complete auto transit brady argued january decided march mississippi tax privilege business state held violate commerce clause applied interstate activity transportation motor carrier mississippi mississippi dealers cars manufactured outside state substantial nexus taxing state fairly apportioned discriminate interstate commerce fairly related services provided state spector motor service overruled pp affirmed blackmun delivered opinion unanimous alan perry argued cause appellant briefs robert cannada george butler carl black rhesa barksdale james haddock argued cause filed brief appellee justice blackmun delivered opinion presented perennial problem validity state tax privilege carrying within state certain activities related corporation operation interstate business colonial pipeline traigle quoting memphis gas stone issue case whether mississippi runs afoul commerce clause art cl applies tax imposes privilege business within state appellant activity interstate commerce mississippi unanimously sustained tax appellant constitutional challenge noted probable jurisdiction order consider anew applicable principles troublesome area taxes question sales taxes assessed mississippi state tax commission appellant complete auto transit period august july assessments made pursuant following mississippi statutes hereby levied assessed shall collected privilege taxes privilege engaging continuing business business within state determined application rates gross proceeds sales gross income values case may provided following sections miss code supp amended upon every person operating pipeline railroad airplane bus truck transportation business transportation persons property compensation hire points within state hereby levied assessed shall collected tax equal five per cent gross income business amended appellant michigan corporation engaged business transporting motor vehicles motor carrier general motors corporation general motors assembles outside mississippi vehicles destined dealers within state vehicles shipped rail jackson usually within hours loaded onto appellant trucks transported appellant mississippi dealers app appellant paid contract basis transportation railhead dealers letter dated october mississippi tax commission informed appellant assessed taxes interest totaling sales transportation services period august july remittance within days requested similar letter dated december commission advised appellant assessment period august july appellant paid assessments protest april pursuant amended code code instituted present refund action chancery first judicial district hinds county appellant claimed transportation one part interstate movement taxes assessed paid unconstitutional applied operations interstate commerce app chancery unreported opinion sustained assessments mississippi affirmed concluded noted taxpayer large operation state dependent upon state police protection state services citizens pay fair share taxes long long tax discriminate interstate commerce danger interstate commerce smothered cumulative taxes several possibility state duplicating tax involved case appellant attack based solely decisions holding tax privilege engaging activity state may applied activity part interstate commerce see spector motor service freeman hewit rule looks fact incidence tax privilege business deems irrelevant consideration practical effect tax rule reflects underlying philosophy interstate commerce enjoy sort free trade immunity state taxation appellee turn relies decisions stating purpose commerce clause relieve engaged interstate commerce share state tax burden even though increases cost business western live stock bureau revenue decisions considered formal language tax statute rather practical effect sustained tax commerce clause challenge tax applied activity substantial nexus taxing state fairly apportioned discriminate interstate commerce fairly related services provided state years applied practical analysis approving many types tax avoided running afoul prohibition taxing privilege business instance refused overrule prohibition present state law spector rule come known relationship economic realities rather stands trap unwary draftsman ii modern origin spector rule may found freeman hewit supra issue freeman application indiana tax upon receipt entire gross income residents domiciliaries indiana sought impose tax income generated trustee indiana estate instructed local stockbroker sell certain securities broker arranged correspondents new york sell securities new york stock exchange securities sold new york brokers deducting expenses commission transmitted proceeds indiana broker turn delivered less commission trustee indiana sustained tax reversed justice frankfurter speaking five members announced blanket prohibition state taxation imposed directly interstate transaction explicitly deemed unnecessary decision case showing discrimination interstate commerce error apportionment tax recognized state constitutionally tax local manufacture impose license taxes corporations business state tax property within state tax privilege residence state measure privilege net income including derived interstate commerce nevertheless direct tax interstate sales even fairly apportioned nondiscriminatory held unconstitutional per se justice rutledge lengthy concurring opinion argued tax judged economic effects rather formal phrasing reviewing prior decisions concluded fact direct incidence state tax regulation long since discarded sufficient outlaw state legislation view state tax unconstitutional activity lacks necessary connection taxing state give jurisdiction tax tax discriminates interstate commerce activity subject multiple taxation rule announced freeman viewed commentary triumph formalism substance providing little guidance even formal requirements see hartman state taxation interstate commerce dunham gross receipts taxes interstate transactions colum rev although rule might utilized keystone movement toward absolute immunity interstate commerce state taxation consistently indicated interstate commerce may made pay way moved toward standard permissibility