Broad Motors Co. v. Smith, C. A. No. 7658.

• Decision Date: 28 September 1949
• Docket Number: C. A. No. 7658.
• Citation: 86 F. Supp. 4
• Parties: BROAD MOTORS CO. v. SMITH.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania

86 F. Supp. 4

BROAD MOTORS CO. v. SMITH.

C. A. No. 7658.

United States District Court E. D. Pennsylvania.

September 28, 1949.

David Berger, Philadelphia, Pa., Edgar J. Goodrich, Lipman Redman, Washington, D. C., Max Leopold, Philadelphia, Pa., for plaintiff.

Thomas J. Curtin, Asst. U. S. Atty., Philadelphia, Pa., Gerald A. Gleeson, U. S. Atty., Philadelphia, Pa., Theron Lamar Caudle, Asst. Atty. Gen., Andrew D. Sharpe, William B. Waldo, Ruppert Bingham, Sp. Assts. to Atty. Gen., for defendant.

WYCHE, District Judge.

In this action plaintiff seeks to recover excise taxes paid by it on the sale of rebuilt Ford motors during the years 1943.

The facts have been stipulated and this Opinion will stand as the Conclusions of Law in this case under the provisions of Rule 52(a), Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. An Order so providing will be included in the Order for Judgment.

During the year 1943 the taxpayer was engaged in the reconditioning and rebuilding of Ford motors and selling them on an exchange basis. The parts in the rebuilt motors consisted of "new" parts purchased by it from manufacturers who had already paid the excise tax thereon, and "used" parts, obtained either from turned-in motors, some of which were previously repaired or rebuilt, or salvaged from motors purchased by it from junk dealers, or from old motors owned by it. Some machining and cleaning operations were done on the "used" parts before their utilization as components of the rebuilt motors. The taxpayer sold the rebuilt motors on an exchange basis at established list prices with the purchasers paying an additional price if either the blocks, cylinder heads, connecting rods, camshafts or crankshafts of the motors turned in were not useable. The taxpayer paid excise taxes on 234 rebuilt motors sold by it in 1943 on the basis of the list price plus $6, the value assigned to the turned-in motor by the taxpayer. The excise taxes paid by the taxpayer were collected by it from its customers.

During oral argument the taxpayer conceded that it was, under Section 3403(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C.A., § 3403(c), hereinafter referred to as Code, liable for excise taxes on the 234 rebuilt motors it sold. At the same time the defendant admitted that the taxpayer is entitled under Section 3443(a) (1) of the Code to a refund of a credit in the amount of $144.26, which refund represents excise taxes included in the prices it paid to other manufacturers for new parts used by it in the 234 rebuilt motors. Following the aforesaid admissions there are two issues presented: (1) Whether the taxpayer is entitled under Section 3443(a) (1) of the Code, to a credit for any excise taxes paid on the "used" parts it utilized in producing the rebuilt motors, and if so, (2) Whether the taxpayer to obtain such credit, must meet the conditions imposed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue in Section 316.92 of Treasury Regulations 46 (1940 ed.), which Regulations were promulgated pursuant to Section 3443(b) of the Code.

The taxpayer contends that under Section 3443(a) (1) of the Code it is entitled to a refund of a credit for excise taxes on the "used" parts which it utilized in the rebuilt motors; that such credit is allowable whether or not excise taxes were paid on such parts; that the credit it claims may be arrived at by the use of a formula which limits the excise tax due on a rebuilt motor solely to the something "new" which has been added in the rebuilding of the motors, with credit to be computed to the extent that the additional (new) parts were tax-paid.

The Government contends that a credit is not allowable for any excise taxes paid on the "used" parts under Section 3443(a) (1); that if such credit is allowable, the taxpayer in order to obtain such credit must, in accordance with Treasury Regulations, furnish information and establish (1) the name and address of the person who paid to the United States the tax of which refund is claimed, (2) the date such tax was paid, (3) the amount of such tax, (4) that credit for the excise taxes sought to be refunded had not previously been allowed, and (5) that the excise taxes it seeks to be refunded were paid within four years of the date that the taxpayer filed claim for such refund. It likewise contends that the formula advanced by the taxpayer for computing its refund is one for determining its tax liability on the sales of the rebuilt motors, and that the use of such formula results in a taxpayer obtaining a refund of an overpayment instead of a refund of a credit; that a refund of an overpayment is not allowed unless the taxpayer bore the burden of the tax.

