SB-0811, As Passed House, December 18, 2003SB-0811, As Passed Senate, December 11, 2003                                                                        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                              SUBSTITUTE FOR                                    

                                                                                

                           SENATE BILL NO. 811                                  

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The general property tax act,"                                             

                                                                                

    by amending section 9b and 27 (MCL 211.9b and 211.27), section 9b           

                                                                                

    as amended by 1994 PA 189 and section 27 as amended by 2002 PA              

                                                                                

    744.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 9b.  (1)  All special tools are  A special tool is                     

                                                                                

2   exempt from  taxation  the collection of taxes under this act.              

                                                                                

3       (2) As used in this section, "special tools" means those                    

                                                                                

4   manufacturing requisites, such as dies, jigs, fixtures, molds,              

                                                                                

5   patterns, gauges, or other tools, as defined by the state tax               

                                                                                

6   commission, that are held for use and not for sale in the                   

                                                                                

7   ordinary course of business.                                                

                                                                                

8       (3) Special tools are not exempt from taxation if the value                 

                                                                                

9   of the special tools is included in the valuation of inventory              

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   produced for sale.                                                          

                                                                                

2       (2) A person claiming an exemption under this section shall                 

                                                                                

3   include in the statement required under section 19 any special              

                                                                                

4   tool for which an exemption is claimed, indicating that the                 

                                                                                

5   special tool is exempt under this section.                                  

                                                                                

6       (3) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

7       (a) "Product" means an item of tangible property that is                    

                                                                                

8   directly created or produced through the manufacturing process.             

                                                                                

9   A product may be any of the following items:                                

                                                                                

10                                                                               (i) A part.                                                                         

                                                                                

11      (ii) A special tool.                                                         

                                                                                

12      (iii) A component.                                                           

                                                                                

13      (iv) A sub-assembly.                                                         

                                                                                

14      (v) Completed goods that are available for sale or lease in                 

                                                                                

15  wholesale or retail trade.                                                  

                                                                                

16      (b) "Special tool" means a finished or unfinished device such               

                                                                                

17  as a die, jig, fixture, mold, pattern, special gauge, or similar            

                                                                                

18  device, that is used, or is being prepared for use, to                      

                                                                                

19  manufacture a product and that cannot be used to manufacture                

                                                                                

20  another product without substantial modification of the device.             

                                                                                

21  The length of the economic life of the product manufactured shall           

                                                                                

22  not be considered in making a determination whether a device used           

                                                                                

23  to manufacture that product is a special tool.  Special tools do            

                                                                                

24  not include the following:                                                  

                                                                                

25                                                                               (i) A device that differs in character from dies, jigs,                             

                                                                                

26  fixtures, molds, patterns, or special gauges.                               

                                                                                

27      (ii) Standard tools.                                                         


                                                                                

1       (iii) Machinery or equipment, even if customized, and even if                

                                                                                

2   used in conjunction with special tools.                                     

                                                                                

3       (c) "Standard tool" means a die, jig, fixture, mold, pattern,               

                                                                                

4   gauge, or other tool that is not a special tool.  Standard tool             

                                                                                

5   does not include machinery or equipment, even if customized, and            

                                                                                

6   even if used in conjunction with special tools or standard tools.           

                                                                                

7       Sec. 27.  (1) As used in this act, "true cash value" means                  

                                                                                

8   the usual selling price at the place where the property to which            

                                                                                

9   the term is applied is at the time of assessment, being the price           

                                                                                

10  that could be obtained for the property at private sale, and not            

                                                                                

11  at auction sale except as otherwise provided in this section, or            

                                                                                

12  at forced sale.  The usual selling price may include sales at               

                                                                                

13  public auction held by a nongovernmental agency or person if                

                                                                                

14  those sales have become a common method of acquisition in the               

                                                                                

15  jurisdiction for the class of property being valued.  The usual             

                                                                                

16  selling price does not include sales at public auction if the               

                                                                                

17  sale is part of a liquidation of the seller's assets in a                   

                                                                                

18  bankruptcy proceeding or if the seller is unable to use common              

                                                                                

19  marketing techniques to obtain the usual selling price for the              

                                                                                

20  property.  A sale or other disposition by this state or an agency           

                                                                                

