baornble Jale, E.xildry 

DiTOOtOT, %tOr'hmE~X'tIItiOn Dirlda 

Eailroad CoMi66lan o? Texm 

dUEt,At, f6X.6 

D68r sir: opinion x0 .:hl~s 

Hec w 1*raog.oi oortifioate 

qporti&ire~ ll6tween 

inter6tate abdXktrutit4 h6imii,. we*r‘a i96 

equil“to tecp& 66nt of 

the oolntt ~pportlcwd to 

intlu6tate yl6in666 only. 

In yiur Latter of OetobEr 17, 19S9, pou subaifth6 foll~wbg 

f86tEt 

"Jntrutat6 Co6monCurierXotor C+wl6r 

Certifio&e Ho. 2878, owned by the B.&A. Mot& 

b6ight~n66 InO., ha6 b6en 16666d fio.the 8un6et Motor Line6 for th6 put thlwe'y6ar6 for a 

oon6~duatiaof)580.00 p6rwnth,ten p6r oont 

of 6dd 6uxlthly mat6 being oolleoted w thii 

Dep6rtmmt for orsdit to the State Hi-y Rand. 

Ik new haw3 an applloation to remw raid 

lea60 for a oonrideration of $6ij&oO per month, 

6ettbLg out that ~)soo.~ of tb modthly?=6idemtim paid fob said lease ,Ehall'hS domed to 

be ps+id ia 'kOZ,EidE&SiOn Of the InterEtatO I-i&t6 

and #2M).OOthereof 6hall b desmsdto b6 pid 

for the lntrr6tate right6; ad fh6 le66Or ad 

1066eo oontend that u6 should oolleot only tin 

per oent.of th6 $260.00 whioh th6y olaim i6 the 

oonsideration paid for the intIXEtat6 Operating 

rights. 
Hmwnble J6qe6 E. I(ildy, &P 2 

6%e ill6tWlt appli6&,iOu itIV'O1V'66 a rSm 

6xell oon6idderation, btt if the praotio6 i6 

follomud, it till ultimately re6ult in tiw 1966 

of6.n appmoi*bl6 ~ouutofrevenue to the W*. 

Th6 cert1f1atereferredto i6 6nizItr66t6t6 eertifiOat6 i66ued w th0 Ballroad QlmniSEiOn Of 

Ten6, authorlrlug an operation betw66n Eou6ton 

and San &tonio. 

%m reque6t En opinion frwl you a6tO 

whether oi not- 6hould ooll6ot t6n pero6nt of 

themonthlyrent8l of#250&0, olaimed tObe +&6 

~untpaidforth6intn6knte operating rlghti, 

or if m 6hould 00116ot ten per oent of the entire mnEider&iOn Of $66&o&" 

SeOtiOll 6 Of &tiOlO 9114 VOmO!l’E Anuotated %X66 Ciril Statut66. authori6es a 66l6, l 66fgmwnt, lea6e, art&or ofs oertUio6te 

of publio oonwnieme md a66er&y for motor oarri6r6,Qd provldm that 

the 'tlUEl6fO2'66 Em1 Pg t0 the ColmniEEiOn a - Of Mona bqti to ten 

per ~@ of the crmaunt paid a6 a oonsideration for th6tw6fer of the 

oertifi8ate, rhioh 61a often p6r 06nt 6hsll be deposited inth6 2tate 

Tnuury to the oreditofth6 Highway Fund of the Gtate...." 

& thi6 OpiaiO~~866U6.6 thd the WZ'tifiWte &ioned inyour 

letter i6 a 06rtifiate of publio oomenienoti and neo666ity d66oribed in 

6aid &-tlOlCI, and i6 not * Per6 p6XXIit to do 6l% iBt6rEtkIte buEine66 on the 

hi(;hnyE Of TeU6. The State ha6 no authori* to re$aire or gr@nt a 6ertifi6at6 of public oonvenleno6 an3 neoerrsiw oovering intercltata wweroe, 

but doe6 have the pow6r to d6ny'the u60 of its hi-6 to inter6tate motor 

olfti6,'6, u 6uoh IA66 "Oti 6ubj6Ot the higtiy6 t0 ex(M66lVe bWden6, Or 

endanger the 66fetyorordi~ryu~sr6 of the highBSy6. 