The taxpayer in the rebuilding of the motors was a manufacturer within the meaning of Section 3403(c) of the Code. See, Treasury Regulations 46 (1940 ed.), Section 316.4; Monteith Bros. Co. v. United States, 7 Cir., 142 F.2d 139; Henricksen v. Seward, 9 Cir., 135 F.2d 986, 150 A.L.R. 1; United States v. J. Leslie Morris Co., 9 Cir., 124 F.2d 371; United States v. Moroloy Bearing Service, 9 Cir., 124 F.2d 373; United States v. Armature Rewinding Co., 8 Cir., 124 F.2d 589; United States v. Armature Exchange, 9 Cir., 116 F.2d 969, certiorari denied 313 U.S. 573, 61 S.Ct. 960, 85 L.Ed. 1531; Clawson & Bals v. Harrison, 7 Cir., 108 F.2d 991, certiorari denied 309 U.S. 685, 60 S.Ct. 808, 84 L.Ed. 1028. See also, S. T. 927, 1942-2 Cum.Bull. 225; S. T. 932, 1945 Cum.Bull. 431. As such a manufacturer it was liable under Section 3403(c) of the Code for excise taxes on the sales of such rebuilt motors. As provided in Section 3441 of the Code the amount of excise taxes for which it was liable on the sale of the rebuilt motors was the actual selling price of a motor plus $6, representing the value of the turned-in motor.

As to the first question, it should be observed that subchapter A of Chapter 29 of the Code, includes the several sections, Section 3400 to and including Section 3415, which impose the manufacturers' excise taxes upon the various articles subject to such taxes. The provisions governing the enforcement and collection of these taxes are embodied in subchapter C of Chapter 29, Section 3440 to and including Section 3453.

Under Section 3403 of the Code, excise taxes are levied on the sale of automobile or truck chassis by manufacturers or producers, and upon the sale of automotive parts and accessories by manufacturers. The levying of such taxes apply without exception to "new articles." That is, these taxes apply to the first sale of a taxable article by the manufacturer, producer, or importer thereof. These taxes have no application to "used" or "second-hand articles", even though the "used" or "second-hand articles" may be sold by the manufacturer, producer or importer, who had made the taxable sale of the original article. Indian Motorcycle Co. v. U. S., 283 U.S. 570, 51 S.Ct. 601, 75 L.Ed. 1277; S. T. 867, 1937-2 Cum.Bull. 505.

The provisions found in subchapter C (Sections 3440 to 3453), being the provisions of statute providing for the administrative machinery for the enforcement and collection of excise taxes, must like those found in subchapter A, apply without exception to "new articles" and cannot apply to "used" or second-hand articles. A reading of the various sections found in subchapter C show that they deal solely with excise taxes on "new articles." Section 3440 defines a sale; Section 3441 describes the rules to be followed in determining the sale price for computing the tax; Section 3442 provides for tax free sales. As pertinent to the issues presented herein, Section 3442 provides in particular, subject to regulations prescribed by the Commissioner, for the tax free sale by the first manufacturer, where the taxable article is to be used by a vendee for further manufacture. Sections 316.20 and 316.21 of Treasury Regulations 46 (1940 ed.) provide that the first manufacturer must either pay the excise tax on the sale of the taxable article, or secure an exemption certificate from the second manufacturer. The exemption certificate relieves the first manufacturer from paying the excise tax and allows the second manufacturer to obtain the taxable article from the first manufacturer tax free upon agreeing to pay the excise tax when he sells a taxable article in which is incorporated the prior taxable article. In the event the second manufacturer does not furnish an exemption certificate, the first manufacturer pays the excise tax. On the article's resale after remanufacturing, the second manufacturer may under Section 3443(a) (1) obtain a credit for the excise tax he paid to the first manufacturer. Section 3443 provides for the crediting or refunding of excise taxes. Section 3442 and Section 3443(a) (1) when read together reveal a legislative intent to give an abatement, refund, or credit of tax when an article is sold to be used, or has been used, as a part in an article taxable upon sale. The first statute permits a sale without payment of tax when the sale is for a purpose of further manufacture. The second statute permits a refund or credit in such a case when the tax has been paid. Taken together, the two statutes cover a situation in which a parts manufacturer sells a taxable article to a further manufacturer, though the article may pass through a middleman to get to the final manufacturer. Such is not the situation here. The taxpayer did not purchase the used parts from a prior manufacturer. Section 3443(d) provides for the refunding of excise taxes over-paid by a taxpayer. It limits such refunds to taxpayers who have borne the burden of the taxes sought to be refunded. Sections 3444 to and including Section 3453 clarify those liable for excise taxes, with Section 3446 providing for the exemption from excise taxes of sales of certain articles made by Indians, and Section 3451 providing for exemption from excise tax of certain articles sold for vessels. The foregoing analyses of the various sections...