SENATE BILL No. 202

 

 

February 16, 2005, Introduced by Senator SWITALSKI and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

 

"The general property tax act,"

 

by amending section 51 (MCL 211.51), as amended by 1992 PA 97.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 51. (1)  If the township treasurer neglects or refuses to

 

does not file his or her bond with the county treasurer , in the

 

manner and within the time prescribed by law , and the township

 

board fails to appoint a treasurer who shall to give the bond and

 

deliver a receipt for the bond to the supervisor by December 10,

 

the supervisor shall deliver the tax roll with the necessary

 

warrant directed to the treasurer of the county treasurer, who

 

shall make the collection and return of taxes. The county

 

treasurer, pursuant to the adoption of a resolution by the county


 

board of commissioners, has the same powers and duties to add a

 

property tax administration fee, a late penalty charge, and

 

interest to all taxes collected as conferred upon a township

 

treasurer provided under section 44. The excess of the amount of

 

property tax administration fees over the expense to the county in

 

collecting the taxes shall be returned to the township, and the

 

remainder of the property tax administration fees and any late

 

penalty charges imposed shall be credited to the county general

 

fund. For the purpose of collecting the taxes, the county treasurer

 

is vested with all the powers conferred upon of the township

 

treasurer. , and an An action may be brought on the county

 

treasurer's bond under the same circumstances as on those of a

 

township treasurer treasurer's bond.

 

     (2) A local unit of government that collects a summer property

 

tax shall defer the collection of summer property taxes against the

 

following property for which a deferment is claimed until the

 

following February 15:

 

     (a) Homestead property of a all of the following:

 

     (i) A taxpayer who is a totally and permanently disabled

 

person, blind person, paraplegic, quadriplegic, eligible

 

serviceperson, eligible veteran, or eligible widow or widower, as

 

these persons are defined in chapter 9 of the income tax act of

 

1967, Act No. 281 of the Public Acts of 1967, being sections

 

206.501 to 206.532 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, or

 

     (ii) A taxpayer who is 62 years of age or older, including the

 

unremarried surviving spouse of a person who was 62 years of age or

 

older at the time of death, and who for the prior taxable year had


 

a total household income of $25,000.00 $30,000.00 or less.

 

     (iii) A taxpayer who is on active duty in the armed forces of

 

the United States.

 

     (b) Property classified or used as agricultural real property

 

if the gross receipts of the agricultural or horticultural

 

operations in the previous year or the average gross receipts of

 

the operations in the previous 3 years are not less than the

 

household income of the owner in the previous year.

 

     (3) A taxpayer may claim a deferment provided by subsection

 

(2) by filing with the treasurer of the local property tax

 

collecting unit an intent to defer the summer property taxes that

 

are due and payable in that year without penalty or interest. Taxes

 

deferred under subsection (2) that are not paid by the following

 

February 15 are not subject to penalties or interest for the period

 

of deferment.

 

     (4) The intent statement required by subsection (3) shall be

 

on a form prescribed and provided by the department to the

 

treasurer of the local property tax collecting unit.

 

     (5) The treasurer of the local property tax collecting unit

 

collecting a summer property tax shall do all of the following:

 

     (a) Cause a notice of the availability of the deferment to be

 

published in a newspaper of general circulation within the local

 

property tax collecting unit levying the summer property tax or

 

included as an insertion with the tax bill.

 

     (b) Assist persons in completion of completing the deferment

 

form.

 

     (6) If the local property tax collecting unit for a summer


 

property tax levy also collects a winter property tax levy in the

 

same year, a statement of the amount of taxes deferred pursuant to

 

subsection (2) shall be included in the December tax statement

 

mailed by the local property tax collecting unit for each summer

 

property tax payment that was deferred from collection by that

 

local property tax collecting unit. If the local property tax

 

collecting unit of a summer property tax levy does not collect a

 

winter property tax levy in the same year, a statement of the

 

amount of taxes deferred pursuant to subsection (2) from the

 

collection made by that local property tax collecting unit shall be

 

mailed pursuant to section 44 by the local property tax collecting

 

unit of the summer property tax levy at the same time December tax

 

statements are required to be mailed.

 

     (7) Persons eligible for deferment of summer property taxes

 

under subsection (2) may file their intent to defer until September

 

15 or the time the tax would otherwise become subject to interest

 

or a late penalty charge for late payment, whichever is later.

 

     (8) To the extent permitted by the school code of 1976, Act

 

No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended, being sections

 

380.1 to 380.1852 of the Michigan Compiled Laws revised school

 

code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1 to 380.1852, or the charter of a local

 

taxing unit, a local taxing unit may provide for the levy and

 

collection of summer property taxes. The terms and conditions of

 

collection established by, or under an agreement executed pursuant

 

to, the school code of 1976 revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL

 

380.1 to 380.1852, or the charter of a local taxing unit govern a

 

summer property tax levy.


 

     (9) For purposes of this section, "summer property tax" means

 

a levy of ad valorem property taxes that first becomes a lien

 

before December 1 of any calendar year.