lawrence state tax commission state mississippi argued april decided may wm watkins jackson appellants lauderdale jackson appellee justice stone delivered opinion appeal section judicial code usca decree mississippi upholding mississippi income tax law chapter miss laws amended chapter miss code ann applied appellant assailed infringing fourteenth amendment federal constitution sections statute impose annual tax net income corporations individuals paragraph section added act laws miss ex provides term gross income include income domestic corporation earned sources without state appellant citizen resident mississippi brought present suit set aside assessment tax upon much net income arose construction public highways state tennessee taxing statute challenged ground far imposes tax income derived wholly activities carried outside state deprived appellant property without due process law exempting corporations competitors tas income derived like activities carried outside state denied equal protection laws obligation one domiciled within state pay taxes arises unilateral action state government exercise plenary sovereign powers raise revenue defray expenses government distribute burdens equably among enjoy benefits hence domicile establishes basis taxation enjoyment privileges residence within state attendant right invoke protection laws inseparable responsibility sharing costs government see fidelity columbia trust louisville maguire trefry kirtland hotchkiss shaffer carter federal constitution imposes particular modes taxation apart specific grant federal government exclusive power levy certain limited classes taxes regulate interstate foreign commerce leaves unrestricted power tax domiciled within long tax imposed upon property within state privileges enjoyed palpably arbitrary unreasonable infringe fourteenth amendment kirtland hotchkiss supra taxation place domicile tangibles located elsewhere thought beyond jurisdiction state union refrigerator transit kentucky ann cas frick pennsylvania considerations applicable ownership physical objects located outside taxing jurisdiction led conclusion obviously inapplicable taxation intangibles place domicile privileges may enjoyed see state tax foreignheld bonds wall frick pennsylvania supra page taxation state domicile uniformly upheld kirtland hotchkiss supra fidelity columbia trust louisville supra blodgett silberman maguire trefry supra compare farmers loan trust minnesota first national bank boston maine present tax defined mississippi excise property tax hattiesburg grocery robertson miss knox gulf miss passing constitutionality concerned practical operation definition precise form descriptive words may applied see educational films ward pacific johnson ed decided april shaffer carter supra pages enough far constitutional power state levy concerned tax imposed mississippi citizens reference receipt enjoyment income derived conduct business regardless place carried tax apportioned ability taxpayer bear founded upon protection afforded recipient income state person right receive income enjoyment received rights privileges incident domicile state economic interest realized receipt income represented power control bears direct legal relationship anomalous say although mississippi may tax obligation pay appellant services rendered tennessee see fidelity columbia trust louisville supra farmers loan trust minnesota supra still tax receipt income upon payment obligation find basis holding taxation income domicile recipient either within purview rule established tangibles located outside state owner subject taxation within respect arbitrary unreasonable place outside constitutional power taxation reserved state maguire trefry supra see fidelity columbia trust louisville supra mississippi found unnecessary pass upon validity much statute added amendment exempted domestic corporations tax income derived activities outside state said amendment valid appellant complain invalid still subject tax since act amended section laws remain full force individuals domestic corporations taxed alike knox gulf supra constitution guarantees rights immunities citizen likewise insures privilege rights immunities judicially declared protected judicial action properly invoked even though claimed constitutional protection denied nonfederal grounds province inquire whether decision state rests upon fair substantial basis unsubstantial constitutional obligations may thus avoided see ward love county enterprise irrigation district canal company fox river paper railroad commission upon one alternative assumptions made amendment discriminatory appellant constitutional rights infringed tax levied upon state officers acting amendment refrained assessing like tax upon corporate competitors see moines national bank bennett constitution exacts uniform application tax appellant competitors constitutional rights denied well refusal state decide question erroneous decision see greene louisville interurban et ann cas smith cahoon either case inequality complained left undisturbed state whose jurisdiction remove rightly invoked burden rest test validity amendment procedure compel competitors pay tax earlier statute moines national bank bennett supra page see cumberland coal board revision therefore conclude purported nonfederal ground put forward state refusal decide constitutional question unsubstantial illusory appellant may invoke jurisdiction decide question statute relieves domestic corporations tax far income derived activities carried outside state appellant thus compelled pay tax competitors domestic corporations relieved urged plainly arbitrary infringe equal protection clause constitutional requirement system taxation uniform applied individuals corporations regardless circumstances operates acceptance contention relieve appellant burden rests overcome presumption facts supporting constitutionality attaches legislative acts require assume state facts reasonably conceived afford rational basis distinguishing taxation purposes income individuals domestic corporations derived business carried without state lindsley natural carbonic gas ann cas rast van deman lewis ann cas young hartford fire ins local conditions mississippi neighboring respect businesses like present carried across state lines individuals corporations appear statutory provisions question related others permissible divergence state policy respect taxation corporations individuals may effected shown see general american tank car day interstate busses corporation blodgett farmers mechanics savings bank minnesota et say investigation fields close basis legislation lead reasonable men conclude ground difference made existence unchallenged differences taxation incomes individuals corporations every federal revenue act since adoption sixteenth amendment demonstrates may apart considerations may led present legislation integral part state system taxation income corporations one affords rational basis distinction made fact state adopted generally policy avoiding double taxation economic interest corporate income taxing either income corporation dividends stockholders see sections case corporate income dividends attributable business done outside state received stockholders domestic corporations stockholders taxed corporation held franklin carter sufficient ground upholding statute oklahoma assailed denying equal protection laws substantially features present statute see also conner question presented thus differs raised quaker city cab pennsylvania royster guano virginia compare white river lumber arkansas equal protection clause require state maintain rigid rule equal taxation resort close distinctions maintain precise scientific uniformity possible differences tax burdens shown substantial based discriminations shown arbitrary capricious fall within constitutional prohibitions ohio oil conway southwestern oil texas kentucky state board tax commissioners indiana jackson affirmed justice van devanter dissents much opinion concerns equal protection clause fourteenth amendment