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Fairchild Semiconductor v. Tax Assessor
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MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT					Reporter of Decisions
Decision:	1999 ME 170
Docket:	Ken-99-146
Argued:	September 10, 1999
Decided:	November 23, 1999

Panel:CLIFFORD, RUDMAN, DANA, SAUFLEY, ALEXANDER, and CALKINS, JJ.

FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION

v.

STATE TAX ASSESSOR

DANA, J.

	[¶1]  Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation appeals from a judgment
entered in the Superior Court (Kennebec County, Marden, J.) affirming a
decision of the State Tax Assessor assessing additional taxes against
Fairchild for the 1988 tax year.  Fairchild argues that the Assessor
misapplied 36 M.R.S.A. § 5102(8){1} in its audit of Fairchild and its "unitary
group," resulting in the erroneous denial of a Maine net operating loss
(NOL) carry-back deduction from the 1989 tax year to the 1988 tax year.{2} 
Fairchild also contends that, because the Assessor's denial of the deduction
was based on the lack of a federal NOL deduction for the same year on the
federal consolidated return filed by Fairchild and 14 other corporations, it
violates both the due process and commerce clauses of the United States
Constitution.  Because we agree that the Assessor misapplied section
5102(8) of the Maine Tax Code, we vacate the judgment of the Superior
Court and do not reach the constitutional issues.

I.

	[¶2]  Fairchild is a corporation organized and existing under the laws
of the State of Delaware with a principal place of business in Santa Clara,
California.  Fairchild was acquired by its parent corporation, National
Semiconductor Corporation, on October 1, 1987.  In tax years 1988, 1989
and 1990, Fairchild, with three other corporations, was engaged in a
"unitary business"{3} in Maine.  Accordingly, in each of those years, the group
filed a Maine income tax return as a "unitary group."  During the same
period, Fairchild filed a consolidated federal tax return with roughly 14
other corporations (the "consolidated group") that included Fairchild's
Maine unitary group as well as corporations that were not members of the
unitary group.{4}
	[¶3]  In the 1988 tax year, after adjustments that are not at issue in
this case, Fairchild's unitary group had positive income totalling
approximately $21 million.  The following year, the unitary group sustained
losses totalling approximately $115 million.  Because the unitary group filed
a consolidated return at the federal level, however, these losses were more
than offset by the income of the other members of the consolidated group. 
As a result, no NOL carry-back deduction was available to the consolidated
group at the federal level.  However, if the members of the unitary group had
calculated their taxable income separately at the federal level, the loss
incurred in the 1989 tax year would have been available to the unitary group
corporations as an NOL carry-back deduction in the 1988 tax year pursuant
to 26 U.S.C. §§ 63(a) & 172(c) (1988).
	[¶4]  After conducting a field audit that began in 1991, the State Tax
Assessor issued a notice of assessment to Fairchild in which $147,850 in
tax, interest and penalties was assessed against the corporation for the
1988, 1989 and 1990 tax years.  Fairchild thereafter filed a timely petition
for reconsideration pursuant to 36 M.R.S.A. § 151 (1991), amended by P.L.
1993, ch. 395, § 2 and P.L. 1997, ch. 668, § 11, challenging several aspects
of the Assessor's determination that are not relevant to this appeal. 
Following a reconsideration conference, the Assessor modified its
assessment to $51,618.  However, in the course of its reconsideration, the
Assessor disallowed a NOL carry-back deduction in the 1988 tax year for the
loss sustained by the unitary group in the 1989 tax year that the Assessor
had initially allowed during its field audit.  The Assessor based its
disallowance on the lack of a NOL carry-back deduction for the consolidated
group at the federal level in the 1988 tax year because, unlike the unitary
group, the consolidated group did not sustain a loss in the 1989 tax year.
	[¶5]  Fairchild filed a timely petition for judicial review pursuant to 36
M.R.S.A. § 151 (1996), amended by P.L. 1997, ch. 668, § 11; 5 M.R.S.A.
§ 11002 (1989); and M.R. Civ. P. 80C, challenging the Assessor's
disallowance of the 1989 NOL carry-back deduction.  The Superior Court
affirmed and Fairchild filed this appeal.

