Wednesday, December 15, 2010

TN Supreme Court Reviews A Corporation’s Liability for the Payment of Use Tax

CAO HOLDINGS, INC. v. CHARLES A. TROST, COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE (Tenn. December 15, 2010).

This appeal involves a corporation's liability for the payment of use tax following its purchase of a business jet. After it received an assessment from the Tennessee Department of Revenue for over $700,000, the corporation paid the tax and filed suit in the Chancery Court for Davidson County seeking a refund on the ground that it qualified for the sale for resale exemption under Tenn. Code Ann. section 67-6-102(a) (28)(A) (Supp. 2004) because it had leased the aircraft to another corporation. Both the corporation and the Department filed motions for summary judgment.

The trial court granted the corporation's motion for summary judgment, and the Department appealed. A divided Court of Appeals panel affirmed the trial court. CAO Holdings, Inc. v. Chumley, No. M2008-01679-COA-R3-CV, 2009 WL 1492230 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 27, 2009). We granted the Department's application for permission to appeal.

We have now determined that neither party is entitled to a summary judgment because material disputes exist regarding the factual inferences or conclusions that can be drawn from the facts.

Opinion available at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TSC/2010/caoholdings_121510.pdf
 
CORRECTION: on page 5, line 25 adds the word "no" between the words "conferred" and "real"
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TSC/2011/caoholdings_COR_011311.pdf