . .*
You will notioa that after levying the tax the Stat-
ute than prorldaa that waftor the lffootlre dato of this Aot,
@xubpt as horalnaftar provided, no auoh Inatrumant ahhall be
tiled until tharo has bean nrtixad to auah Lrstrpaa4nt
@t~pa’I~ ;ooordanca with tha provisiona ot this aaotion.w
There then rolls rcrloua axoaptionr, mong rhlch is an oxoap-
tIoa Ia favor or lxtanalona and ranowala of inatrumanta whioh
bra been theratorora atcmpad. Thars is no exoaption In tha
atatuta under rhioh alther of the lnatrumsata mcmtlonod In
r”‘oa first two quentlona may fall. Under tho expraaaad tSn88
Ot the statute, therefore, both of suoh instrumenta arr aub-
J*ot to the tar larlsd by Art1014 70470 and your ri.m two
t~~iona are anmterod. in the atfiraatit8~
Ifanorablo tobn 8. Shook, P-a 4
If the laatnuent 8b8titi0-a ia your thhd f3mstloa
18 a deea of trust seourlng tlu wholo lndebtodwsa of
#$;Tb.O& than ouoh lastrumnt ia taublo aa to the who18
On the oontrary. ii it 1s merely aa lsta a a lo n
agrwmntp & ta la lng o nly to th a sun o t $ ftS,OOO.O th
O,ea ,
th e lnstrutsantshould be atampedonly aa to that
o f o o ur a e,
Yo a~.~wec rour thM quartion SE that maaner 82noe
st’aot ,mke it slaaz 88 to the lxaot nature ot the lnatru-
mnt in qliretloa.
It ia thought that pur tlfth qurstloa baa reCeroao0
W l written oontraot illad uad* Sootion1 of Artlok MSS;
Ravlaed Civil statutea. Artlole 90470~expra884 provides ror
the atemplngof maohanloQa lien oontraotraad the writton oon-
trrot of a oontreotor or materlalmn uou&d be an lanrtruaracltof
a almf3.m ~ture. Our aaawer to four tlfth question, there-
tom, la in the aftlra@tlta~
In our op:nlon MO. O-494, dated Yaroh 29, lOJo, ad-
bnaaad to the Stat0 Treaa~r, we helb that affidavit8 rado
Mder hrtlolr S463, MS5 and S466, Ravlaed 0ivl.f fttatutea,
mar0 no tlubJrot to the atsap tat ~~106 by Artiole 70490
brnoa*a Annotated Clvll Statutea,lo the oasa ufoted prior
to the amndamnt by the fort -six?& UgblstUre. Said 8eaato
Bill ho. M, Forty-sixth Leg I alature, eootslna m amadment
to thr old a&i018 rhioh ia our opinfon would affeot our
holding la this regsml. *oooraiagly, our iJnmfer to your
lhth quaatlon is a nogatlve one,
Your8 wry truly
ivm-%NW OBxB& OF TEXAS