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Opinion of the Court.

268 U.S.

converse is not true. This Court has on several occasions held that such a tax is in effect a tax on property and therefore in no respect repugnant to the Federal Constitution. Western Union Tel. Co. v. Massachusetts, supra.

The tax, so far as measured by net income derived from business within the Commonwealth, is valid as to foreign corporations engaged solely in interstate commerce. The income of a non-resident is subject to taxation within the State where it was earned or accrued. Shaffer v. Carter, 252 U. S. 37; Travis v. Yale & Towne Mfg. Co. 252 U. S. 60. Such a tax does not constitute a direct interference with interstate commerce. Peck v. Lowe, 247 U. S. 165, 174, 175; United States Glue Co. v. Oak Creek, 247 U. S. 321, 326-329; Shaffer v. Carter, supra; Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Chamberlain, 254 U. S. 113, 119, 120; Atlantic Coast Line v. Daughton, 262 U. S. 413, 416, 420. See also Schwab v. Richardson, 263 U. S. 88; Transport & Terminal Co. v. New Orleans, 264 U. S. 150, dissent; 32 Harv. L. R. 634-640, 646-649: 12 Calif. L. R. 39-44. Cf Knowlton v. Moore, 178 U. S. 41, 59.

The taxes assessed were measured by the value of property used and net income earned within the Commonwealth.

Mr. Basil Robillard filed a brief as amicus curiae, by special leave of Court.

MR. JUSTICE MCREYNOLDS delivered the opinion of the Court.

Plaintiff in error claims that the Commonwealth illegally exacted of it $800.45 as an excise tax for the year 1921, and $567.57 plus $22.97 interest for 1922. The court below upheld the tax and definitely ruled that it was not repugnant to the Fourteenth Amendment or the Commerce Clause of the federal Constitution. 244 Mass. 530;

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248 Mass. 156. With negligible exceptions the assessments followed the Corporation Tax Law (Gen. Acts 1919, c. 355), now codified in Gen. Laws, c. 63. Chapters 361 and 493, Gen. Acts 1921, are subsidiary and demand no particular notice. Record No. 327 discloses how the assessments were calculated; also the essential facts hereinafter stated. The opinion in No. 103 discusses the fundamental questions of law; the later one is supplementary and explanatory.

The statute provides that "every foreign corporation shall pay annually, with respect to the carrying on or doing of business by it within the Commonwealth, an excise equal to the sum of . . . five dollars per thousand upon the value of the corporate excess employed by it within the Commonwealth" and "two and one-half per cent. of that part of its net income . . . which is derived from business carried on within the Commonwealth;" provided that the total tax shall be not less than an amount equal to one-twentieth of one per cent. of such proportion of the fair cash value of its capital stock as its assets employed within the State shall bear to the total assets. Annual returns, and additional information when demanded, must be filed with the Commissioner. He is empowered to determine, under prescribed rules, the net portion of income from business within the State. But if dissatisfied any corporation may file "a statement in such detail as the Commissioner shall require, showing the amount of its annual net income derived from business carried on within the Commonwealth." Credit for five per cent. of dividends paid to inhabitants of the State is authorized. Pertinent portions of the general statute are in the margin.

**Section 39. Every foreign corporation shall pay annually, with respect to the carrying on or doing of business by it within the commonwealth, an excise equal to the sum of the following, pro

Opinion of the Court.

268 U.S.

We accept the following statements in the opinion below: "The petitioner is a corporation organized under the laws of New Jersey. Its business is the manufacture and sale of cement. Its principal office is at Easton, Pennsylvania. Its mills are located in several other States outside of Massachusetts, from which shipments are made to various parts of the United States and to foreign countries. It maintains an office in Boston in charge of a district sales manager, with a clerk, where its correspondence and other natural business activities in connection with the receipt of orders and shipments of goods for the New England States are conducted. The

vided that every such corporation shall pay annually a total excise not less in amount than one twentieth of one per cent of such proportion of the fair cash value of all the shares constituting its capital stock as the assets, both real and personal, employed in any business within the commonwealth on April first following the close of the taxable year, bear to the total assets of the corporation employed in business on said date:

"(1) An amount equal to five dollars per thousand upon the value of the corporate excess employed by it within the commonwealth.

