Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

.‘::. OFFICE OF ‘THE GENERAL, OF TEXAS .~’,AUSTXN ‘., &l8tin, ;: ,: Honorable ‘comptroller of ;: :. Taaa : .~.Doai Siri I.: i’ oritlea upon whioh we ~.; llevs it may ‘be helpful -I ubaoription warrantam. o bs wnrraata lseued by a et to atoak etidoaa- .! . Artlalo 15, R; B. S ROE. Se88.r .i ioh your request is ahated, was AOL A aomparleon Of the pertinent ,! ,, ro rtwenu~ m3afwe8. f5eom8roquielta. Thus0 : POF~~OJI? r0ii0w: ,-' .. *Art. 7047111. Stools trausror en4 saXerr tax- - I:‘~ ’ Tax irqoaa4~ afrixlng atampa; mamorandum0r sale ‘. .~ ~aSeotlOn 1.. Thoro I8 hereby imposed an4 levied i * a tax’ a8 herelaaftar provided on all tsal+m, agreomeata ;j . to oell, or nionoraa6a of salefi sad all~~4ellverle8 or ’ ~.tnaoSoro or. &area, Or ar~tdoates of atoak, .or:~’._ - j i .’ ; : ‘* ‘,: . . .~ .’ j ..’ 0 . , . 165 : , !1 i .,’ . . Bon. thorgo 8. Shoppar4, Page p! . <’ .’ ~’ oertiti atao for rlghta to’etook:, or owtirl- oaten 0f dopooit rapresentla~ an intarest la or reprooeatlag oortltloates kado taxable under thla Sootioa ln any doneof or r0r0ir4 aesoola- tlon, oozpany, or aorporatloa, or aertlrloateo 0r lnteroot la any bueiaeoo oonduotod by truoteo or truatoeo made aftor the 0rrOOtivd.9 Cat0 .horoor, whether UT&I upon or shown by th.3 books or the . ~aoeoalation, donpeny, aorporatlon, or trustee, or by any asolgamcmt la bl’enk or by ‘any do1.ivez-y or any pagoro or egreomnt .or m0oorana0t3 or other .. srldonae or sale or transfer or order ror or agree- mnt to buy, whethor iatermadiata or rinal, and wbethar lnvsotlng the holdor.uith the beneflolal late&A la or legal title to ouob atook or other oortifioate taxable horeundor, or wlth tho posses- .‘.. : olon or ~86 thsroot ror any purpose, or to oooura the rOm0. payment oi ~onoy or tbs ruture txwno- tar of any ouah otock,, or aertiriaato, oa each : * *..‘.,:~ hun4rs4 4ollaro of faoa~.valua or traatlon thereof, ~;;. I;’ oonto, ercrept in cases where tho shares 1 ‘tbrss.(S) or oartfffaatao ar6 loauo4 wfthcut dealgnats moaa- :, tary voluo, ln wblah aaoe the tax, shall be at .tho ., - $Fate ff thrqe (J) oonto to? eaoh and, avery.ahme. :: * . . IChapter50 Civil ‘IA&J Uow York. *Tranofero 8ubjeOt to Tax- provldos ati iOliOw8: “SOO. 270. Amount of tax - 1. There la hereby ,” impose4 au4 shall Sxae4latoly accrue an4 be aolleatod a tax, a8 herein provided, oa ~811 sale8 or s&room.i#o ” to ~311, or me8ioranda 0r oale‘e an8 all .dellv~rieo or .. : tranofero OS shares or a0rtlilosteo ot otoak, or oortl- rloateo oi rlghta to atook, or aertlfloatoo of intorest ia property or aooumulatlons, or aortiiioatss 0r depoolt reprooontlng aertlfloateo taxable under tblo artlolo, in any 4omaotio or foreign neeoolation, oo~~ptny or oorpora- tloa, or oortlfloatoo 0r interest la buaincoa oooduote6 by a trustee or trustees msde artor the ilrot day or ,..~ June, aiaotoea hundrad five, whether uado upoa or ‘.’ .ohownmbythe. bOOk8of thea aeeoalat~on, aozipany., apr- ,.. poratlon or truotdo, or by any aoslfgumnt 1x1blank, or :. .. by any dellvory, or by say paper or a&reom+at or niouo-.:. ‘. .; raadum or 4thor ~vl4enoo or sale or traaorer, whetheq : “. ‘. ‘.. , . ‘. : ” . : .I . lntamrodlate or final., ‘end ahether lnve6ting :. .‘. . .i ’ .tha holder wlth the bannefioial Intereat la or .