82R7938 ALL-F
By: Harless H.B. No. 2476
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of certain
dealer's heavy equipment inventory; providing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Effective January 1, 2012, Sections
23.1241(a)(1), (2), (7), and (9), Tax Code, are amended to read as
follows:
(1) "Dealer" means a person engaged in the business in
this state of selling, leasing, or renting heavy equipment,
regardless of whether the person is registered under Section
23.1243.
(2) "Dealer's heavy equipment inventory" means all
items of heavy equipment that a dealer holds for sale, lease, or
rent during a 12-month period [at retail]. [The term includes items
of heavy equipment that are leased or rented but subject to a
purchase option by the lessee or renter.]
(7) "Sales price" means[:
[(A)] the total amount of money paid or to be paid
to a dealer for the purchase of an item of heavy equipment[; or
[(B) for a lease or rental with an option to
purchase, the total amount of the lease or rental payments plus any
final consideration, excluding interest].
(9) "Total annual sales" means the total of the:
(A) sales price for each sale from a dealer's
heavy equipment inventory in a 12-month period; and
(B) lease and rental payments received for each
lease or rental of heavy equipment inventory in a 12-month period.
SECTION 2. Effective January 1, 2012, Section 23.1241, Tax
Code, is amended by amending Subsections (b), (e), and (j) and
adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
(b) For the purpose of the computation of property tax,[:
[(1)] the market value of a dealer's heavy equipment
inventory on January 1 is the total annual sales, less sales to
dealers and[,] fleet transactions[, and subsequent sales], for the
12-month period corresponding to the preceding tax year, divided by
12[; and
[(2) a sale is considered to occur when possession of
an item of heavy equipment is transferred from the dealer to the
purchaser].
(b-1) For the purpose of the computation of property tax on
the market value of the dealer's heavy equipment inventory, the
sales price of an item of heavy equipment that is sold during the
preceding tax year after being leased or rented for a portion of
that same tax year is considered to be the sum of the sales price of
the item plus the total lease and rental payments received for the
item in the preceding tax year.
(e) A dealer is presumed to be an owner of a dealer's heavy
equipment inventory on January 1 if, in the 12-month period ending
on December 31 of the preceding year, the dealer sold, leased, or
rented an item of heavy equipment to a person other than a dealer.
The presumption is not rebutted by the fact that a dealer has no
item of heavy equipment physically on hand for sale from the
dealer's heavy equipment inventory on January 1.
(j) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer
who fails to file or fails to timely file a declaration required by
Subsection (f) shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the
dealer's business personal property to secure payment of the
penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district
attorney, or county attorney may [shall] collect the penalty
established by this section in the name of the [chief appraiser or]
collector. The chief appraiser may collect the penalty in the name
of the chief appraiser. The chief appraiser or the appropriate
district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney
may sue to enforce compliance with this section. Venue of an action
brought under this subsection, including an action for injunctive
relief, is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the
county in which the owner maintains the owner's principal place of
business or residence. The court may award attorney's fees to a
chief appraiser, district attorney, criminal district attorney, or
county attorney who prevails in a suit to collect a penalty or
enforce compliance with this section. A penalty forfeited under
this subsection is $1,000 for each month or part of a month in which
a declaration is not filed or timely filed after it is due.
SECTION 3. Effective January 1, 2012, Section
23.1242(a)(2), Tax Code, is amended to read as follows:
(2) "Dealer's heavy equipment inventory,"
"declaration," "dealer," "sales price," ["subsequent sale,"] and
"total annual sales" have the meanings assigned those terms by
Section 23.1241.
SECTION 4. Effective January 1, 2012, Sections 23.1242(b),
(e), (f), and (m), Tax Code, are amended to read as follows:
(b) Except for an item of heavy equipment sold to a dealer
or[,] an item of heavy equipment included in a fleet transaction[,
or an item of heavy equipment that is the subject of a subsequent
sale], an owner or a person who has agreed by contract to pay the
owner's current year property taxes levied against the owner's
heavy equipment inventory shall assign a unit property tax to each
item of heavy equipment sold, leased, or rented from a dealer's
heavy equipment inventory. The unit property tax of each item of
heavy equipment is determined by multiplying the sales price of the
item or the monthly lease or rental payment received for the item,
as applicable, by the unit property tax factor. If the transaction
is a lease or rental with an option to purchase, the owner shall
collect the unit property tax from the lessee or renter at the time
the lessee or renter submits payment for the lease or rental. The
owner of the equipment shall state the amount of the unit property
tax assigned as a separate line item on an invoice. On or before the
10th day of each month the owner shall, together with the statement
filed by the owner as required by this section, deposit with the
collector an amount equal to the total of unit property tax assigned
to all items of heavy equipment sold, leased, or rented from the
dealer's heavy equipment inventory in the preceding month to which
a unit property tax was assigned. The money shall be deposited by
the collector to the credit of the owner's escrow account for
prepayment of property taxes as provided by this section. An escrow
account required by this section is used to pay property taxes
levied against the dealer's heavy equipment inventory, and the
owner shall fund the escrow account as provided by this subsection.