21  or political subdivision of this state of land acquired for                 

                                                                                

22  delinquent taxes or an appraisal made in connection with the sale           

                                                                                

23  or other disposition or the value attributed to the property of             

                                                                                

24  regulated public utilities by a governmental regulatory agency              

                                                                                

25  for rate-making purposes is not controlling evidence of true cash           

                                                                                

26  value for assessment purposes.  In determining the true cash                

                                                                                

27  value, the assessor shall also consider the advantages and                  


                                                                                

1   disadvantages of location; quality of soil; zoning; existing use;           

                                                                                

2   present economic income of structures, including farm structures;           

                                                                                

3   present economic income of land if the land is being farmed or              

                                                                                

4   otherwise put to income producing use; quantity and value of                

                                                                                

5   standing timber; water power and privileges; and mines, minerals,           

                                                                                

6   quarries, or other valuable deposits known to be available in the           

                                                                                

7   land and their value.  In determining the true cash value of                

                                                                                

8   personal property owned by an electric utility cooperative, the             

                                                                                

9   assessor shall consider the number of kilowatt hours of                     

                                                                                

10  electricity sold per mile of distribution line compared to the              

                                                                                

11  average number of kilowatt hours of electricity sold per mile of            

                                                                                

12  distribution line for all electric utilities.                               

                                                                                

13      (2) The assessor shall not consider the increase in true cash               

                                                                                

14  value that is a result of expenditures for normal repairs,                  

                                                                                

15  replacement, and maintenance in determining the true cash value             

                                                                                

16  of property for assessment purposes until the property is sold.             

                                                                                

17  For the purpose of implementing this subsection, the assessor               

                                                                                

18  shall not increase the construction quality classification or               

                                                                                

19  reduce the effective age for depreciation purposes, except if the           

                                                                                

20  appraisal of the property was erroneous before nonconsideration             

                                                                                

21  of the normal repair, replacement, or maintenance, and shall not            

                                                                                

22  assign an economic condition factor to the property that differs            

                                                                                

23  from the economic condition factor assigned to similar properties           

                                                                                

24  as defined by appraisal procedures applied in the jurisdiction.             

                                                                                

25  The increase in value attributable to the items included in                 

                                                                                

26  subdivisions (a) to (o) that is known to the assessor and                   

                                                                                

27  excluded from true cash value shall be indicated on the                     


                                                                                

1   assessment roll.  This subsection applies only to residential               

                                                                                

2   property.  The following repairs are considered normal                      

                                                                                

3   maintenance if they are not part of a structural addition or                

                                                                                

4   completion:                                                                 

                                                                                

5       (a) Outside painting.                                                       

                                                                                

6       (b) Repairing or replacing siding, roof, porches, steps,                    

                                                                                

7   sidewalks, or drives.                                                       

                                                                                

8       (c) Repainting, repairing, or replacing existing masonry.                   

                                                                                

9       (d) Replacing awnings.                                                      

                                                                                

10      (e) Adding or replacing gutters and downspouts.                             

                                                                                

11      (f) Replacing storm windows or doors.                                       

                                                                                

12      (g) Insulating or weatherstripping.                                         

                                                                                

13      (h) Complete rewiring.                                                      

                                                                                

14      (i) Replacing plumbing and light fixtures.                                  

                                                                                

15      (j) Replacing a furnace with a new furnace of the same type                 

                                                                                

16  or replacing an oil or gas burner.                                          

                                                                                

17      (k) Repairing plaster, inside painting, or other                            

                                                                                

18  redecorating.                                                               

                                                                                

19                                                                               (l) New ceiling, wall, or floor surfacing.                                          

                                                                                

20      (m) Removing partitions to enlarge rooms.                                   

                                                                                

21      (n) Replacing an automatic hot water heater.                                

                                                                                

22      (o) Replacing dated interior woodwork.                                      

                                                                                

23      (3) A city or township assessor, a county equalization                      

                                                                                

24  department, or the state tax commission before utilizing real               

                                                                                

25  estate sales data on real property purchases, including purchases           

                                                                                

26  by land contract, to determine assessments or in making sales               

                                                                                

27  ratio studies to assess property or equalize assessments shall              


                                                                                

1   exclude from the sales data the following amounts allowed by                

                                                                                

2   subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) to the extent that the amounts are           

                                                                                

3   included in the real property purchase price and are so                     

                                                                                

4   identified in the real estate sales data or certified to the                

                                                                                

5   assessor as provided in subdivision (d):                                    

                                                                                

6       (a) Amounts paid for obtaining financing of the purchase                    

                                                                                

7   price of the property or the last conveyance of the property.               

                                                                                

8       (b) Amounts attributable to personal property that were                     

                                                                                

9   included in the purchase price of the property in the last                  

                                                                                

10  conveyance of the property.                                                 

                                                                                

11      (c) Amounts paid for surveying the property pursuant to the                 

                                                                                

12  last conveyance of the property.  The legislature may require               

                                                                                

13  local units of government, including school districts, to submit            

                                                                                

14  reports of revenue lost under subdivisions (a) and (b) and this             

                                                                                

15  subdivision so that the state may reimburse those units for that            

                                                                                

16  lost revenue.                                                               

                                                                                

17      (d) The purchaser of real property, including a purchaser by                

                                                                                

18  land contract, may file with the assessor of the city or township           

                                                                                

19  in which the property is located 2 copies of the purchase                   

                                                                                

20  agreement or of an affidavit that identifies the amount, if any,            

                                                                                

21  for each item listed in subdivisions (a) to (c).  One copy shall            

                                                                                

22  be forwarded by the assessor to the county equalization                     

                                                                                

23  department.  The affidavit shall be prescribed by the state tax             

                                                                                

24  commission.                                                                 

                                                                                

25      (4) As used in subsection (1), "present economic income"                    

                                                                                

26  means for leased or rented property the ordinary, general, and              

                                                                                

27  usual economic return realized from the lease or rental of                  


                                                                                

1   property negotiated under current, contemporary conditions                  

                                                                                

2   between parties equally knowledgeable and familiar with real                

                                                                                

3   estate values.  The actual income generated by the lease or                 

                                                                                

4   rental of property is not the controlling indicator of its true             

                                                                                

5   cash value in all cases.  This subsection does not apply to                 

                                                                                

6   property subject to a lease entered into before January 1, 1984             

                                                                                

7   for which the terms of the lease governing the rental rate or tax           

                                                                                

8   liability have not been renegotiated after December 31, 1983.               

                                                                                

9   This subsection does not apply to a nonprofit housing cooperative           

                                                                                

10  subject to regulatory agreements between the state or federal               

                                                                                

11  government entered into before January 1, 1984.  As used in this            

                                                                                

12  subsection, "nonprofit cooperative housing corporation" means a             

                                                                                

13  nonprofit cooperative housing corporation that is engaged in                

                                                                                

14  providing housing services to its stockholders and members and              

                                                                                

15  that does not pay dividends or interest upon stock or membership            

                                                                                

16  investment but that does distribute all earnings to its                     

                                                                                

17  stockholders or members.                                                    

                                                                                

18      (5) Beginning December 31, 1994, the purchase price paid in a               

                                                                                

19  transfer of property is not the presumptive true cash value of              

                                                                                

20  the property transferred.  In determining the true cash value of            

                                                                                

21  transferred property, an assessing officer shall assess that                

                                                                                

22  property using the same valuation method used to value all other            

                                                                                

23  property of that same classification in the assessing                       

                                                                                

24  jurisdiction.  As used in this subsection, "purchase price" means           

                                                                                

25  the total consideration agreed to in an arms-length transaction             

                                                                                

26  and not at a forced sale paid by the purchaser of the property,             

                                                                                

27  stated in dollars, whether or not paid in dollars.                          


                                                                                

1       (6) For purposes of a statement submitted under section 19,                 

                                                                                

2   the true cash value of a standard tool is the net book value of             

                                                                                

3   that standard tool as of December 31 in each tax year as                    

                                                                                

4   determined using generally accepted accounting principles in a              

                                                                                

5   manner consistent with the established depreciation method used             

                                                                                

6   by the person submitting that statement.  The net book value of a           

                                                                                

7   standard tool for federal income tax purposes is not the                    

                                                                                

8   presumptive true cash value of that standard tool.  As used in              

                                                                                

9   this subsection, "standard tool" means that term as defined in              

                                                                                

10  section 9b.