*. leeal’tit& to said otook, or other oortlSloetos tarable hefaun&er, or merely orith tho poe6e66lon. or me thoreOS for any purpose, or to Beauro the Suture paynen~ or money’, or t&e Sututa tranator of any such stock, or oort~tioatea.~ . We obeervo that the longuagd.os the tuo hots. do- scribing the tranoaotiono taxable seeagpbroood in exactly tho ’ #arm uord6, though not arranead. In tbe eaaio oontlnulty. 9io ’ ;Seif.to rind exgreas laLan(;uapin either of tbmo statutes at- trmptlne to. levy a tar upon Ytlfihtn to aubecribe to stock.* : SUma tho United States Xnternnl iiovenuo Aot, Title . 26, pqrqraph lf302b, U. S. C. A.. had Its lnaeption prior to the p66aee of the Toxaa statute, we nust grasumo that the :eglslatura bad ouoh Aot before It at .the tlma It adopted thm . RowYork statute as the model for lts‘aSSort6. The exprers 16nguage of f’ pert of the Federal Aot i0 a9 follows; ,, .- -(b)Sales and tranofoars. On all mlea, or agreemeat to aell,, or monrorando0S eslos or. de- livarlee or, or trapsfort of leg61 tltl@ to any ~0S tho~rbfnw or oert$Slaatas mcntlonad or described id euboootlon (e), oc to xkhta to subsdribe for ’ . .: or reoeloo’suoh ahares or oartlSlcate6~ whether m6tYeupon or shown by the. book0 of the oorporatlon : , : or .othpr: Organl68tlOn, or by’anp 6t36lgUi~~nt in . bleak, or by any delivery,, Or by any paper or agree- ’: ’ . meat or memorandumor other evldenaa of tran6SOr or : .~ : sale (whether ontitling the holder ia any uonnor to ,,’ .: s the bobeflt oS suoh ahaT oertlfioate, interest Or . rlehti, or not), on eoob &lob of per or faoo ,oalu6 : or Sreotion thereof of the aertifloats6 OS suah oorcoratlon or other or&ealzatlon (or OS the 6haroe : wbero no’oertifioatoa were iesueb) . . .*' In ~o&Hzulng a etatute, the .gurpo~e lo to. eeaertaln the lo&lative intent end from ou,r oboorvatlon of the ex~resa rcvi~ions oS the tbres revenue maasure6, we Sind that mnse +-ST--- ‘IfIr ta to subsaribe to etoOk* though InelUded in the Podoral et?Auto in onritted Sran the fiat York and Tours statutes and we muetkeep tb~tinotlon oloarly in dad in soeking to tletor; tin0the intentionor tho Lei3lalatUrO~ 167 :.. ~0s. Coorgo 8. Shoppard, Page 4 The Texas law being oS rOOat orluln, ha6 not been ;ntorprett?d by Our OOUrt6, sad for that FeaBon, we mot turn to Now York dooIsion6 and ruleo and rogulotlano of Ite tax suthoritiee for a oomtruotlon of the quoatlon herein pro6ent- The60, or oour60, aro not'conolu6Ive but are pOr6U6aIVO :% rhoulb bo 61vea @oat woI&ht. Conmonpanotloe end prooeaure of aorporatlons doing busineos tbroueh the New York Etook Pxchan(~e uni!er nsthodr ap- proved by the New York Tax Co~~~~lsslonshould be oonsldercd Ja doterdnlne ~ranseotione taxable and tranoaotlona not taxable unbar Now York furlsprudonoe. Oboarvlng the rU1tl6 68 inter- protod by ParagraFhh8600000,60-300, InolusIre, the Corporation Tax Servlae, C. 0. Ii., 11. Y. 1; paragraph8 41004l34, Inolu- ei+e, Corporatloa Servloe,. Yrentioe-Hall, Vol. 1; knaChrl6ty &XoLoaa, Tbo Tranofer of Stook, 2ntl Ed.; we observe thotr I. Subaorlptlon werrant 16 a oertISloato . .. ~srld~nolag tha right to aubeoribe to stook and Is' t Issued by the oorporatlon to the titookholder ontitled * to the prlvllege of subscrIbIng to the stock to be la*- rutid. I”oragraFh 4108 and I’sragraph 4205, Premtlao-, . Hall Corp. Serv., Vol. 1. ;. ‘XL Fresentatlon of warrant. (a) Tbo,warrant shall be preaeated to tho oorporatlon before tlio expiration date shownon ,a. the SaOe of ouohwarrantaad upon suoh prO6Ont6- .: tlon the bearer nay 6ub6OrIbO to etook. ,fS full .:.. .“:. paymentI6 made IOr the shares to .be iosued 6ub- 6oriber la delivered a reoeI$ OvIdenolng hi6 rI&ht to the otook, entItlIng him on a spsoiflad datd~‘to uortaln full share6 or Sraotloa6l 6heres Of atOOk, subroquentlp bolng i66Ued OOrtlfiO6tO8 OS atook. F6ragraph 4208, Prontloo-Xall Corp. serv., Vol. 1. (b) .fn evant bearer eleots to pay for suoh ~’ share6 llr Inetallmeats be IS laouod a negotfablo '. .MOelpt, ovIdonoInghi6 right to the stoak, entitl- *. '. ing the holdor on a 6peaIsIed date t0 OertalXi full ohare or .sraotlonal eharos~ or atook, and upon : -bin61 pqwmt, at the the an&In the mannoropeol- : ‘Slad,&e ia iosuod, oortUloato8 of 6took. . 4 *. : _’ . ’ ‘. I. , ,’ 168 , : son. Gaor~e Ii., ShepDard, Peg9 s Upon the tranarer by sala or otherwise of subsorlp- tlon nrrants, datlnad in Paragraph I above, the Federal Tax rppller and stampeara roqulrad to be arrlxed and oanoalled. ’ Tba Uaw Yor& tax doae not apply to this’ transaotloa. Para- graph 601lC9, C. .a.~ X., B. Y. 1; ,Paragreph 4205 and pa80 4148, Praatl00-Hall Corp.Sarv?, :Yol..l; Ohrioty & UoLaan, Paraereph 563, page 834. Subsaquant to tha aot or subsoiibina to the atook by *.*a bolder oi a subscription warrant ,as described In Paragraph II. * (II) and (b) tbaraof, eny trensaotloa.involving the traoarar of the rl&ht- held by tha subsorlba~ requires the arrlxln6 and oan- .oallatlon of Unltad Stotae Revenue Staops and New York Revenue stamps. : Sohmar v. Rarflaa, 1m-a; ParaCrapb 4205, Sea. 7, Prantloa-Ralf Corp. Serv., Vol. 1; and Pnragraph 60-301, ~The .Qorporatlon Tax Servlo~,0. 0. ?.. X.-Y;1; .‘, ” : The State oi Naw York ‘Tax Department, Albanp;Naw York l in ‘,la.tter to the New York Stook Exchange, dated Kay S, 1922,. r&t “Ey ‘CartlilOata Of Richtis to Steak* IS meant ._ o& sudh. oertlrloatas wbloh ontltla tha holder on a apsoiri6d d&e to oartaln run share8 op rrsatlolul share8 of atook. *Rights to oubacrlba’ to stock do’ not oozaa within this meanidaare n the statute.W (Undarsoorlng our5J Pursuant to a wzlttan request by the) wrltor tha State oi New York Dapartmant or .Taxetlon and Pinanaa answered by’latter .&to6 l!?ar0hl;-1944, advlsl& u5 further +th refaronoa tb rub- rorlptlon warrantethat 8uah are not taxableunder New )lOrk Law. The partlnont. part or auoh. latter reads as lollowsr *The raderei rtook transrar tax law 40rititaly ‘. provides ior a tax on tranafers of laplal title to *rlp,hts to subeorlbe ror*atook. The New York law. has no slaillar provision. It does tax trauerara or 1~’* .*oartirloatea ‘or ~rlghts to steak’ but tha Tax Corn- mla8l0n has held that a oortltioate giVin6 tkP right ;;o~$?Ohaer atook 1s not T oartirloote or A6hts t . *I osmiot rerer you’to any oginlon. of our ,. 2ttfkney Caneral: or to any dooleion of our ooUrt8 ,., on the quo&lo& : ?y way or- r.aaeonlng it may be. ..’ - . * ; ,::. i ,. ., “. (_ I. i 3 i . : ..” pointed out that~ a right to subearlba So= stoak . . ‘or a rjght to purchase stock is likely to be of’ . The aoaaldaratlon whloh must be Id for thi subeorlption or the purchase will n many oases, at least, represent as much as the : : stock 1s worth. It saama highly lnaquitabla~, . tbaratora, to impose the 6ama tax on a transfer . . I OS a stook purohasa warrant, (a oertlrlcate or a ..~~rl&ht to rooaiva stook after paying ‘-- . . . ; - :. .:. .;’ *. . :- . .. . Aiiiatant .