II.

	[¶6]  It is an issue of first impression for this Court:  whether a NOL
carry-back deduction is available to a Maine unitary group for Maine losses
when determining "Maine net income" pursuant to 36 M.R.S.A. § 5102(8)
despite one not being available at the federal level due to the composition of
the group filing a consolidated federal return.  Section 5102(8) defines
Maine net income for any corporate taxpayer as:

the taxable income of that taxpayer . . . under the laws of the
United States . . . [and] [t]o the extent that it derives from a
unitary business . . . [it] shall be determined by apportioning that
part of the federal taxable income of the [unitary] group which
derives from the unitary business . . . .

36 M.R.S.A. § 5102(8) (1990).  The issue is as simple as this:  Does the
above language require a reference to the taxpayer's federal tax return or a
reference to federal tax law?  The Assessor argues that the statute requires a
reference to the federal tax return, Fairchild to federal law.
	[¶7]  As a preliminary matter, we note that the Superior Court serves
as the "forum of origin for a determination of both facts and law" when
reviewing decisions of the Assessor pursuant to 36 M.R.S.A. § 151. 
Enerquin Air, Inc. v. State Tax Assessor, 670 A.2d 926, 928 (Me. 1996).  We
review the Superior Court's determinations of law directly, see Koch
Refining Co. v. State Tax Assessor, 1999 ME 35, ¶ 4, 724 A.2d 1251, 1252,
and conduct a de novo review.  See Peterson v. State Tax Assessor, 1999 ME
23, ¶ 6, 724 A.2d 610, 612.  When construing a statute, "we look to the
plain meaning of the language to give effect to the legislative intent."  Koch,
1999 ME 35, ¶ 4, 724 A.2d 1251, 1252-53.  Additionally, we consider the
statutory scheme as a whole in order to reach a harmonious result.  See id.
(quoting Estate of Whittier, 681 A.2d 1, 2 (Me. 1996)).  Lastly, "[w]e avoid
statutory constructions that create absurd, illogical, or inconsistent results." 
Darling's v. Ford Motor Co., 1998 ME 232, ¶ 5, 719 A.2d 111, 114.
	[¶8]  The State Tax Code for the tax year in question defined "Maine
net income" for corporate taxpayers as the taxable income of that taxpayer
pursuant to the United States Internal Revenue Code.  36 M.R.S.A. § 5102(8)
(1990).  The Internal Revenue Code in turn defined "taxable income" as
gross income minus the deductions allowed pursuant to the Code.  26 U.S.C.
§ 63(a) (1988).  The deduction at issue in this case for net operating losses
was allowed by section 172 of the Code.  26 U.S.C. § 172 (1988).  We are
asked to determine whether the Legislature intended that the income of the
Maine unitary group is to be determined by calculating the income of the
group separately pursuant to section 63 of the Code, or whether the
Legislature intended to merely adopt the treatment of the unitary group's
income as reflected on the federal consolidated return filed by the 15
affiliated corporations.
	[¶9]  The plain language of the statute appears clear on this point
when section 5102(8) is read in its entirety.  We find reflected in that
language an intent to determine the Maine "net income" of a unitary group
separately pursuant to section 63 of the Internal Revenue Code, as opposed
to simply adopting the treatment of the unitary group's income at the
federal level which may be the result of the group's membership in a federal
consolidated group.
	[¶10]  In order to determine the portion of a unitary group's income
that is properly taxable by Maine when the group has non-Maine source
income, the Maine Tax Code requires that the apportionment formula be
applied to the federal taxable income of the entire unitary group as a single
entity.  36 M.R.S.A. §§ 5102, 5211 (1990); see also Tambrands, Inc. v. State
Tax Assessor, 595 A.2d 1039 (Me. 1991).  Specifically, the second sentence
of section 5102(8) directs that the "federal taxable income of the entire
group" be apportioned, using the apportionment formula, in order to
determine the "Maine net income" of the unitary group.  36 M.R.S.A.
§ 5102(8).  Both Fairchild and the Assessor agree that "the entire group"
referred to above is the unitary group, and no other.  In other words, the
group is to be treated as a unit without regard to the status of its member
corporations at the federal level, i.e., whether they filed individually, or as
members of a consolidated group.
	[¶11]  Because the criteria for membership in a Maine unitary group
differs from that for membership in a federal consolidated group, there is no
identity relationship necessarily existing between the two groups.{5}  Compare
26 U.S.C. § 1504 (1988), with 36 M.R.S.A. §§ 5102(1-B) & (10-A) (1990). 
As a result, membership in a Maine unitary group does not necessarily entail
membership in a consolidated group at the federal level that includes all the
corporations in the unitary group.  Therefore, an effective determination of
the income of the unitary group appears to require a separate determination
of federal taxable income pursuant to section 63, especially when the unitary
group consists of corporations that are not all members of the same federal
consolidated group.  For this reason, we believe that the Legislature
intended the income of a Maine unitary group to be determined separately
pursuant to section 63 of the Code without regard to the group's affiliations
at the federal level.  In other words, the unitary group is to be treated
independently and section  63 is to be applied to it for a calculation separate
from that performed for the consolidated group at the federal level.
	[¶12]  Furthermore, as stated above, we seek to construe statutes so as
to avoid inconsistent results.  See Darling's, 1998 ME 232, ¶5, 719 A.2d
111, 114.  The purpose of allowing NOL deductions is to afford corporations
the benefit of income averaging which recognizes the vagaries of doing
business.  See B.F. Goodrich Co. v. Dubno, 490 A.2d 991, 995 (Conn. 1985);
Production Credit Ass'ns of Lansing v. State Dep't of Treasury, 273 N.W.2d
10, 16 (Mich. 1978).  "Such deductions counteract the inequity that may
result from breaking up taxable activity into relatively short periods of time
and taxing a discrete income producing period without regard to a
preceding period of loss."  B.F. Goodrich Co., 490 A.2d at 995.  The
Assessor's approach would deny Fairchild's unitary group this benefit, while
another unitary group with the same income record, but which was not part
of a federal consolidated group, would realize the benefit for Maine state tax
purposes.  We do not think that the Legislature intended such an
inconsistent result.
	[¶13]  The Assessor relies on our holdings in three separate cases in
arguing that events at the federal level determine a taxpayer's treatment in
Maine.  The Assessor places particular emphasis on our holding in Green v.
State Tax Assessor, 562 A.2d 1217 (Me. 1989), which involved individual
nonresident taxpayers who had overall positive income in the tax year in
question despite experiencing losses in Maine.  We held that the taxpayers
could not carry back their Maine losses to other years on their state returns
because they did not have excess loss deductions on their federal returns in
those other years.  Id. at 1219-20.  However, the statute in question, that
involves the determination of "Maine adjusted gross income" for
nonresident taxpayers, involves a very different process from that used to
determine the Maine net income of a unitary group of corporations.  See 36
M.R.S.A. §§ 5102(1-C)(B), 5142 (1989).
	[¶14]  The process of determining Maine adjusted gross income
pursuant to section 5142 involves working backward from the taxpayer's
federal return and determining what portion of the components reflected in
the federal adjusted gross income shown on that return are attributable to
Maine.  See id. ("The adjusted gross income of a nonresident derived from
sources within this State shall be the sum of the following: A.  The net
amount of items of income, gain, loss, and deduction entering into his
federal adjusted gross income which are derived from or connected with
sources in this State."); Green, 562 A.2d at 1219.  In contrast, section
5102(8) makes no reference to the actual components of a unitary group's
income as reflected on a federal return because, as discussed above, the
unitary group does not necessarily file a federal return as a distinct and
discrete group, rather, it may be filing with other corporations, or the
members of the unitary group may be filing individual returns.  The
determination of Maine taxable income pursuant to section 5142 is not
analogous to the determination of Maine net income pursuant to section
5102(8), therefore, the treatment of the Greens for Maine state tax
purposes is not analogous to the treatment of a unitary group for Maine state
