SENATE BILL No. 1185

 

 

May 6, 2004, Introduced by Senators CASSIS, GARCIA and McMANUS and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The general property tax act,"                                             

                                                                                

    by amending section 154 (MCL 211.154), as amended by 2003 PA                

                                                                                

    247.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 154.  (1) If the state tax commission determines that                  

                                                                                

2   property subject to the collection of taxes under this act,                 

                                                                                

3   including property subject to taxation under 1974 PA 198, MCL               

                                                                                

4   207.551 to 207.572, 1905 PA 282, MCL 207.1 to 207.21, 1953 PA               

                                                                                

5   189, MCL 211.181 to 211.182, and the commercial redevelopment               

                                                                                

6   act, 1978 PA 255, MCL 207.651 to 207.668, has been incorrectly              

                                                                                

7   reported or omitted for any of the previous  year, but not to               

                                                                                

8   exceed the current assessment year and 2 years immediately                  

                                                                                

9   preceding the date the incorrect reporting or omission was                  

                                                                                

10  discovered and disclosed to the state tax commission, the state             

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   tax commission shall place the corrected assessment value for the           

                                                                                

2   appropriate years on the appropriate assessment roll.  years                

                                                                                

3   designated under this section, the state tax commission shall               

                                                                                

4   issue an order to the local tax collecting unit if the local tax            

                                                                                

5   collecting unit has possession of the tax roll being amended or             

                                                                                

6   to the county treasurer if the county treasurer has possession of           

                                                                                

7   the tax roll being amended requiring the revision of the assessed           

                                                                                

8   value and taxable value for each year for which the property was            

                                                                                

9   incorrectly reported or omitted.  The order of the state tax                

                                                                                

10  commission may include the current assessment year and the 2                

                                                                                

11  years immediately preceding the date a person liable for the                

                                                                                

12  incorrectly reported or omitted taxes notifies the state tax                

                                                                                

13  commission that the taxes were incorrectly reported or omitted.             

                                                                                

14  If the state tax commission is notified that taxes have been                

                                                                                

15  incorrectly reported or omitted by someone other than a person              

                                                                                

16  liable for the incorrectly reported or omitted taxes, the order             

                                                                                

17  may include the current assessment year and 2 years immediately             

                                                                                

18  preceding the latter of the date the incorrect reporting or                 

                                                                                

19  omission was discovered and disclosed to the state tax commission           

                                                                                

20  or the date written notice of the incorrect reporting or omission           

                                                                                

21  was provided to the taxpayer. The state tax commission shall                

                                                                                

22  issue an order  certifying  to the treasurer of the local tax               

                                                                                

23  collecting unit if the local tax collecting unit has possession             

                                                                                

24  of a tax roll for a year for which an assessment change is made             

                                                                                

25  or the county treasurer if the county has possession of a tax               

                                                                                

26  roll for a year for which an assessment change is made requiring            

                                                                                

27  the revision of the assessed value and taxable value and                    


                                                                                

1   certifying the amount of taxes due as computed by the correct               

                                                                                

2   annual rate of taxation for each year except the current year.              

                                                                                

3   Taxes computed under this section shall not be spread against the           

                                                                                

4   property for a period before the last change of ownership of the            

                                                                                

5   property.                                                                   

                                                                                

6       (2) If an assessment change made under this section results                 

                                                                                

7   in increased property taxes, the additional taxes shall be                  

                                                                                

8   collected by the treasurer of the local tax collecting unit if              

                                                                                

9   the local tax collecting unit has possession of a tax roll for a            

                                                                                

10  year for which an assessment change is made or by the county                

                                                                                

11  treasurer if the county has possession of a tax roll for a year             

                                                                                

12  for which an assessment change is made.  Not later than 20 days             

                                                                                

13  after receiving the order certifying the amount of taxes due                

                                                                                

14  under subsection (1), the treasurer of the local tax collecting             

                                                                                

15  unit if the local tax collecting unit has possession of a tax               

                                                                                

16  roll for a year for which an assessment change is made or the               

                                                                                

17  county treasurer if the county has possession of a tax roll for a           

                                                                                

18  year for which an assessment change is made shall submit a                  

                                                                                

19  corrected tax bill, itemized by taxing jurisdiction, to each                

                                                                                

20  person identified in the order and to the owner of the property             

                                                                                

21  on which the additional taxes are assessed, if different than a             

                                                                                

22  person named in the order, by first-class mail, address                     

                                                                                