S&h Carolina ~6. Bgrnuell Bro6., 202 0. 8. 177 

&uthu66t6zTI Greyho~d wZI6 76. Railroad @66i66iOn 

of %X66, 99 8.2. (2d) 263 

Railmad hEEi66iOIlVEe 'Ilpp6, It10 s.x (26) 1078 

Railmad M66ion ~6. Loving, 128 8-m. (2d) 846 

Baith~6~. Col66nn, 127 8-W. (26) 929 

Hinton ~6. Tbomp~on, I22 &We (26) 961 

HoDonald.6. ThornpEa, 69 &Ip. Ct. 176 
Honorable Jgle6 E. itilday, Page S 

If Itbe trw that the oertifioate cover6 onlyizitra6tate OCMDWrW, it fOllOWI that it would b6 illOgiO6l t0 'ay that 

a portion of the m&al paid repre6ent6 the ralw of the bUEine66 

don6 in intemtate oomnero6. 8inw the wrtifiwte gnUIt. n0 

p6~M66iOn t0 do an i&6rEtat6 buSiW66, none Of th6 OOn6id&ation 

pid for lea6ing the oertif%Me oan be construed to be in payment 

ofth6 privileg6 of doing an itirrtat6 buSine66. 

The rule would not be different, however, if the oertifioata al60 oOn6titut66 a petit t0 do 6B interstate buEine66 on the 

hibhrays Of T6x86. It 16 uaneoe6aary to deoide here whether the 

pymant required by the 6tatute 16 an Innspeotionfee, or a tax impowd for the u6e of the Stat8 higm6. In either case, it I6 not 

6ubjOet to attWk 011 the ground that it OOnEtituteE an WloOn6tituMona1 burd6n on inter6tate ocawroe. In mgardto Inspeotion fees, 

6ee Inter-Island 6tim XaVigatiOn tipany ~6. Territoxy Of Hawaii, 

96 Fed. (26) 401; R+aproo Gwo Co. ~6. Earth Carolina, 171 U.S. 

3601 H6L8anv6,D6nw~r,205~ 8. SF38 andaatort~kupo66dfor 

the u6e of State highmay6, 608 Aero-Xayflowurl!nn6f6r Company v6. 

Georgia Pub110 Servioe Cam6166f~, 296-U. 6. 2661 Continental Baking 

Campany ~6. Ibodring, 286 U.S. 562; Interst6te Busses Corporation ~6. 

Blodgett, 276 U. 8. 246. 

If the EM mquimd to be paid is ooncridered 6n Inspeotion 

fee, the total 6um oolleoted must h6w a rational mlatiOn6hip fo th6 

006t of in6potion. Red C Oil Manufacturing C+~~pany '~6. Board of 

Agrioultum, 222 U. 8. 380. Ilhlle we am unaoquaint6d with the facts, 

n6 a~666 that the total 6am16 oolleoted do bear such a relationship 

t0 the 606t Of inEp6&iOn. If thi6 be true, we oan 666 no objeotion 

to the method adopted by the Legislature in determining the 6tandard 

byuhiohthe a6wmt of the fe6 16 fixed. Eeither 089-e find o%jeotion to thl6 method if the rrtatutorg payment Is 6onEtXUed t+a b6 a 

tax for the u6e of state highuay6. The value of the u6e of th6 oertifioats is deten&ned bg the parties thsmeelveti. They should not 

be heard to oamplainl&@at6x ba6ed upon a proportionate part of 

the value they fix i6 invalid udle66 it i6 OOIIfiEOatOrg. Ik do not 

believe that ten per o6nt of the value plaoed upon the ~66, of the 

oerfifioate by the parties thtanselves ow be held in this oa6e to be 

6onfiboatoly. 

The State may impore a highway u6e fax or pn inapeotion fee 

on rehioles operating* in inter6tate oommel'b. Aeyo-Hayflower 

2!l%,Ef& i%mpanY 911. Georgia NbliO 8WViW &WiEEiOn, 6UpM~ MObWl 

76. Denver, 6UpL-h If this be true, it is also truethat the State 
wy levy a.tax or an ia*utIon fee 

emmr6a andprtlyuponlntra6tat6 

inolud66 the 16666r. 

ba66d parkly upon Inter6t6te 

eowero6. The greater power 

It 16, therefore, our opinion that you 6hould u6Llwb a 

EUD equal to ten per oeat of th6 total oon6ideratIon paId for 

the lea66 of the oertifipate, or in the oa6e declorilmd in your inquiq, ten per we of #66OdXh 

YOl.W6lWytnily 

kY%RHBY GBEBRAL OF TX&S 

By 6/VIotor we Bouldin 

Piotor X Bouldin 

&6i6tfllt 

AFmovsD DEC. 2, 19s9 

E/m-d C. h&n 

MWRESYGBlpEBAtOFTXM