"(2) An amount equal to two and one half per cent of that part of its net income, as defined in section thirty and in this section, which is derived from business carried on within the commonwealth. . . ."

"Section 30. . . . 'Corporate excess employed within the commonwealth' by a foreign corporation, [shall mean] such proportion of the fair cash value of all the shares constituting the capital stock on the first day of April when the return called for by section thirtyfive is due as the value of the assets, both real and personal, employed in any business within the commonwealth on that date, bears to the value of the total assets of the corporation on said date. . . .

"Net income,' . . . [shall mean] the net income for the taxable year as required to be returned by the corporation to the federal government under the federal revenue act of nineteen hundred and eighteen," less interest on obligations of the United States.

Section 41. The commissioner shall determine in the manner provided in this section the part of the net income of a foreign corpora

203

Opinion of the Court.

office is used as headquarters for travelling salesmen, who solicit orders in Massachusetts and the other New England States. Orders so taken are transmitted at the Boston office by mail to the principal office at Easton, Pennsylvania, where exclusively they are passed upon, and if accepted, the goods are shipped and invoices sent directly to the customer. Remittances usually are made to the petitioner at Easton, though in exceptional instances prepayments or collections are made by the salesmen and immediately transmitted to Easton. No samples or other merchandise are kept in this Commonwealth. tion derived from business carried on within the commonwealth. . . . The net income as defined in section thirty [less certain credits not here involved] shall be allocated as follows: If a foreign business corporation carries on no business outside this commonwealth, the whole of said remainder shall be allocated to this commonwealth. If a foreign business corporation carries on any business outside this commonwealth, the net income taxable under this chapter shall be determined as provided in section thirty-eight."

“Section 38. . . . 2. If the corporation carries on any business outside the commonwealth, the said remainder shall be divided into three equal parts:

"(a) Of one third, such portion shall be attributed to, business carried on within the commonwealth as shall be found by multiplying said third by a fraction whose numerator is the value of the corporation's tangible property situated within the commonwealth and whose denominator is the value of all the corporation's tangible property wherever situated.

"(b) Of another third, such portion shall be attributed to business carried on within the commonwealth as shall be found by multiplying said third by a fraction whose numerator is the expenditure of the corporation for wages, salaries, commissions or other compensation to its employees, and assignable to this commonwealth as hereinafter provided, and whose denominator is the total expenditure of the corporation for wages, salaries, commissions or other compensation to all its employees.

"(c) Of the remaining third, such portion shall be attributed to business carried on within the commonwealth as shall be found

Opinion of the Court.

268 U.S.

The only property of the petitioner in Massachusetts is its office furniture, valued at $573. It maintains no bank account here, its salaries and office rent being paid from its principal office. Incidental expenses are paid from an account not exceeding $1,000 kept by the district sales. manager in his own name. No corporate books, records, or meetings are in Massachusetts. There is no controversy as to the facts, valuations or computation of the tax. The issues between the parties relate solely to the correct interpretation of our corporate tax law as to foreign corporations and to the constitutionality of that by multiplying said third by a fraction whose numerator is the amount of the corporation's gross receipts from business assignable to this commonwealth as hereinafter provided, and whose denominator is the amount of the corporation's gross receipts from all its business.

"3. In a case where only two of the foregoing three rules are applicable, the said remainder of net income of the corporation shall be divided into two equal parts only, each of which shall be apportioned in accordance with one of the remaining two rules. If only one of the three rules is applicable, the part of the net income received from business carried on within the commonwealth shall be determined solely by that rule.

"4. The value of the corporation's tangible property for the purposes of this section shall be the average value of such property during the taxable year.

"5. The amount assignable to this commonwealth of expenditure of the corporation for wages, salaries, commissions or other compensation to its employees shall be such expenditure for the taxable year as represents the compensation of employees not chiefly situated at, connected with or sent out from premises for the transaction of business owned or rented by the corporation outside the commonwealth.

"6. The amount of the corporation's gross receipts from business assignable to this commonwealth shall be the amount of its gross receipts for the taxable year from (a) sales, except those negotiated or effected in behalf of the corporation by agents or agencies chiefly situated at, connected with or sent out from premises for the transaction of business owned or rented by the corporation outside the

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