23  correction requested.  Except for real property subject to                  

                                                                                

24  taxation under 1974 PA 198, MCL 207.551 to 207.572, 1905 PA 282,            

                                                                                

25  MCL 207.1 to 207.21, 1953 PA 189, MCL 211.181 to 211.182, and the           

                                                                                

26  commercial redevelopment act, 1978 PA 255, MCL 207.651 to                   

                                                                                

27  207.668, and for real property only, if the additional taxes                


                                                                                

1   remain unpaid on the March 1 in the year immediately succeeding             

                                                                                

2   the year in which the state tax commission issued the order                 

                                                                                

3   certifying the additional taxes under subsection (1), the real              

                                                                                

4   property on which the additional taxes are due shall be returned            

                                                                                

5   as delinquent to the county treasurer.  Real property returned              

                                                                                

6   for delinquent taxes under this section, and upon which taxes,              

                                                                                

7   interest, penalties, and fees remain unpaid after the property is           

                                                                                

8   returned as delinquent to the county treasurer, is subject to               

                                                                                

9   forfeiture, foreclosure, and sale for the enforcement and                   

                                                                                

10  collection of the delinquent taxes as provided in sections 78 to            

                                                                                

11  79a.                                                                        

                                                                                

12      (3)  Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4), a                      

                                                                                

13  corrected tax bill based on an assessment roll corrected for                

                                                                                

14  incorrectly reported or omitted personal property that is issued            

                                                                                

15  after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this              

                                                                                

16  subsection shall include penalty and interest at the rate of                

                                                                                

17  1.25% per month or fraction of a month from the date the taxes              

                                                                                

18  originally could have been paid without interest or penalty.  For           

                                                                                

19  assessments corrected by the state tax commission under this                

                                                                                

20  section as a result of a person's failure to file the statement             

                                                                                

21  required under section 19 for property that the local tax                   

                                                                                

22  collecting unit can prove has not been otherwise assessed, a                

                                                                                

23  corrected tax bill may include a penalty of 10% of the resulting            

                                                                                

24  tax bill plus interest at the rate provided under section 37 of             

                                                                                

25  the tax tribunal act, 1973 PA 186, MCL 205.737, from the date the           

                                                                                

26  taxes originally could have been paid without interest. If the              

                                                                                

27  state tax commission determines that the failure to file the                


                                                                                

1   statement required under section 19 was due to reasonable cause,            

                                                                                

2   the state tax commission shall waive the penalty. If the tax bill           

                                                                                

3   has not been paid within 60 days after the corrected tax bill is            

                                                                                

4   issued, interest shall again begin to accrue  at the rate of                

                                                                                

5   1.25% per month or fraction of a month  from the date the                   

                                                                                

6   corrected tax bill is issued at the rate provided under section             

                                                                                

7   37 of the tax tribunal act, 1973 PA 186, MCL 205.737.                       

                                                                                

8       (4)  If a person requests that an increased assessment due to               

                                                                                

9   incorrectly reported or omitted personal property be added to the           

                                                                                

10  assessment roll under this section before March 1, 2004 with                

                                                                                

11  respect to statements filed or required to be filed under section           

                                                                                

12  19 for taxes levied before January 1, 2004, and the corrected tax           

                                                                                

13  bill issued under this subsection is paid within 30 days after              

                                                                                

14  the corrected tax bill is issued, that person is not liable for             

                                                                                

15  any penalty or interest on that portion of the additional tax               

                                                                                

16  attributable to the increased assessment resulting from that                

                                                                                

17  request.  However, a person who pays a corrected tax bill issued            

                                                                                

18  under this subsection more than 30 days after the corrected tax             

                                                                                

19  bill is issued is liable for the penalties and interest imposed             

                                                                                

20  under subsection (3).  For assessments corrected as a result of             

                                                                                

21  notification filed with the state tax commission after December             

                                                                                

22  31, 2003 and for which a person did not request that an increased           

                                                                                

23  assessment due to incorrectly reported or omitted personal                  

                                                                                

24  property be added to the assessment roll under this section                 

                                                                                

25  before March 1, 2004, a corrected personal property tax bill that           

                                                                                

26  is issued under this section due to reasons other than a person's           

                                                                                

27  failure to file the statement required under section 19 shall               


                                                                                

1   include interest as provided under section 37 of the tax tribunal           

                                                                                

2   act, 1973 PA 186, MCL 205.737, calculated from the date the taxes           

                                                                                

