Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS pin AUSTIN ; @OVERSELLERS ~~RNCIGENERAL l&r,. Fred v. %:erldith uountgRttemay, Kaurman County iceurua, tor*r Opinion so. o-m30 Roi %xup*ion or 800Oml haoaio Lobgo bulldl tuution. we are In rboelpt or your reque whloh wo que6e: wo mtb a qu*stioQ and *ial 8p~roo~atc your Colleo6er of XaWman Co Torrell from lta tb 0.0-6~19 la whiah It oi'a building mm.& by lueii~ o dlythat we6 *to r y o r lo d g e p lr p e8U, wa r not n 1py 0180 dlrfore tram th* oaar where the lodga owns o nlyth leoond 86Ory of a building; Artadb Lodsp own8 the entire btilbing, whloh la e two story bulldln$. Tha loner rloor or the bulldin& la leesed and rentbd out to Anderson-Clayton Brow ., kiortlalens,for a runrml home, Por whloh uaa u rantal is pmld to the lodgie. T&la rantal, aa I undor8tand it, ir rued by the lodge to dal'roy?andor's llan uul uohaaioa and materlabub*a lien notaa agrinat the building, and for opwational cxpenaea; and tha balance goes In60 oh0 general lodge had8 00 ba aad tor pub110 oharlty end to help nardy fndltldwlr, the la a a 81 ara tha mrmbar- 111112an& lnltlatlon haa or tha eumabara. *The bdldlng in WeStion 18, therarore,,not US@& b~oluairoiy ror lobgo purposes. up quseblon la: Can thr upper floor &r the bullbin@ ba aotera4 rram the lovar iloor, in order to rsndar the lowar floor tar ad valoram tax&tlon, and In ordu 60 lxurpt the uppar floor from taxation? “My o#aloa lr that 16 r8m06 b0 80 aitidbd ror rend1 tlon lHn?yu* broauao OS tha toldlng of tha Supretio Court in Fdorrs t. Lone Star Chaptrr -~6,Royal Aroh ?iaaone, + . ~:.519, which hold8 that rontins;or a part or a bulldlna 5 :> ownrd by suoh 5 lad@, lubjaata luo hpart, t8xatlon; nd %-Wil0:t1 city 0r Lorrg*law Y. Uarkham-24 reo Horpltal, 152 S.W. 26 1112, whloh ho&la 6hat the lbttlng and ooou~~anoy of otrlooa to dootora who pay a rental thmrafor, la dominantly 6 oounarol~l and prirato Oranaaotlon by the hospital, end that thararora the hoapital was not exauipt rrom taxea undar our Oona6ltutlon. I find a oaee also that I em unabla to dlrrarantlata olaarly la my alnd, torlt, Sap68 Boas fnllrmary Y. City of San Antonio, 259 3.w. 926, whrroin lt l8 held 6hat t&&ahorpltal 18 USapt tX+m tSxStlOn, wan thowh t&e hospital operatad a 4ru8 atom ror profit. dlatlngulahing tmotora aoem to be wha6h.r tha prepdrty 'i'hb la rented to a tblrb. peraan end therefore not bolng rxelual~aly used by tb oharltabla lnetltutlon or lodge. *knother daolalon, with slightly dirrarrnt mt8, lhou:d ba oonrl4oPed: Stat@ v. Sottouut, 251 3.X. 1117. In that aaab the propbrty aought to ba axamptsb wes rent houam property on dlrfrrant ana aegregntad propbr6y rrom the hospital lbaalf aA ttls property MS rented to 6hlrd parOleal tha aour held thct the axeixptionOMAOt ba extwlded to WQQWty OOOUFi%d and wed by third j;artier under rantal oontraots. Hon. Bnd. V. #srldibh, pqe 3 "rla Qw8tto5 18 MrrafOd 8olely to the propa1tion ofvhether the upper~loor oia b13IldIng used eanlwimly fa@ lodge purPow8, aan be regregatedfor t8x purpoeerend lmld not rubjevtto tmatlon, v&n tha mm lalge QYOI the vhole bulldlugaad rant8 out tho lover floor au wm- m8r~l8lrentalcsontraat, vhlah lutrerfloor 18 Uo1Clnlkly 8UbjOQt t0 trX8tfOtl. hold ttnt tbo upper floorOr the "If you *haulid buildlag18 lxe8pt iMll twatioa, then plwae llvl8e ha the -luS Of tti bulldiq 8hWkl be dividedior 88008MOCit purpa8er. I8 t&OF@8tl7 rUh t0 be rOiiOVd - #hotid th8 V8lW k 888088Od lrbItaurlly8t oae4Ul.fOf valW of the vhole building- or othwuIm?" YOU opInIo#¶th8t t& buIldlagla QWltlOn U8WOt be regqgated ror taSblOD.lab oxemptlonpwpo8er i8~0Mt. In ttm aall of city or L v. I(rrl&m84bRee nnoN$as4$pital# 152s.u. (24) 0 trw apln1omac J~'Ot~iora‘,C~Ol~r,rd~~b~tbS~~~Oourt,. tb Court aldr "'EDIteptf~~ rr08 ?aXBtfoD 8m wwr rIVWI#d~ 8lld lathoa~tnrptloaolzite~trtlonor~ &Iv*xtoldfng e~~tlon~ar~rrtlorrto~rgoLt~13~ ala88 0f prOportyall dwbt88nn8ol~~~lMtbb+oargptlorr. i40XW18 v. b&I-, 68 POX. 703, 5 S. W. 519; 23 R.6.L.S3. l ** “‘kit, II tb COMtltUtlaC~ S”#QUiPe8 th# @WpOl’tr, 88 l pw8ep~l8ik tolt8 rlghtto lxmptlar, tab0 eanlu- 8im1r u8.d br tb otnrlkble Ir&#tltutIen, It 18 8gplnI%t, ii8w-e Of it18 SOtktd OUt#rd t& Z'OhtiOB d lard- iojd Wd ktIOnt Qmbd~ tbrt M r80t VOUM M0088O~fi~ deetroy the eroluelveuse rwoerury to be ntrllud by ttm arar to bring lt~ property vittdn t&e pl8la temu8 af the 6OWtitUtiOi3, 8llPdit b8 bOOP tbmfolr h8ld, I8 it U88.b tbt 088e, 8rd itiskk (1. 80 8t (!l'Ox.60m. *pp.) 254 9.X 925, thWtth0 b@810# otap ml1 or ly p8rt at a abaritableb8tltUtlUC&‘8 pr#pew~ t0 tb80 B& thOmdm8 engaged ln 8 wholly ohsrltmbloVOFk, Or the eaOupen0y ot avona pertoftb propertfe~otlnr8 blndrru9mt8moant8 to at3equlvrlent8itWtfOtl l 408tmy8tht3 lxefa p t oh8noter ~* the praperty,rab lt 18 plain that In thaw 08808 there Qould hrrve tHOn 110 other holding. ,.. goa. bred v. Jseriaim, :p8&8 I *‘Thi 000@t%tUtiO!181 2-0~Ufr8~nt ia’ 8V&rOiaf tb &WojWrty f4U8t bs Onned br the Qr&Uli~8biOll ohlalag th8 ~Xwi~tfO~; it InU8t be lXO1U8iVdy WOd by th. OT~8OiL88iO0, di8tiaguiehedfl%m e perti WO by it, 8Rd 8 pBrtf81 u8e by other8, whether the othorr pay rant or not. On In vim of the forrgofa~ oorUfrm8bloa OF your opinion bf thf8 DOjMlt0Wt~,it b8Oom88 UIIaeOo88U7 to 813W.r y0UV QUO8- (iOn e8 80 'how the V81UO Oi the bulldln@8hOtid bO ditidti iOr ~uunme purporu.* APPROVED c) OPlNlON GouUIrrLm 84%@