state taxation based upon actual effect rather legal terminology narrowing rule one draftsmanship phraseology began another mississippi case memphis gas stone memphis natural gas company owned operated pipeline running louisiana memphis approximately miles line mississippi mississippi imposed franchise excise tax measured value capital used invested employed exercise power privilege right enjoyed corporation within state miss code mississippi upheld tax affirmed opinion two others justice reed noted tax discriminatory possibility multiple taxation amount tax reasonable tax properly apportioned investment mississippi went consider whether tax upon privilege interstate business within state drew distinction tax privilege interstate business tax privilege exercising corporate functions within state held former unconstitutional latter barred commerce clause approved tax issue attempt tax privilege interstate business secure anything corporation statute except compensation protection enumerated local activities maintaining keeping repair otherwise manning facilities enough sustain tax imposed case one clearly within state power lay insofar limitation due process jurisdiction tax sense concerned nondiscriminatory places greater burden upon interstate commerce state places upon competing intrastate commerce like character duly apportioned undertake tax interstate activities carried outside state borders repeated state footnotes omitted prohibition state taxation privilege engaging commerce interstate reaffirmed spector motor service case similar facts instant case taxpayer missouri corporation engaged exclusively interstate trucking shipments originated terminated connecticut connecticut imposed corporation tax excise upon franchise privilege carrying business within state measured apportioned net income spector brought suit federal enjoin collection tax applied activities district issued injunction second circuit reversed three justices dissent turn reversed appeals held tax unconstitutional applied recognized taxpayer engaged intrastate interstate commerce state may tax privilege carrying intrastate business within reasonable limits may compute amount charge applying tax rate fair proportion taxpayer business done within state including interstate intrastate omitted held nevertheless tax privilege business unconstitutional applied exclusively interstate commerce dissenters argued hand constitutional difference exclusively interstate business mixed business fairly apportioned nondiscriminatory tax either type prohibited commerce clause spector rule applied railway express agency virginia railway express declare unconstitutional state annual license tax levied gross receipts privilege business state vote held tax gross receipts tax privilege business rather tax property state virginia contended virginia thereupon revised wording statute impose franchise tax intangible property form going concern value measured gross receipts tax asserted agency virginia engaged exclusively interstate commerce opinion buttressed two concurring opinions one concurrence result upheld reworded statute violative spector rule railway express agency virginia railway express ii upholding statute opinion recognized rule taxing privilege interstate business created situation use magic words labels disable otherwise constitutional levy real economic difference statutes railway express railway express ii long since recognized interstate commerce may made pay way yet spector rule economic realities railway express became irrelevant spector rule come operate rule draftsmanship served distract courts parties inquiry whether challenged tax produced results forbidden commerce clause day announced railway express ii confirmed state proper drafting may tax exclusively interstate commerce long tax create effect forbidden commerce clause northwestern cement minnesota held net income interstate operations foreign corporation may subjected state taxation provided levy discriminatory properly apportioned local activities within taxing state forming sufficient nexus support tax limited way tax levied even though income generated exclusively interstate sales spector distinguished briefly passing case incidence tax privilege business thus applying rule northwestern cement facts spector clear connecticut taxed apportioned net income derived exclusively interstate commerce however tax privilege business measured apportioned net income reason attaching constitutional significance semantic difference difficult discern unsatisfactory operation spector rule well demonstrated recent case colonial pipeline traigle colonial delaware corporation interstate pipeline running louisiana approximately miles maintained work force pumping stations louisiana keep pipeline flowing intrastate business state louisiana imposed colonial franchise tax privilege carrying business state louisiana appeal invalidated tax violative rule spector colonial pipeline mouton louisiana refused review la louisiana legislature perhaps recognizing run afoul rule words rather rule substance redrafted statute levy tax alternative incident qualification carry business state actual business within state corporate form appeal held tax unconstitutional applied appellant colonial pipeline agerton time louisiana upheld new tax vote affirmed question raised propriety apportionment tax claim made tax discriminatory noted tax imposed aspect interstate commerce state bore special relation state bestowed powers privileges benefits sufficient support tax business corporate form louisiana accordingly authority memphis gas tax held constitutional distinguished spector familiar ground involved tax privilege carrying interstate commerce louisiana legislature contrast worded statute issue narrowly confine impost one related appellant activities within state corporate form refraining overruling spector noted ecisions particularly recent decades sustained nondiscriminatory properly apportioned state corporate taxes upon foreign corporations exclusively interstate business tax related corporation local activities state provided benefits protections activities justified asking fair reasonable return iii case course confronted situation like presented spector tax labeled privilege tax privilege business mississippi state code amended activity taxed assumed interstate commerce note claim made activity sufficiently connected state justify tax tax fairly related benefits provided taxpayer tax discriminates interstate commerce tax fairly apportioned view commerce clause gave rise rule spector perhaps without substance nonetheless possibility defending abstract alter fact rejected proposition interstate commerce immune state taxation truism mere act carrying business interstate commerce exempt corporation state taxation purpose commerce clause relieve engaged interstate commerce share state tax burden even though increases cost business western live stock bureau revenue colonial pipeline traigle objection mississippi tax appellant except imposed nothing privilege business interstate judgment mississippi affirmed ordered footnotes statute code amended effective august exclude transportation property miss laws section codified imposed tax gross income transportation gross income defined exclude much thereof derived business conducted commerce state state mississippi prohibited taxing constitution america exclusionary language eliminated statute amended cover transportation points within state miss laws amendment gave statute essentially form possessed period relevant might argued statute amended evinces intent reach intrastate commerce construed appellant however make argument mississippi clearly viewed statute applying intrastate commerce interstate commerce advised appellee tax applied commercial transactions distinct service performed payment made transportation one point within state another point within state tr oral arg statute code violation requirements section misdemeanor ibid parties understandably go great pains describe details bills lading responsibility various entities vehicles travel assembly plant dealers appellant seeks demonstrate transportation provides railhead dealers part movement interstate commerce appellee argues appellant transportation intrastate business argues even activity part interstate commerce tax unconstitutional brief appellant brief appellee reply brief appellant mississippi courts upholding tax assumed transportation interstate commerce present purposes make assumption although appellant operating mississippi since app state audit assessment covered period beginning august effort made apply tax appellant period prior date see boston stock exchange state tax general motors washington illinois cent minnesota ingels morf see also standard steel washington rev clark paul gray summarized free trade view freeman hewit commerce clause merely authorization congress enact laws protection encouragement commerce among force created area trade free interference short commerce clause even without implementing legislation congress limitation upon power limitation state power merely forbid state single interstate commerce hostile action state also precluded taking action may fairly deemed effect impeding free flow trade immaterial local commerce subjected similar encumbrance see general motors washington supra northwestern cement minnesota memphis gas stone wisconsin penney although mention freeman starting point elements views expressed therein positions underlie debate evident prior opinions compare state tax railway gross receipts wall fargo michigan compare di santo pennsylvania cooney mountain tel western live stock bureau revenue see generally hartman state taxation interstate commerce barrett state taxation interstate commerce direct burdens multiple burdens vand rev writings cited therein dunham gross receipts taxes interstate transactions colum rev justice rutledge agreed result reached freeman belief apportionment problem best solved market state forbidden impose unapportioned gross receipts taxes kind indiana sought exact consistent application doctrine immunity interstate commerce course necessitated overruling cases approved freeman upheld taxes whose burden although indirect fell interstate commerce arriving conclusion dissent relied upon construction stipulation entered parties upon independent review record plurality rejected dissent reading stipulation noted addition question presented petition certiorari raise claim state providing service ask recompense plurality relied mississippi holding state provide protection properly subject tax five members joined opinion distinguishing spector two concurred judgment viewed spector indistinguishable overruled one also viewed spector indistinguishable felt established precedent forthrightly overruled justice douglas took part less charitably put light expanding scope state taxing power interstate commerce spector anachronism continued adherence spector especially northwestern portland cement justified comment pipelines privileges labels colonial pipeline traigle nw rev might argued privilege taxes focusing business easily tailored single interstate businesses subject effects forbidden commerce clause therefore privilege taxes subjected per se rule imposition interstate business yet property taxes also may tailored differentiate property used transportation types property see railway express ii income tax use different rates different types business tax privilege business corporate form made change nature corporate activity involved tailored tax sort creates increased danger error apportionment discrimination interstate commerce lack relationship services provided state see freeman hewit concurring opinion tailored tax however accomplished must receive careful scrutiny courts determine whether produces forbidden effect interstate commerce perceive reason however tax privilege business viewed creating qualitatively different danger require per se rule unconstitutionality might also argued adoption rule absolute immunity interstate commerce rule course go beyond spector relieve difficult judgments occasion made believe however administrative convenience instance insufficient justification abandoning principle interstate commerce may made pay way