3   originally could have been paid without interest or penalty and a           

                                                                                

4   penalty of 10% of the increase in the amount of taxes payable               

                                                                                

5   because of the corrected assessment.  If the state tax commission           

                                                                                

6   determines that the incorrect reporting or omission was the                 

                                                                                

7   result of reasonable cause, the state tax commission shall waive            

                                                                                

8   the penalty.  If the tax bill has not been paid within 60 days              

                                                                                

9   after the corrected tax bill is issued, interest shall again                

                                                                                

10  begin to accrue from the date the corrected tax bill is issued at           

                                                                                

11  the rate provided under section 37 of the tax tribunal act, 1973            

                                                                                

12  PA 186, MCL 205.737.                                                        

                                                                                

13      (5) The asssessor for a local tax collecting unit may enter                 

                                                                                

14  into an agreement on behalf of the local tax collecting unit to             

                                                                                

15  waive all or a portion of the penalty provided for under                    

                                                                                

16  subsection (3) for a person who previously had failed to file a             

                                                                                

17  statement under section 19.  If the resulting tax bill has not              

                                                                                

18  been paid within 60 days after the corrected tax bill is issued,            

                                                                                

19  interest shall again begin to accrue from the date the corrected            

                                                                                

20  tax bill is issued at the rate provided under section 37 of the             

                                                                                

21  tax tribunal act, 1973 PA 186, MCL 205.737.                                 

                                                                                

22      (6)  (5)  Except as otherwise provided in this section, the                 

                                                                                

23  treasurer of the local tax collecting unit or the county                    

                                                                                

24  treasurer shall disburse the payments of interest received to               

                                                                                

25  this state and to a city, township, village, school district,               

                                                                                

26  county, and authority, in the same proportion as required for the           

                                                                                

27  disbursement of taxes collected under this act.  The amount to be           


                                                                                

1   disbursed to a local school district, except for that amount of             

                                                                                

2   interest attributable to mills levied under section 1211(2)  or             

                                                                                

3   1211c  of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1211,               

                                                                                

4   and 380.1211c,  and mills that are not included as mills levied            

                                                                                

5   for school operating purposes under section 1211 of the revised             

                                                                                

6   school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1211, shall be paid to the                

                                                                                

7   state treasury and credited to the state school aid fund                    

                                                                                

8   established by section 11 of article IX of the state constitution           

                                                                                

9   of 1963.  For an intermediate school district receiving state aid           

                                                                                

10  under section 56, 62, or 81 of the state school aid act of 1979,            

                                                                                

11  1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1656, 388.1662, and 388.1681, of the interest           

                                                                                

12  that would otherwise be disbursed to or retained by the                     

                                                                                

13  intermediate school district, all or a portion, to be determined            

                                                                                

14  on the basis of the tax rates being utilized to compute the                 

                                                                                

15  amount of the state school aid, shall be paid instead to the                

                                                                                

16  state treasury and credited to the state school aid fund                    

                                                                                

17  established by section 11 of article IX of the state constitution           

                                                                                

18  of 1963.                                                                    

                                                                                

19      (7)  (6)  If an assessment change made under this section                   

                                                                                

20  results in a decreased tax liability, a refund of excess tax                

                                                                                

21  payments shall be made by the county treasurer and shall include            

                                                                                

22  interest at the rate of 1% per month or fraction of a month for             

                                                                                

23  taxes levied before January 1, 1997 and interest at the rate                

                                                                                

24  provided under section 37 of the tax tribunal act, 1973 PA 186,             

                                                                                

25  MCL 205.737, for taxes levied after December 31, 1996, from the             

                                                                                

26  date of the payment of the tax to the date of the payment of the            

                                                                                

27  refund.  The county treasurer shall charge a refund of excess tax           


                                                                                

1   payments under this subsection to the various taxing                        

                                                                                

2   jurisdictions in the same proportion as the taxes levied.                   

                                                                                

3       (8)  (7)  A person to whom property is assessed under this                  

                                                                                

4   section may appeal the state tax commission's order to the                  

                                                                                

5   Michigan tax tribunal.                                                      

                                                                                

6       (9) Failure to file the statement required under section 19                 

                                                                                

7   by the date required shall not prohibit a person from seeking               

                                                                                

8   relief under this section if that person files the statement                

                                                                                

9   required under section 19 prior to or contemporaneously with an             

                                                                                

10  action seeking relief under this section.