Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

‘, ~‘i~&ablr ,,_, Ri t, Oroslor, page 11 ,, ‘, mefini of tax* the wrooiml propeity of ttite ; banking odrporatlono in the hands of the, ehar holdora. It follows from thlr that suoh car- poratlona are mt now roquirod~to rendor thelt, permonal progorty ror taxation;, . . .* , ,’ Tho &me oozietruotlon of the Toxar rtatuts’r iavb~ved ‘. vai srrnounood by thp Court of Civil‘ f@.r,petiB Of %‘oxncrin the y ; ;, : ome 0r First ITatlonnl Bank 0r Impaaos vr: City or.uimpaa~ .78 8, w. 42, writ or erroti dlemiossd by the S&rem Coui+t., ,ih& * “, .-oouPtrtatod an r0im8t . “It iti settled by doolrrfonrr of the Sup- roni, Cow: of the United Statea that it linot .,, ”uithln the $ovor Of a etate to eubjeat tW pro- party of natlonal banka to taxation vithout, ” I. : the Comont or the federal Con.gwar The only ‘, provlaion or the redoral etatutoe vhioh author- lcer such taxetion la eeotion 5219 o tho Re- vlsed Statutec of the United St&tee f U.S. Camp. St. 1901, p, 3502), and that permitd ruah.tcua- tion w agalnat buch benka, ‘upon riml eetate Onlg. It authoyizes atato taxation or the *~ atoek of suoh banke aa a@net the wnom of such #took, btit not a$ agalnat the bar&m. In harmony Vith that rtstuto, the Le&islaturo of .,’ thi8 state has we full provlrrlon for the aa- ,. awm?nt and colleotlon of taxea,upon national . “’ b&k stock from the ovnern of uuah rt.oQk, and . has made no attempt to oom901 national banks to priy taxes on euah 9roportgr ‘~Sayleo* Rev. Cl?. St. 1897, arts. 5079, 5079a, and 5080, Henoe ne’ are of opinion that the bank vae under no I, ,;:~ legal obligation to render’and 9&y taxer on the proporty’ln question. Thoee visve are rrupport- cd by ntithmity. * Miller V. First Ration81 .Bmk, 46,0hio St. 424, 21’R.E. 8601 Blrat lot; Bank Y, Ffshor, 45 fan. 726, ,26 Pao. 482.’ It la our opinionthat under th6 lava of this State to a matlonal bank:,ir texablo cq&nat ,. raonal ,prapertg bslonging~ to ouch a .Nat- t loaal bank mcy not ‘taxed by the Stats, %rther, &aver of . .I’. a’. b .~. . .‘, i&k in ‘a dat$onal bank may be taxed in the hand8 of the ’ rharoholder 8. This ha8 been the lav or thir .Stato rinoo the ourly Texae Suprome Court oat30 0r Uarrlsoa Y+’Yinor, 46 Vex, 15,~mhs aowt rtatod au 3ollovar “It fr a& well nettled by the Supreme ‘, court or the United Stattoe, by whose constru0~ ,, ,~’‘. tloa an aot of Congree8 thie oourt Is uri@aor- “, tionably bound,. that the rrhaiw of bankin5 a81 roolatlons authorized by the abt of June 3, ‘Y’,1864,‘To provide a “national ourronc ” &or ; ” In the hand8 of the ahareholdorr are I’iable $6 ta?ustIon by, tho Statoa with the lltitatlon8 ; c and on the oondltlono sot forth in tho forty-.‘, .’ ‘first soctloa of said sot, although the entlr@ a&pital of euah bank I8 Invested in national 1 roourltloo, whloh are dealwed by theetatuto .. (authoriaing thorn to be %xcmg * by ‘or ‘under 5tatoWg;horlty. The Ae8088or8, ., 5 Comafo8loaor8, t Wall.., 2 1;: Natloaal Bmk v., Uoxmtoavoalth, O~Wall., 353.j , . .,.I - The next question that arl~sa fa whether 02 not tho mh&rer of- rtook ,la a National bank vhIah are taxed In the name8 of the rhareholdore should bo aeaevsed at a valuetioh iu me- duoodb+aueo or tho ,faot that. the NationalBank own8 Federal , Rerervo rtook. Tho rule or lav In euoh a 0088 88 to United Water bonde owned by a Natloncrl bank vaa stated by ,th8 C,owt . .’: or oltii A9 oala 0r TQXW in the dam 0r Adair V* Robinson, .1 25 ‘8.: If..734. The question before the oourtla thatQM@ YOI ,./ rt@tad therola 80 rollowe: The ‘faoto are sot oontrovertod “and li &iy quo&ion presented for ow de& de& #ion 18 the right of the ovnara of the rtock or the. bank to ronder the. awio for taxation at : ‘.‘ftr aotual Y~~UO, lone the amount of the United &ate8 bond8 Andythe legal tender not08 owned, .’ b thr ba@c oa the I8t day ?r.+naary~Aa ‘De ._ .1591:. ...*y . . I ," : <, '. .* *. ', ,,~ . 5 .~‘.,., .,. “” -“~. ‘*‘~:j’f’. I ‘, . ’ ‘. ( .. ’ ' The oourt'hald OII follwel I.4 . !l%crcs is ho decision of that oourt known to u; whloh tenda to sustain the content&on of eefondcnt II ln ,errorj but, on the contrary, la. filie oaffo of Vm Nlon v.~Aoa~~~~r, 3 lidll. 573;. , :’,it~,ia eqmmily dooided by a majority of the .. supreme cowt of. the, United Etatou, after thor- ‘, ii. ‘ough tuul e~hauotive ~dleouoeion of the question; :. ,,, that it was not tho r&at of the ehareholdare .~. ’ ‘.of .a national bank to hem deducted from the ~’ “‘-value of their sham@ of atook, when rendered to the state offioor for taxation, the drumof tione;r invested by the bank in United Etatgs ‘. : bonda. Nor 18 there anything in the deoieionr. of. the tu~rome, court of thla state, that Yo hare discovered, which coL-stonauoee tho rule ,.’ for easeermont of chaws cf bauk stook vhlch ,~’ ,,the defendants in error contend for, . .~ ,” In the case of Fimt E!%sional Zank of'C5.m.ioinui~t1, : Chio, 0. Qutir, 246 FM. 163, the shareholders in a Rational bank’oontendsd that the value of the sharer of stock in said : bank must be reduced for etate ad valorem tax purpoaor beoawe’ the bank'r ovqorohip of lahtcrcs of rtock 4~ a Fedorsl Remrvo b&k. The oontontlon of the bank’s Wwoholderr’in that 08SO ~wu”88 t0110vr 8 *The plal&iff oltiims that the provision8 ‘: . .of’riotion 5219, R.8,U.S. (Aot June 3, 1864, # d. 106 ( 41, 13 Stat, 111, aa amended Febrmarg .: , ,.lO, 1868 (15 Stat. 34, c. 7)), are so far ro- .’ ealed by oectlon 26 of the Federal Resorve AoC : : i, ‘~ PAct, Dee. 23 15113, 0. ..6, 30 Stat. 25 (Omp. St. 1916,’ 1 gSo3j~), that the sharoholdora in the plaintiff be& aro oxenpt fron taxation by via’- tuo of rootion 7 of the last-nmod eat (Corsp, ,, St i 1916 ! 979%) on ao much of ito capital : ,. 8na‘rurpiur a8 ia, invoated ir, rtook of the peder0.l ReseHs Bank. '4 telqlorary ul$lnotion~, : irruod tmeA'the bill Vai filed. " II..**, ,. w :. , , .' :~ Honorabl* i. L. Croaler, page.14 ;: ,’ ‘1. . i P6r the subscription. thus made.” thd national bank booomor a 8-c fholderoc rtook- holder In the Fedomil Reserve Dw, but may not. , +nsfer OP hypotheoato lte ahWeaj each of tiLti $a.of’the face value of $100. SubaeOtion 3 of . ,‘,‘, ~ ,@Otion’7 prorldeothatJ . wVcdoral Roa’erve D&&a, inolud% the : capital atook and atipluo therein, and the in- o&a dwivcd thorofrom, ah&l1 bo exmpt from ~eeberal, state, end looal taxation, oxoopt tex- / es ,upon red estate, 1” ’ Ia tho above quoted portions of the First liatlonal :, Dank Y, Sh.wr oaao it may be soon. that Thor ehmeboldora in the Rational Dwk.vere oonteridlng that the provlnlon.ln the Fed- eral Resews Act, vhioh providoa that tho Fodoml ReaOrvo; : .banklaoludhg tho oAplt+l stock and tho aurplw thereinand ,lncome dorived tharof’rom voro exempt from Stat0 taxation rO- qkihwd tho State tw&q authorities to rcduoe t&o value of thr .aIqarea of atock.in the plalntlff~a National Bank boo&use ,aa%d ~benk’ovncd eharoa of etook in a Federal Reserve Dank. l’he oourt @nevered the aontention and stated ae follova~ . ,. ’ .“The CJX~llQtfOAppoildod in .?ootiOa 7 dOOS ‘not extend to national banks orgnnieed undo? the,lVational DanUng’Lan,’ I&ad Coagmsa Ant&d- ‘. od that their capital otoolr..ehould be relieved from taxation, it would have oaid 80~ ,. *T& stock pkohaeed by the plaintiff ia. . ‘the ‘Pedoral Roaervi3 Da& irr but & nontaxable inveatmont of a psrt of its oapltal and aur- plus. As acrid’5n Firlit Hat. Bank vw &bright, 208 u. 8. 48, 553, 20 5up. Qt. 349, 350 (52 ’ ,,‘L. zd. 614 J .. .I ,. n~The’lav does not oonaidez. the xkatuw Of ,a b&k18 investment not texed in f$xing tho ~~ ooluo of ts atook. Palnor V. Mal&ho~, 1% u.S; 669, t lo sug. Ct. 324, 33 Ii. Ed. 772). ’ ,.. :: ‘%hatever value the ohares lsaucd by the :., ,’ppbfatlff .natiorml benk po~oem, they are :to ., that extont tax&bU in the hand8 of their own- ,.. em .a.nd holdera. Rosonblatt v. Johnrton, 104 Ur. I’ 8. 462, 26 L. Ed. 832~ my, oto., of San Fran- oirob, Y. Croaker-Xoolworth Nnt. Bank (0.0,) .*92 Fed, 273. The oourte have repeatedly ruled’ ” ‘, .that., IA Sixbig. ‘the value of the shnros OS stock of natlonal bank8 for .tfWng purpof~o8, ” ;, the value due ,t3 the bank’s olmershlp or non-‘, taxable United Btates~bonda as a part of ltr ..“‘. aaaets must be lnoludod. se, for inntanoe, Cleveland Trurt Co. v. L!indcr, 184 0.9.. 111, ' ‘22 8up. Ct. 394 46 L. Ed, 4%~ Xa or o.~Anwi~' ~"?: oan Nat. Bank, i5g Pod. 396,401,86 C.C.A.3?b;c ;,,,:: _ (C.0.A. 6)~ Van Allen,v. Aeaeseorr, 3 Well. e” 73, 18 L. Ed, 229 Peoplo ve Comlsrionera, ~..’ ” *. 2 Well. at pago 25 6, 18 Lt. Ed. 3441Nat,Bank Y. Comonvealth, g Wall* at p&8&e359, 19 II.Et& .,7Olj Born0 Cavings Bank Ye De* Moines, 205 lJ.8, ’ .at pwoe 528, 513, 27 Bupr. Otr 571, 51 Lr Ed.. .,’ ,901. .Tho ~amo rulo~ appllea to nontaxable stook e ;y tho plaintiff in tho Fsafwai Roaorvo . The cotit denled the oodtentioa of tho ~rhareholdorr ls tWXiation&l bon4 and held that the mm rulip applied aa $0 .rtook ovned bu the,Natlonal bank in a Federal Roeerve bank ‘&a har beon p:oviouely announoed CtQpma vhere the NatlOn8l bank ouaed United .Stator bond8 ~8 p8rt pi it8 &88et8r ihe Ceoult Court or Appeale’ affirmed the de0bi081: of the ‘Matriot Court aud utsted ~a Sollow; “Ne are aatiafled, not only with tho oor- 1~ reotners OS this oonoluaion; but with the peak ,,’ aonlng of the opinion on vhloh the conoluaio~ 18 baaed, and 8ro oontont to affirm the juds- .~‘, ., ment upon that opinion; Uo think its oloar that .. Oongreso ihtendcd to place a r.mtlonal bank@8 holdingr OS Federal Reeerve Bank rtock ugoa pl+ ‘. oieel the, uame beair ar its’holdingr OS govern- meat. Iionde, eo r8p ae exemption *iron taxation . : 44 ~o&rabloit:L. Cro&r, pwe 16 ._ * ,." of iharesof natlonel bank #took heldby “‘,atookholdera therein*” You are therefore’ advised that in the opinion of thla deiartment, the valueof ahyea OS atookownedby atook- holdera in a National bank may not be reduood beoauao of the I fiwt~thot the Nationd bank own8 aha??oa of atook in a Pxloral Reaewo bank. We trust that the f6regoing fulli tfnayerr youc la- ‘q&y O?I$hla ptter, . Your8verytruly