Introduced by Committee on Ways and Means

BILL AS INTRODUCEDH.540

2004Page 1

H.540

Introduced by Committee on Ways and Means

Date:

Subject:Education finance implementation amendments

Statement of purpose: This bill proposes to make technical amendments to the education finance laws necessary for implementation.

AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION FINANCE IMPLEMENTATION AMENDMENTS

It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:

Sec. 1. 32 V.S.A. § 5405(c) is amended to read:

(c) In determining the fair market value of property which is required to be listed at fair market value, the commissioner shall take into consideration those factors required by section 3481 of this title. The commissioner shall value property as of April 1 preceding the determination, and shall take account of all homestead declaration information available before October 1 each year.

Sec. 2. 32 V.S.A. § 5410(e) and (g) are amended and (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l) are added to read:

(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules governing the eligibility requirements for declaring a homestead and rules governing waiver of penalty for late filing of a homestead declaration in cases of hardship.

(g) If the property identified in a declaration under subsection (b) of this section is not the taxpayer’s homestead, or if the owner of a homestead fails to declare a homestead as required under this section, the commissioner shall notify the municipality and the municipality shall issue a corrected tax bill. The municipality shall also assess the taxpayer a penalty in an amount equal to threeone percent if the municipality’s nonresidential tax rate is higher than the municipality’s homestead tax rate for the tax year to which the declaration pertains, or in any other case shall assess the taxpayer a penalty in an amount equal to eight percent, of the education tax on the property; or if the commissioner determines that the declaration or failure to declare was with fraudulent intent, then the municipality shall assess the taxpayer a penalty in an amount equal to 100 percent of the education tax on the property,; plus any property tax due with interest from the original due date of the property tax on the property. A taxpayer may appeal the assessment under this subsection to the commissioner, in the same manner as an appeal under chapter 151 of this titleand late-payment fee or commission which may be due. Any penalty imposed under this subsectionsection and any additional property tax and, interest due, and late-payment fee or commission shall be assessed and collected by the municipality in the same manner as a property tax under chapter 133 of this title.

(h) Upon the filing of a new or corrected declaration by an owner subject to this subsection,or rescission of an erroneous declaration, before December 1 of the property tax year: any additional tax, penalty, and interest collected by the municipality before December 1 shall be remitted to the state treasurer upon collectionon December 1; any tax and interest collected after December1 but before June 1 shall be remitted to the state treasurer on June 1 each year; and the municipality may retain one-eighth of one percent of the total remittedcollected. Any reduction in tax paid shall be refunded from the education fund to the municipality on December 10 each year, and then paid by the municipality to the taxpayer; and any change in property tax under this subsection shall have no retroactive effect upon the education tax rates for the municipality.

(i) An owner filing a new or corrected declaration, or rescinding an erroneous declaration, on December 1 or after shall not be entitled to a refund resulting from the correct property classification; and any additional property tax and interest which would result from the correct classification shall not be assessed as tax and interest, but shall instead constitute an additional penalty, to be assessed and collected in the same manner as penalties under subsection (g) of this section.

(j) A taxpayer may appeal a determination of domicile for purposes of a homestead declaration or an assessment of fraud penalty under this section to the commissioner, in the same manner as an appeal under chapter 151 of this title. A taxpayer may appeal an assessment of any other penalty under this section to the listers within 14 days after the date of mailing of notice of the penalty, and from the listers to the board of civil authority and thereafter to the courts, in the same manner as an appraisal appeal under chapter 131 of this title. The legislative body of a municipality shall have authority in cases of hardship to abate all or any portion of a penalty appealable to the listers under this section and any tax, penalty, and interest arising out of a corrected property classification under this section; and shall state in detail in writing the reasons for its grant or denial of the requested abatement. The legislative body may delegate this abatement authority to the board of civil authority or the board of abatement for the municipality. Requests for abatement shall be made to the municipal treasurer or other person designated to collect current taxes, and that person shall forward all requests, with his or her recommendation, to the body authorized to grant or deny abatement.

(k) A municipality may retain any penalties assessed and collected in accord with this section.

(l) “Hardship” under this section means an owner’s inability to pay as certified by the commissioner of taxes in his or her discretion; or means an owner’s filing an incorrect, or failing to file a correct, homestead declaration due to one or more of the following:

(1) Full-time active military duty of the declarant outside the state.

(2) Serious illness or disability of the declarant.

(3) Serious illness, disability or death of an immediate family member of the declarant.

(4) Fire, flood, or other disaster.

