Texas 2015 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3470 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/12/2015

Download
.pdf .doc .html
                    84R11757 TJB/CJC-F
 By: Bonnen of Brazoria H.B. No. 3470


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to ad valorem taxation.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 140.010(f), Local Government Code, is
 amended to read as follows:
 (f)  A county or municipality shall:
 (1)  provide the notice required by Subsection (d) or
 (e), as applicable, not later than the later of September 1 or the
 30th day after the date the certified appraisal roll is received by
 the taxing unit by:
 (A)  publishing the notice in a newspaper having
 general circulation in:
 (i)  the county, in the case of notice
 published by a county; or
 (ii)  the county in which the municipality
 is located or primarily located, in the case of notice published by
 a municipality; or
 (B)  mailing the notice to each property owner in:
 (i)  the county, in the case of notice
 provided by a county; or
 (ii)  the municipality, in the case of
 notice provided by a municipality; and
 (2)  post the notice on the Internet website of the
 county or municipality, if applicable, beginning not later than the
 later of September 1 or the 30th day after the date the certified
 appraisal roll is received by the taxing unit and continuing until
 the county or municipality adopts a tax rate.
 SECTION 2.  Section 11.131(c), Tax Code, is amended to read
 as follows:
 (c)  The surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who qualified
 for an exemption under Subsection (b) when the disabled veteran
 died, or of a disabled veteran who would have qualified for an
 exemption under that subsection if that subsection had been in
 effect on the date the disabled veteran died, is entitled to an
 exemption from taxation of the total appraised value of the same
 property to which the disabled veteran's exemption applied, or to
 which the disabled veteran's exemption would have applied if the
 exemption had been authorized on the date the disabled veteran
 died, if:
 (1)  the surviving spouse has not remarried since the
 death of the disabled veteran; and
 (2)  the property:
 (A)  was the residence homestead of the surviving
 spouse when the disabled veteran died; and
 (B)  remains the residence homestead of the
 surviving spouse.
 SECTION 3.  Subchapter B, Chapter 11, Tax Code, is amended by
 adding Section 11.35 to read as follows:
 Sec. 11.35.  INVENTORY. A person is entitled to an exemption
 from taxation by a school district of 10 percent of the appraised
 value of that portion of the tangible personal property the person
 owns that consists of inventory for which the person is not
 otherwise entitled to an exemption from taxation.
 SECTION 4.  Section 23.014, Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 Sec. 23.014.  EXCLUSION OF PROPERTY AS REAL PROPERTY.
 Except as provided by Section 23.24(b), in determining the market
 value of real property, the chief appraiser shall analyze the
 effect on that value of, and exclude from that value the value of,
 any:
 (1)  tangible personal property, including:
 (A)  a trade fixture [fixtures]; or
 (B)  a vent hood installed in a restaurant
 kitchen;
 (2)  intangible personal property; or
 (3)  other property that is not subject to appraisal as
 real property.
 SECTION 5.  This Act applies only to an ad valorem tax year
 that begins on or after the effective date of this Act.
 SECTION 6.  (a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and (c)
 of this section, this Act takes effect January 1, 2016.
 (b)  Section 11.131(c), Tax Code, as amended by this Act,
 takes effect January 1, 2016, but only if a constitutional
 amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption
 from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the
 residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or
 totally disabled veteran who died before the law authorizing a
 residence homestead exemption for such a veteran took effect is
 approved by the voters. If such an amendment is not approved by the
 voters, Section 11.131(c), Tax Code, as amended by this Act, has no
 effect.
 (c)  Section 11.35, Tax Code, as added by this Act, takes
 effect January 1, 2016, but only if a constitutional amendment
 authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation by
 one or more political subdivisions all or part of the market value
 of the tangible personal property a person owns that consists of
 inventory is approved by the voters. If such an amendment is not
 approved by the voters, Section 11.35, Tax Code, as added by this
 Act, has no effect.