(e) The comptroller by rule shall adopt a dealer's heavy
equipment inventory tax statement form. Each month, a dealer shall
complete the form regardless of whether an item of heavy equipment
is sold, leased, or rented. A dealer may use no other form for that
purpose. The statement may include the information the comptroller
considers appropriate but shall include at least the following:
(1) a description of each item of heavy equipment
sold, leased, or rented including any unique identification or
serial number affixed to the item by the manufacturer;
(2) the sales price of or lease or rental payment
received for the item of heavy equipment, as applicable;
(3) the unit property tax of the item of heavy
equipment, if any; and
(4) the reason no unit property tax is assigned if no
unit property tax is assigned.
(f) On or before the 10th day of each month, a dealer shall
file with the collector the statement covering the sale, lease, or
rental of each item of heavy equipment sold, leased, or rented by
the dealer in the preceding month. On or before the 10th day of a
month following a month in which a dealer does not sell, lease, or
rent an item of heavy equipment, the dealer must file the statement
with the collector and indicate that no sales, leases, or rentals
were made in the prior month. A dealer shall file a copy of the
statement with the chief appraiser and retain documentation
relating to the disposition of each item of heavy equipment sold and
the lease or rental of each item of heavy equipment. A chief
appraiser or collector may examine documents held by a dealer as
provided by this subsection in the same manner, and subject to the
same conditions, as provided by Section 23.1241(g).
(m) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer
who fails to file or fails to timely file a statement as required by
this section shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the
dealer's [owner's] business personal property to secure payment of
the penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district
attorney, or county attorney may [shall] collect the penalty
established by this section in the name of the [chief appraiser or]
collector. The chief appraiser may collect the penalty in the name
of the chief appraiser. The chief appraiser or the appropriate
district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney
may sue to enforce compliance with this section. Venue of an action
brought under this subsection, including an action for injunctive
relief, is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the
county in which the owner maintains the owner's principal place of
business or residence. The court may award attorney's fees to a
chief appraiser, district attorney, criminal district attorney, or
county attorney who prevails in a suit to collect a penalty or
enforce compliance with this section. A penalty forfeited under
this subsection is $500 for each month or part of a month in which a
statement is not filed or timely filed after it is due.
SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 23, Tax Code, is amended by
adding Section 23.1243 to read as follows:
Sec. 23.1243. REGISTRY OF PERSONS DEALING IN HEAVY
EQUIPMENT. (a) In this section, "heavy equipment" has the meaning
assigned by Section 23.1241.
(b) The comptroller shall develop and maintain a registry
containing information on each person who engages in the sale,
lease, or rental of more than five items of heavy equipment in a
calendar year in this state.
(c) A person may not engage in the activity described by
Subsection (b) if the person has not registered with the
comptroller. A person who is required to register under this
subsection shall reapply for registration not later than January 1
of each year and, if any of the information required to be provided
under Subsection (d) materially changes, not later than the 30th
day after the date the change occurs. A person who is registered
and who is subsequently not required to register under this section
may remove the person's name and information from the registry on
request.
(d) The comptroller shall adopt rules and forms to implement
this section. The rules must require a person who is required to
register to provide the person's name, residence address, and
business address and the location and general description of the
heavy equipment to be sold, leased, or rented.
(e) On request, the comptroller shall make information in
the registry available to a chief appraiser, tax assessor, or
designee of a chief appraiser or tax assessor.
(f) The comptroller by rule may prescribe a registration
application fee in an amount necessary to defray the expense of
developing and maintaining the registry.
(g) A person commits an offense if the person engages in the
sale, lease, or rental of more than five items of heavy equipment in
a year in this state and fails to apply for registration in
compliance with the comptroller's rules adopted under this section.
An offense under this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.
SECTION 6. Effective January 1, 2012, the following
provisions of the Tax Code are repealed:
(1) Sections 23.1241(a)(3) and (8); and
(2) Sections 23.1241(i) and 23.1242(l).
SECTION 7. (a) This Act applies only to ad valorem taxes
imposed for a tax year beginning on or after the effective date of
this Act.
(b) A person is not required to register or apply for
registration under Section 23.1243, Tax Code, as added by this Act,
before January 1, 2012.
SECTION 8. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2011.