Case Information
*1 729 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS -----... --..~ AUSTIN Hoxborable ceorge B. Sheppard
Comptroller of Publia Aaoounta
bubustin, Texas
Deer Sir; 0pinlon Qlo. o- Ret ixrreat
We are in reoelpt
1940, In whloh you request
(~6 to the applfoatlon of t property 4r a non-resident OS OOPoty, Texfi8, which lands ware sohool 1 ieOted by the "Relfnquisbment Aet" paae er the laots sub- the deceased land ,prier to fdtteil, 16tS and h4 reo conferred upon hin by the Aot . You further state that the ny lea80 oi kny oi the mIneral ri
a as r0ii0w4r perty withln the jurlsuiotion or real or personal, oorporate or incorporate, and any interest therein, ii~42ud- in@; property passing under a general power oi appoil!traent exisraised by the deoedent by wi.l.1, InoluUing the proaesde of life insuranos to the extent of the amount reoeivable by tha 4xeoutor or a&nhistrrator as ineuranoe under taken out by the decedent upen hi8 policies
Honorable George R. Sheppard, Page 8
own life, and to the extent of the 4~~4~4
over Forty Thousand 3011~1~~ ($40,000) of
the amount reoeivablc by all other benefi-
ciariee es ineurenoe under polloiee taken
out.hy the deoedent upon his own life, wheth- er belonglnc to Inhabitant4 of thle State or to persons who are not Inhabitants, regard-
leas or whether suoh property i~,located
wlthln or wlthout this State, vJhi.oh shall
pa48 abaolutely or in truet by will or by
the laws of' dssocnt or distribution of thla or any other State, or by deed, grant, sale, or gift made or intended to tnks effect In
poeeesslon or enjoyment %ftsr the daath of
the grantor or donor, shall, upon parrring
to or ror the uee or any p4rson corpora-
tion, or eesoclstlon, be,eubje& to a tax ror benetlt or the Stete*r General Rove- me Fund, in aooordanoe with the iU.owlng
olasaifioation. + * *.a
AFtiole ,7X30 or the Revfeed Civil Statute8 t3r Texae provides, In part, an r0iiewf4t
WY 4 ** The appreieers, being first aworn, shell rorthwith pita nQtlee to riLL
persons knows to h4ve any olatra or interest
in the property to be appraised, including
ths Comptroller of Pub114 AoQOUnt4, the
.executor, administrator, or trustee, oi the
.time and plaoe whsn they will appraise the
sem4. At suoh tim4 and plaoe, said apprai44ra shall apprsilre suih property at ite aatual
maricet value Ii it hns a market value,~ In oese It hes none, then its real value at the Ume of the death qr the dee4dent, and ehtir thsre-
upon mcke a report thereof Ln wrTting t0 eald County Judge end Coip:rglt;er, who shed.1 rib3 and . (Und4Fscorirg ourll). keep such report. I
you. am adurlsed, therefore, that the property dtu- ated in Texas la subjeot to the Texas lnheritence tax and that the 4ame ie to he v~l.s~ed at its aotuel market value a4 of the time of the death of the deasdent.