Sec. 3. 24 V.S.A. § 1535(a) is amended to read:

(a) The board may abate in whole or part taxes, interest, and collection fees, other than those arising out of a corrected classification of homestead or nonresidential property, accruing to the town in the following cases:

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Sec. 4. 32 V.S.A. § 6061(6) is amended to read:

(6) “Property tax” means the amount of ad valorem taxes, exclusive of special assessments, interest, penalties, and charges for service, assessed on real property in this state used as the claimant’s housesite, or which would have been assessed if the homestead had been properly declared at the time of assessment.

Sec. 5. REPEAL

Sec. 75 (transition rule for determination of split of grand list in 2003) of No. 68 of the Acts of 2003 is repealed.

Sec. 6. 32 V.S.A. § 5402 is amended to read:

§ 5402. STATEWIDE EDUCATION TAX

(a) A statewide education tax is imposed on all nonresidential and homestead property at the following rates:

(1) the tax rate for nonresidential property shall be $1.59 per $100.00, and

(2) the tax rate for homestead property shall be $1.10 multiplied by the district spending adjustment for the municipality, per $100.00,

of equalized education property value as most recently determined under section 5405 of this title.

(b) Calculation of education tax.

(1) The commissioner of taxes shall determine the education tax to be collected by each municipality for the following school year by multiplying the tax rates under subsection (a) of this section by the municipality’s most recent equalized nonresidential and homestead values. On or before June 30 each year, the commissioner of taxes shall inform each municipality of the education tax to be collected.

(2) If a district has not voted a budget by May 1, the commissioner shall determine a preliminary amount of nonresidential and homestead education taxes to be collected by the municipality, by multiplying the minimum tax rates under subsection (a) of this section by the municipality’s most recent equalized nonresidential and homestead values, and shall inform the municipality by June 30 of the preliminary amount to be collected. Upon receipt of the municipality’s budget information from the commissioner of education, the commissioner shall determine and inform the municipality of the full amount of nonresidential and homestead education taxes to be collected by the municipality under subdivision (b)(1) of this section.

(3)(1) The legislative body in each municipality shall then bill each property taxpayer for the nonresidential and homestead amounts of education tax on the education property tax grand list, and the legislative body may use tax classifications, if authorized, to raise the amounts determined under this section. The commissioner of taxes shall determine for each municipality the education tax rates under subsection (a) of this section, divided by the municipality’s most recent common level of appraisal. The legislative body in each municipality shall then bill each property taxpayer at the homestead or nonresidential rate determined by the commissioner under this subdivision, multiplied by the education property tax grand list value of the property, properly classified as homestead or nonresidential property and without regard to any other tax classification of the property. Each homestead property tax bill shall include notice of the education spending per equalized pupil in the taxpayer’s district and its relation to the base education payment; and the effect of the education spending in the district upon the homestead tax rate and the applicable percentage for income sensitivity; and shall also include an insert supplied by the commissioner of taxes which explains the relationship of district education spending and the common level of appraisal to homestead property tax rates. Tax bills shall show the tax due as the ratealso include a calculation showing the rates determined under subsection (a) of this section, divided by the municipality’s most recent common level of appraisal, multiplied by the current listedgrand list value of the property to be taxed, multiplied by a factor which accounts for grand list equalization. The grand list equalization factor shall be the ratio of the municipality’s most recent equalized education grand list value divided by its current year education grand list value.

(4)(2) Taxes assessed under this section shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as taxes assessed under chapter 133 of this title with no tax classification other than as homestead or nonresidential property. Taxes assessed on homesteads shall be assessed without regard to the adjustment for eligible claimants under chapter 154 of this title.

(c) The treasurer of each municipality shall by December 1 of the year in which the tax is levied and on June 1 of the following year pay to the state treasurer for deposit in the education fund one-half of the municipality’s statewide nonresidential tax and one-half of the municipality’s homestead education tax, as determined under subdivision (b)(1) of this section. The commissioner of education shall determine the municipality’s net nonresidential education tax payment, and its net homestead education tax payment to the state, and payment shall be accompanied by a return prescribed by the commissioner of education. The municipality may retain one-eighth of one percent of the total education tax collected, only upon timely remittance of net payment to the state treasurer.

(d) An owner of a building containing qualified rental units shall be entitled to a percentage reduction in the education property tax due under this section. The reduction percentage shall be 10 percent, multiplied by the ratio of qualified rental units to total rental units in the building.

(1) “Qualified rental units” under this subsection means units which are at the time of the claim under this subsection, and were for the entire preceding calendar year, subject to rent restriction under provisions of state or federal law, but excluding units subject to rent restrictions under only one of the following programs: Section 8 moderate rehabilitation, Section 8 housing choice vouchers, or Section 236 or Section 515 rural development rental housing.

(2) A municipality shall allow a percentage reduction under this subsection upon presentation by the taxpayer to the municipality of a certificate of education tax reduction, obtained from the commissioner of taxes. The commissioner of taxes shall issue a certificate of education tax reduction upon presentation by the taxpayer of information which the commissioner shall require.

(3) A percentage reduction granted by a municipality under this subsection shall not affect the amount of statewide education property tax to be collected by the municipality, and the municipality shall be deemed to have paid to the state treasurer the amount of tax reduced in accord with this subsection.

Sec. 7. 32 V.S.A. § 5404a(a)(6) is added to read:

§ 5404a. TAX STABILIZATION AGREEMENTS

(a) Tax agreements affecting the education property tax grand list. A tax agreement shall affect the education property tax grand list of the municipality in which the property subject to the agreement is located if the agreement is:

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(6) an exemption of a portion of the value of a qualified rental unit building. An owner of a qualified rental unit building shall be entitled to an exemption on the education property tax grand list of 10 percent of the grand list value of the building, multiplied by the ratio of qualified rental units to total rental units in the building. "Qualified rental unit building" means a building containing units which are at the time of the claim under this subdivision, and were for the entire preceding calendar year, subject to rent restriction under provisions of state or federal law, but excluding units subject to rent restrictions under only one of the following programs: Section 8 moderate rehabilitation, Section 8 housing choice vouchers, or Section 236 or Section 515 rural development rental housing. A municipality shall allow the percentage exemption under this subsection upon presentation by the taxpayer to the municipality, by April 1, of a certificate of education grand list value exemption, obtained from the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA). VHFA shall issue a certificate of exemption upon presentation by the taxpayer of information which VHFA and the commissioner shall require. An exemption granted by a municipality under this subsection shall expire upon transfer of the building, upon expiration of the rent restriction, or after ten years, whichever first occurs.

Sec. 8. FISCAL YEAR 2005 EDUCATION PROPERTY TAX RATES AND

APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE

(a) For fiscal year 2005 only, the education property tax imposed under chapter 135 of Title 32 shall be at the following rates:

(1) The tax rate for nonresidential property shall be $1.54 per $100.00, and

(2) the tax rate for homestead property shall be $1.05 multiplied by the district spending adjustment for the municipality, per $100.00,

of equalized education property value as most recently determined under section 5405 of Title 32.

(b) For claims filed for fiscal year 2005 only, “applicable percentage” in subdivision 6066(a)(2) of Title 32 shall mean 1.9 percent, multiplied by the fiscal year 2005 district spending adjustment for the municipality in which the homestead residence is located; but in no event shall the applicable percentage be less than 1.9 percent.

Sec. 9. 32 V.S.A. § 5406(c) is added to read:

(c) If the director of property valuation and review certifies that a municipality has completed a townwide reappraisal, the common level of appraisal for that municipality shall be equal to its new grand list value divided by its most recent equalized grand list value, for purposes of determining education property tax rates, education property tax liabilities, and income sensitivity claims relating to the fiscal year designated by the director.

Sec. 10. 32 V.S.A. § 4111(e) is amended to read:

(e) When the listers return the grand list book to the town clerk, they shall notify by first class mail, on which postage has been prepaid and which has been addressed to their last known address, all affected persons, listed as property owners in the grand list book of any change in the appraised value of such property or any change in the allocation of value to the homestead as defined under sectionsubdivision 5401(7) of this title or the housesite as defined under subdivision 6061(11) of this title, and also notify them of the amount of such change and of the time and place fixed in the public notice hereinafter provided for, when persons aggrieved may be heard. Notices shall be mailed at least fourteen14 days before the time fixed for hearing. Such personal notices shall be given in all towns and cities within the state, anything in the charter of any city to the contrary notwithstanding. At the same time the listers shall post notices in the town clerk’s office and in at least four other public places in the town or in the case of a city, in such other manner and places as the city charter shall provide, setting forth that they have completed and filed such book as an abstract and the time and place of the meeting for hearing grievances and making corrections. Unless the personal notices required hereby were sent by registered or certified mail, or unless an official certificate of mailing of the same was obtained from the post office, in the case of any controversy subsequently arising it shall be presumed that the personal notices were not mailed as required.

Sec. 11. 32 V.S.A. § 4152(a)(9) is amended to read:

(9) Separate columns which will show the listed valuations of homesteads as defined in sectionsubdivision 5401(7) of this title and housesites as defined under subdivision 6061(11) of this title.

Sec. 12. 32 V.S.A. § 4467 is amended to read: