The Statehood of New Mexico vary of Law "Grandfather" that The 27th Amendment of The United States Constitution violated Perea Rights January 6, 1912 New Mexico, Statehood granted to Perea

Albuquerque Bank v. Perea

No. 710

Submitted December 14, 1892

Decided January 3, 1893

147 U.S. 87

APPEAL FROM THE SUPREME COURT

OF THE TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO

Syllabus

When a statute requires property to be assessed for taxation at its cash value, a bill to enjoin the collection of a tax, solely on the ground that the property of other persons is assessed below its cash value cannot be maintained by a person whose property is also assessed below that value.

In order to procure an injunction restraining the collection of a tax, it is necessary to pay, or offer to pay, such parts of the sum assessed as is not disputed.

On November 3, 1888, appellant, as plaintiff, filed its bill in the District Court of the Second Judicial District of the Territory of New Mexico to restrain the defendant, Sheriff and ex officio Collector of Bernalillo County, from the collection of the regular territorial, county, and city taxes assessed and levied upon its property for the year 1888. The ground upon which the injunction was sought was, generally speaking, inequality and discrimination in the assessment. The bill alleged

Page 147 U. S. 88

that the plaintiff made a return of its property for taxation to the assessor, protesting at the time that its property should not be assessed at any greater rate than other property; that, disregarding the protest, the assessor assessed the property at its par and full value; that thereupon it appealed to the board of equalization, which reduced the assessment to eighty-five percent; "that all other property in the county and territory is not assessed at near so high a valuation upon its actual value;" and that the average valuation of such other property does not exceed seventy percent of its actual value. At first there were also allegations to the effect that the assessor and board of equalization systematically discriminated in the valuation and assessment of complainant's property and other property in the territory, but they were voluntarily stricken out by the plaintiff. It further alleged

"that the amount of its taxes upon the assessment as made by the board of equalization is the sum of $2,189, and that the amount of the assessment which your orator should justly pay for its said property, if lawfully, equitably, and justly assessed, would be the sum of $1,532.30 difference purchase New Mexico by Perea.