Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE A’lTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Bonoxablr Charlay ~oomrt
State Traasurar
Amtin, Taxar
Dear Slrt
In your lattar
r~qurrt 0112 oplnlon ln
ALL mm BY z%a?sE EMTS: II, or th0 00unCy xaa* ror all6 in \uytm$)f $500 00 l;awh rsoalp_t
r hlo Is ereby o~knaWedge4'arnd eon
the further aousldsrstlon that th & '*(I taroim property taka8diid sabjact/to, but in 1i0 tiisr asn&~i& oerbaln lndsbtsdnww due thorron to ROY of *XoLannea County, Texak,
Rutlend, Jr., th6 bal.anos POW due 011 46i.6 indabtednass b.eing the earn or &$ooo.oo -------------.
Honorabls Charlry Lockhart, page 2
2. Would state note etalaps be ra- qulred on a dard where the grantee aaeumed pra-existing lnUabtednaaa, whloh lndabtad- ~86 wee eaourad by a prior lien wNoh had been stamped when it wee riled ror raoord?
3. Would a chattel morteaga be aubjeot to stat* nota ataz~pa wh%oh 15 glr*n on psr- property as rurthar aaourlty ror the so-1 aarga lmdabtodneaa, between the aama partlea thvt Is aaouroa by a randox*a ,llan-and deed or trust lien on real e~atet4’;‘on whloh state note stamps had bwn paid. In other words, the obligation la the aaieo between the aean pertioa but the property eoverad by the ohat- tel nortgsgr la not the aamo,p~oprrty oov- era6 by the vandor’a lien and/or deed of trust lien;
kc. The deed to real 56tet0, looat*d orlglnelly In cX* County, was duly raoordad in “X” County in the yaar.1927. Later county boundary llnae ware,’ changed, oetulng the property to ba Sn ‘P' Cogaty. wou&a the raoordl of the deed with rendb@Ta lien in WY 2 cnmty be ~~aubja8t to balag, rta=paQ tmd~r Artlola 7017a3 7017r, Vernon's Retleod Clvll: Statutes,
Art&l8 resde in part 88 follmwa:
“(a) Zxcapt es herein otherwise pro- vlded there is hereby lavle4 and eaaaaaad (I tax or Ten (lO$) Cants on l eeh One Hundred ($100.00) Dollera or traction thereor, over the rlrst Two Hundred ($2fM..OO) Dollars, oa all notae and obligetlona 684urad by ahattrl mortgage, deed or lien p(lohanSo*a trmt, oontrgot, vendor16 lien, Uom3Itlo~l ealae aontraot and 611 lnatrm~ta of a alailar nature wNab are Silad or raecwded lh the Ragia- orfloe ot the County Clerk uader tretlon Laws or this Stetei provide4 no tax shall be levied on inatrtinta,
aeonring an umoaat or mo Eundrod ($ioO.oO) D~llara, or lass. After 6fr40tir4 data *4
I’onorabla Chnrley Lockhart, pay-:8 4
Clearly the tax is not au+3 upon InstrUment Such inetrurnent la ,~en~ionaa In your first question. zeroly one of conveyance and is not one creative of eecurity for tho imlebtedness OS $4000 nentioned therein.
V:e also wmw! your sscond and third que~stiona In our oonrai-enca opinion x0. 3051 aa- in the neC:ntlva. t0 YOU, wf3 axpress6d the view that the tax levied CrensUl of’ US?..?~ office by thin StStUtS is Upon the J?riVilc?~e of the county clerk, for tha recording of certain instru- hoc’ever, >?e beli?:ve that a readin&: of the statute -xats. e~ Q vbole iii~cloaes an intent on the part of the Legfa- lature n@t to ps-wit Q pgranidins of’ this tax. The firat in the 0Ot indicate that the t0.x should be FentGnCa \-c~ld collected only once w!ith referance to any particular Further in the statute we find renewals indebtedness. sr!d refundinfis of the original ~rincipsll indebtedness :~rotcctecS fron havim; euch auboequent lnstrmonta t.o be rt!;v;~xd, where the tm. ~?as paid on the oriE,ffiel instru- annat of security. Lt lo also provided that ljfhare several instrcmnts are conteaporenscualy cxecutec? to recuze one obllrction, the tax ohs11 apply to only one instrument. I’l!rthar?1Qs6) sn instrument once atmIed .my bs rooordcd lu other counties in, the Ct%te wit.hout ar.cin being sub- Fe dn not mgard OUT nmncr to your ,fCCt6t?. to t-Z. second Question as being in confiict with otm oplnicn !:a. rjddsusca d to Iionornble E. 2. %3otcl;riFnc;;, c-l j2E In that opinfon w3 County ;.ttoim3g, Eaaunont, Taxm. Ccld t!mt a dcsd :vould he required to bee: the stamps rhera the nurch.aser was tlereio rsqtiired to assum a pm-mist& indebtedness, but the prior deed fn which the vendor’s lien was ori::inally craated bad been re- of tile ty. m-de& dthout ppmt