tax purposes.
	[¶15]  In Albany Int'l Corp. v. Halperin, 388 A.2d 902 (Me. 1978), also
cited by the Assessor, the individual corporation in that case had already
calculated its income pursuant to section 63 on the federal level. Id. at 906. 
In doing so, it treated taxes it had paid to foreign governments as a tax
credit.  Id.  For Maine state tax purposes, it sought to recalculate its income
pursuant to § 63 and take a deduction instead of a credit for those taxes it
had paid to foreign governments.  See id.  We held that the corporation
could not calculate its federal taxable income pursuant to section 63 twice,
making inconsistent elections each time.  See id.  In contrast, Fairchild's
unitary group is not trying to reconfigure or recalculate its income.  Rather,
the group merely seeks treatment as a separate entity pursuant to section
63 of the Internal Revenue Code that would result in a deduction for losses
it undeniably incurred and to which it would clearly be entitled without
regard to the income of other corporations with which it is affiliated at the
federal level.
	[¶16]  Lastly, the Assessor cites Tiedemann v. Johnson, 316 A.2d 359
(Me. 1974).  That case dealt with individuals who had chosen to receive and
report income from the sale of their house over a period of years in
installments in order to realize certain tax advantages at the federal level. 
Id. at 361.  We did not allow them to reconfigure or recalculate their income
for Maine tax purposes and treat the income from the sale of their house as
if they had received it in the year of the sale that was prior to the Maine Tax
Code taking effect.  See id. at 366-67.  Again, Fairchild does not seek to
manipulate its income or losses in a way that would change its treatment
pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.  It merely seeks separate treatment
for its unitary group the one and only time the federal taxable income of the
group is calculated pursuant to section 63 of the Internal Revenue Code.
	[¶17]  Other states have adopted disparate approaches in interpreting
their respective statutes.  Compare, e.g., Kerr-McGee Refining Corp. v.
Director of Revenue, No. 93-00071RI, 6 (Mo. Admin. Hrg. Comm'n Mar. 29,
1994) (Missouri Hearing Commission interpreting statute explicitly stating
"federal taxable income" should be determined "as if a separate federal
income tax return had been filed by [the corporation]," held that corporate
taxpayer should pay same amount of taxes it would have paid had it filed
separate returns in all years, not just the tax year in question), with Postal
Finance Co. v. Oklahoma Tax Comm'n, 594 P.2d 1205, 1206 (Okla. 1977)
(court interpreting statute that defined Oklahoma taxable income as "taxable
income as reported . . . to the federal government," held that no NOL
deduction was available if none was available on the federal level for the same
tax year); see also McJunkin Corp. v. West Virginia Dep't of Tax and
Revenue, 457 S.E.2d 123, 127 (W. Va. 1995) (holding that prior to
amendment of state tax code, NOL deduction not available unless one
available on federal level, subsequent to amendment, availability of state NOL
deductions not dependent on simultaneous federal NOL).  In every case, the
language of the above statutes differs from that of Maine's.  Therefore, we
will not look beyond the plain language of section 5102(8) to determine the
intent manifested by the Legislature in the words of section 5102(8).
	[¶18]  Because we believe the statutory language clearly reflects a
legislative intent that for Maine income tax purposes the income of a unitary
group of corporations is to be calculated pursuant to the Internal Revenue
Code without regard to their filing consolidated returns at the federal level
with other corporations, we vacate the judgment of the Superior Court.
	The entry is:
Judgment vacated.  Remanded to the Superior
Court with instructions to remand to the State
Tax Assessor for a redetermination, consistent
with the opinion herein, of the taxes payable by
Fairchild and its unitary group for the 1988 tax
year.
Attorneys for plaintiff:

James G. Good, Esq.            (orally)
Jonathan A. Block, Esq. 
Pierce Atwood
One Monument Square
Portland, Maine 04l0l-1110

Attorney for defendant:

Andrew Ketterer, Attorney General
Clifford B. Olson, Asst. Attorney General	         (orally)
State House Station 6
Augusta, Maine 04333