SENATE BILL No. 516

 

 

May 22, 2007, Introduced by Senators HUNTER, THOMAS, ANDERSON, CLARK-COLEMAN, SCOTT, BRATER, PRUSI, CLARKE and GLEASON and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

 

"The general property tax act,"

 

(MCL 211.1 to 211.155) by adding section 7nn.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 7nn. (1) The governing body of a local tax collecting

 

unit may by resolution exempt from the collection of taxes under

 

this act the principal residence of a person who is an eligible

 

senior citizen as of the date of the resolution or the date the

 

person became an eligible senior citizen, whichever is later.

 

     (2) Before acting on the resolution, the clerk of the local

 

tax collecting unit shall notify in writing the assessor of the

 

local tax collecting unit and the legislative body of each local

 

unit that levies ad valorem property taxes in the local tax

 

collecting unit and shall afford the assessor and a representative

 


of the affected local units an opportunity for a hearing on the

 

proposed resolution.

 

     (3) The exemption under this section is effective on the

 

December 31 immediately succeeding the adoption of the resolution

 

by the governing body of the local tax collecting unit. The

 

exemption shall continue in effect until the principal residence is

 

transferred or for a period specified in the resolution, whichever

 

is sooner. A copy of the resolution shall be filed with the state

 

tax commission.

 

     (4) Upon the transfer of ownership of property exempt under

 

subsection (1), the taxable value of the property shall be adjusted

 

pursuant to section 27a(3).

 

     (5) The death of a spouse does not terminate the exemption

 

under this section unless the surviving spouse remarries.

 

     (6) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Eligible senior citizen" means a person who meets all of

 

the following conditions:

 

     (i) Is 65 years of age or older.

 

     (ii) His or her only source of taxable income is social

 

security benefits as defined in section 30 of the income tax act of

 

1967, 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.30.

 

     (b) "Local unit" means a county, township, city, or village.

 

     (c) "Principal residence" means that term as defined in

 

section 7dd.

 

     (d) "Taxes" means taxes, and special assessments imposed by a

 

local unit if the special assessment district is all the territory

 

of the local unit.

 


     (e) "Transfer of ownership" means that term as defined in

 

section 27a.