,. 73s
Ati the t&m that the swanllsd "RellnQlishmnt k4tw w~r,'p&maeteC in 1919, u ::uroha88r of mineral clA88liisd school land from the Sate ao~uk6d only th6 8wfa08 rlght8 to the rroysrty. The purpose or the “ll6llnquiahment Aat- w;ln to oontur 4~ such a grogerCy owner th8 authortty Co Aat as a6snt of in learbig the miMra1 rlf&t8 in such the 3tate property. One-half at the bonus and rent&l and ordinui;Lf or t&to royalty above B otrtaln minimum I8 to bs retains4 by the fee awner br the 8urf6~ right8 a8 oon8idwb.on for 48 a~snt Tor the State in 18a8i5& th6 mbmn% hi8 eoth~ rightrr. The 3uxemeb Court of ToraA in th8 6~ti or or8wm v. xoblson, 8 3. ;;'e (&I tw!J, iA oon8tmln& ttI1r legl8lativa e5tlCtbIbAt~ otated a8 fo low81 I
-The landouA8r aaqulm8 (under tho lie- llnqui8ha8At Aat) A0 88t4t8 in th8 all @iAId gacrr Ha, abply has a ri t t4 raoeiva She
60mputbei00 fr0llr th8 08 0 out 0r th0 9%
leewa*r soduotton aa tha 8kk prwlder.*
(nularsaorl5g our? aa4 pareathmtioal 6atter
own). A8 above 8tAted, th8 R8liAQUlbhlMAt Aat *ye to ltmlf, the wopwliy awaemaa intereat or ri6htinthal aae but 05 the other hand, glvsr t&s f8e owner ot tha rurlrreo eatat a right to roo8lvo a ~o&lon 01 t-ha oam,pearrtioa iof 104815& thm miners1 rlghtll to ths IAnd. Ths ri*t 10 om whioh goes with the lacd it88lf aab LB a right w&lah only lnurea to the benatlt of the petif who ia the f@a ovmer Of the surfam right8 at the t&as tha llmd fr leamd. The 8u- promo Court of T6xa8 84 rtntad in th6 base of Lamar v'r Garner, 50 3. -2. [td) 769, no tollowsr
** * ** fn our OphiOA, t&r oat, whwi rairly and rearnimbly oo~rt+md, also mean9
that all rlnsralr not dl* wd of go with
the tltls of th4 Iti, 8u 18ot to the W3- go
viriona at ths aot. That ah8A a r<d'amI
blndiq ltase or aonreyano8 of the minerals is'm8&8 by ths owner of ths lend, 8% the
agent of th6A iA that eVeAt the #tab?, fu raoelvao foregoing ammAt* as ooM$Qnaa-
tlon for hia 8~91608. Xin 8hars 01 tha
rsntala, royaltlea, nnd b0ausea dsrfvsd
ffonorabls George H. Sheppard, Page 4
from the leases executed by him becram prop- erty rights durlw the period of t&m for
whioh the lease runs. Prior to the making
of the mineral lease, the owner of the laad has no right to aaaign or convey any mineral rights in the property. It ia the iAte5tlOA or the law that the owner or the land shall be the agent of the state to exeaute mineral leases. Wheaarver a mineral leas0 exeouted
by a prior owner terminatea, the then owner of the land beoonee the agent of the state
with authorlty to sell or lease the 011 and' gas mineral rights, a8 provided for IA the
Relinquishment Aat.*
It ie the oplaion or this department that.lnisofar as you &ate in a partfoular aaee the mineral intOreSt havd not been leased, that the right gfven to the Zoo owaw in thie oass, the decedent, by the Relinqulahment Aot, A4w pawns along with the property to rvhoever inherits said property from the deasaaed. AS suoh right 18 one which goam with th8 land, lt Is a factor which muet be taken into oon8iiIeration IA determlnlng the actual market value of the property a8 prr eoribed by Article 7130, supra.
You are therefore advi68d that the appriiieers la de- termlning the aotual market Vahib or the property in questfoa should consider the additional value to the property plaood OA the same by the ReliaquiPhment hot of 14196
Your seoond question ia am tollowsm "(3) ~'ould the deoiaion as to ths taxa- bility or these rigbta under the Re&lnqul8+ ment Act be atfeoted by the OOmQr~~se Of.
Federal R&ate ?!axee by whleh a valuation
were placed on these rights to lease?*
You are advised that the aotfon taken by the F8derkt Government haa no bearing upon Tern8 bash .inhsrltanco tax hpoeed by Chapter S of Title lRE of the Revl~~ed (11~11 Btatutes or Texas* Such chapter oontains rOVi6iO58 for the aPpre&Wl and aBiW85fll8n~ of the Texas Inher le tance tax and bears n4 retsrenos whatsoever to any appraleal or aeseteement of the Pederal estate tax*
You are further adriraed, however, that If an ad- ditioml irtierLWno6 tax ia Inpoaed ucdor the outhorlty oi Chapter Sa of Title l.EEI, all vzluatlom pleoed on property tr the Federul Govsrnmnt forat the busia ior thl8 addltion- 01 ichritance ttix of Texa8. TDer&ore if en additional lnheritnnae tax lo aallsrmsable aminet thi property the banin tar the Texae additional hierltancs .ttix uo 3 6 almply bo SO$ of th tax arsernd by the ?‘ederal Oovernment under the Feederal e&ate tax OS 1926.
Your5 very truly &z;
FIRST ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENERAL