SENATE BILL NO. 8

INTRODUCED BY S. DOHERTY

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT PROVIDING PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL LAND AND IMPROVEMENTS; REVISING THE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FROM MARKET VALUE FOR CERTAIN LAND; AMENDING SECTIONS 15-6-134, 15-6-136, 15-6-138, 15-6-201, 15-7-111, AND 15-8-111, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Section 15-6-134, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-6-134. Class four property -- description -- taxable percentage. (1) Class four property includes:

(a) subject to 15-6-201(1)(z) and (1)(aa) and subsections (1)(f) and (1)(g) of this section, all land, except that specifically included in another class;

(b) subject to 15-6-201(1)(z) and (1)(aa) and subsections (1)(f) and (1)(g) of this section, all improvements, including trailers, manufactured homes, or mobile homes used as a residence, except those specifically included in another class;

(c) the first $100,000 or less of the taxable market value of any improvement on real property, including trailers, manufactured homes, or mobile homes, and appurtenant land not exceeding 5 acres owned or under contract for deed and actually occupied for at least 7 months a year as the primary residential dwelling of any person whose total income from all sources, including net business income and otherwise tax-exempt income of all types but not including social security income paid directly to a nursing home, is not more than $15,000 for a single person or $20,000 for a married couple or a head of household, as adjusted according to subsection (2)(b)(ii). For the purposes of this subsection (1)(c), net business income is gross income less ordinary operating expenses but before deducting depreciation or depletion allowance, or both.

(d) all golf courses, including land and improvements actually and necessarily used for that purpose, that consist of at least nine holes and not less than 700 lineal yards;

(e) subject to 15-6-201(1)(z), all improvements on land that is eligible for valuation, assessment, and taxation as agricultural land under 15-7-202, including 1 acre of real property beneath improvements on land described in 15-6-133(1)(c). The 1 acre must be valued at market value.

(f) (i) single-family residences, including trailers, manufactured homes, or mobile homes;

(ii) rental multifamily dwelling units;

(iii) appurtenant improvements to the residences or dwelling units, including the parcels of land upon which the residences and dwelling units are located and any leasehold improvements; and

(iv) vacant residential lots; and

(g) (i) commercial buildings and the parcels of land upon which they are situated; and

(ii) vacant commercial lots.

(2) Class four property is taxed as follows:

(a) (i) Except as provided in 15-24-1402 or 15-24-1501 and subsection (2)(a)(ii) of this section, property described in subsections (1)(a), (1)(b), (1)(e), (1)(f), and (1)(g) of this section is taxed at 3.794% of its taxable market value in tax year 1999.

(ii) The taxable percentage rate in subsection (2)(a)(i) must be adjusted downward by subtracting 0.0835 percentage points each year until the tax rate is equal to or less than 3.46%.

(b) (i) Property qualifying under the property tax assistance program in subsection (1)(c) is taxed at the rate provided in subsection (2)(a)(ii) of its market value multiplied by a percentage figure based on income and determined from the following table:

(A) for tax year 2001:

Income	Income	Percentage

Single Person	Married Couple	Multiplier

Head of Household

$0 - $ 6,000	$0 - $ 8,000	3%

6,001 - 9,200	8,001 - 14,000	8%

9,201 - 15,000	14,001 - 20,000	12%

(B) for tax year 2002 and thereafter:

Income	Income	Percentage

Single Person	Married Couple	Multiplier

Head of Household

$0 - $ 6,000	$0 - $ 8,000	1%

6,001 - 9,200	8,001 - 14,000	3%

9,201 - 15,000	14,001 - 20,000	4%

(ii) The income levels contained in the table in subsection (2)(b)(i) must be adjusted for inflation annually by the department. The adjustment to the income levels is determined by:

(A) multiplying the appropriate dollar amount from the table in subsection (2)(b)(i) by the ratio of the PCE for the second quarter of the year prior to the year of application to the PCE for the second quarter of 1995; and

(B) rounding the product thus obtained to the nearest whole dollar amount.

(iii) "PCE" means the implicit price deflator for personal consumption expenditures as published quarterly in the Survey of Current Business by the bureau of economic analysis of the U.S. department of commerce.

(c) Property described in subsection (1)(d) is taxed at one-half the taxable percentage rate established in subsection (2)(a)(i).

(3) Within the meaning of comparable property, as defined in 15-1-101, property assessed as commercial property is comparable only to other property assessed as commercial property and property assessed as other than commercial property is comparable only to other property assessed as other than commercial property."

Section 2. Section 15-6-136, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-6-136. (Temporary) Class six property -- description -- taxable percentage. (1) Class six property includes:

(a) livestock that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(bb) and other species of domestic animals and wildlife raised in domestication or a captive environment, except for cats, dogs, and other household pets not raised for profit;

(b) items of personal property intended for rent or lease in the ordinary course of business if each item of personal property satisfies all of the following:

(i) the acquired cost of the personal property is less than $15,000;

(ii) the personal property is owned by a business whose primary business income is from rental or lease of personal property to individuals when no one customer of the business accounts for more than 10% of the total rentals or leases during a calendar year;

(iii) the lease of the personal property is generally on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis; and

(c) machinery and equipment used in canola seed oil processing facilities if:

(i) the operators of those facilities employ a minimum of 15 full-time employees; and

(ii) a canola seed oil processing facility locates in the state of Montana after July 25, 1989; and

(d) machinery and equipment used in a malting barley facility.

(2) "Canola seed oil processing facility" means a facility that:

(a) extracts oil from canola seeds, refines the crude oil to produce edible oil, formulates and packages the edible oil into food products, or engages in any one or more of those processes; and

(b) employs at least 15 employees in a full-time capacity.

(3) "Malting barley facility" means a facility and integral machinery and equipment used principally to malt malting barley and includes machinery and equipment to mix, blend, transport, transfer, or process the barley and malt at the facility.

(4) Class six property is taxed at:

(a) 4% of its market value for tax years ending on or before December 31, 1999;

(b) 3% of its market value for tax year 2000;

(c) 2% of its market value for tax year 2001; and

(d) 1% of its market value for tax year 2002. (Repealed effective January 1, 2003--secs. 27, 31, Ch. 285, L. 1999.)"

Section 3. Section 15-6-138, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-6-138. (Temporary) Class eight property -- description -- taxable percentage. (1) Class eight property includes:

(a) all agricultural implements and equipment that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(bb);

(b) all mining machinery, fixtures, equipment, tools that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(r), and supplies except those included in class five;

(c) all oil and gas production machinery, fixtures, equipment, including pumping units, oil field storage tanks, water storage tanks, water disposal injection pumps, gas compressor and dehydrator units, communication towers, gas metering shacks, treaters, gas separators, water flood units, gas boosters, and similar equipment that is skidable, portable, or movable, tools that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(r), and supplies except those included in class five;

(d) all manufacturing machinery, fixtures, equipment, tools that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(r) or (1)(bb), and supplies except those included in class five;

(e) all goods and equipment that are intended for rent or lease, except goods and equipment that are specifically included and taxed in another class;

(f) special mobile equipment as defined in 61-1-104;

(g) furniture, fixtures, and equipment, except that specifically included in another class, used in commercial establishments as defined in this section;

(h) x-ray and medical and dental equipment;

(i) citizens' band radios and mobile telephones;

(j) radio and television broadcasting and transmitting equipment;

(k) cable television systems;

(l) coal and ore haulers;

(m) theater projectors and sound equipment; and

(n) all other property that is not included in any other class in this part, except that property that is subject to a fee in lieu of a property tax.

(2) As used in this section, "coal and ore haulers" means nonhighway vehicles that exceed 18,000 pounds per axle and that are primarily designed and used to transport coal, ore, or other earthen material in a mining or quarrying environment.

(3) "Commercial establishment" includes any hotel; motel; office; petroleum marketing station; or service, wholesale, retail, or food-handling business.

(4) Class eight property is taxed at:

(a) 6% of its market value for tax years beginning after December 31, 1997; and

(b) 3% of its market value for tax years beginning after December 31, 1999.

(5) (a) If, in any year beginning with tax year 2004, the percentage growth in inflation-adjusted Montana wage and salary income, in the last full year for which data is available, is at least 2.85% from the prior year, then the tax rate for class eight property will be reduced by 1% each year until the tax rate reaches zero.

(b) The department shall calculate the percentage growth in subsection (5)(a) by using the formula (W/CPI) - 1, where:

(i) W is the Montana wage and salary income for the most current available year divided by the Montana wage and salary income for the year prior to the most current available year; and

(ii) CPI is the consumer price index for the most current available year used in subsection (5)(b)(i) divided by the consumer price index for the year prior to the most current available year as used in subsection (5)(b)(i).

(c) For purposes of determining the percentage growth in subsection (5)(a), the department shall use the wage and salary data series referred to as the bureau of economic analysis of the United States department of commerce Montana wage and salary disbursements. Inflation must be measured by the consumer price index, U.S. city average, all urban consumers (CPI-U), using the 1982-84 base of 100, as published by the bureau of labor statistics of the United States department of labor.

(6) Beginning with tax year 2000, the class eight property of a person or business entity that owns an aggregate of $5,000 or less in market value of class eight property is exempt from taxation. (Repealed on occurrence of contingency--secs. 27(2), 31(4), Ch. 285, L. 1999.)"

Section 4. Section 15-6-201, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-6-201. (Temporary) Exempt categories. (1) The following categories of property are exempt from taxation:

(a) except as provided in 15-24-1203, the property of:

(i) the United States, except:

(A) if congress passes legislation that allows the state to tax property owned by the federal government or an agency created by congress; or

(B) as provided in 15-24-1103;

(ii) the state, counties, cities, towns, and school districts;

(iii) irrigation districts organized under the laws of Montana and not operating for profit;

(iv) municipal corporations;

(v) public libraries; and

(vi) rural fire districts and other entities providing fire protection under Title 7, chapter 33;

(b) buildings, with land that they occupy and furnishings in the buildings, that are owned by a church and used for actual religious worship or for residences of the clergy, together with adjacent land reasonably necessary for convenient use of the buildings;

(c) property used exclusively for agricultural and horticultural societies, for educational purposes, and for nonprofit health care facilities, as defined in 50-5-101, licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3. A health care facility that is not licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3, is not exempt.

(d) property that is:

(i) owned and held by an association or corporation organized under Title 35, chapter 2, 3, 20, or 21;

(ii) devoted exclusively to use in connection with a cemetery or cemeteries for which a permanent care and improvement fund has been established as provided for in Title 35, chapter 20, part 3; and

(iii) not maintained and operated for private or corporate profit;

(e) subject to subsection (2), property that is owned or property that is leased from a federal, state, or local governmental entity by institutions of purely public charity if the property is directly used for purely public charitable purposes;

(f) evidence of debt secured by mortgages of record upon real or personal property in the state of Montana;

(g) public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories that are not used or held for private or corporate profit;

(h) all household goods and furniture, including but not limited to clocks, musical instruments, sewing machines, and wearing apparel of members of the family, used by the owner for personal and domestic purposes or for furnishing or equipping the family residence;

(i) truck canopy covers or toppers and campers;

(j) a bicycle, as defined in 61-1-123, used by the owner for personal transportation purposes;

(k) motor homes;

(l) all watercraft;

(m) motor vehicles, land, fixtures, buildings, and improvements owned by a cooperative association or nonprofit corporation organized to furnish potable water to its members or customers for uses other than the irrigation of agricultural land;

(n) the right of entry that is a property right reserved in land or received by mesne conveyance (exclusive of leasehold interests), devise, or succession to enter land with a surface title that is held by another to explore, prospect, or dig for oil, gas, coal, or minerals;

(o) (i) property that is owned and used by a corporation or association organized and operated exclusively for the care of persons with developmental disabilities, persons with mental illness, or persons with physical or mental impairments that constitute or result in substantial impediments to employment and that is not operated for gain or profit; and

(ii) property that is owned and used by an organization owning and operating facilities that are for the care of the retired, aged, or chronically ill and that are not operated for gain or profit;

(p) all farm buildings with a market value of less than $500 and all agricultural implements and machinery with a market value of less than $100;

(q) property owned by a nonprofit corporation that is organized to provide facilities primarily for training and practice for or competition in international sports and athletic events and that is not held or used for private or corporate gain or profit. For purposes of this subsection (1)(q), "nonprofit corporation" means an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and incorporated and admitted under the Montana Nonprofit Corporation Act.

(r) (i) the first $15,000 or less of market value of tools owned by the taxpayer that are customarily hand-held and that are used to:

(A) construct, repair, and maintain improvements to real property; or

(B) repair and maintain machinery, equipment, appliances, or other personal property;

(ii) space vehicles and all machinery, fixtures, equipment, and tools used in the design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance of space vehicles that are owned by businesses engaged in manufacturing and launching space vehicles in the state or that are owned by a contractor or subcontractor of that business and that are directly used for space vehicle design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance;

(s) harness, saddlery, and other tack equipment;

(t) a title plant owned by a title insurer or a title insurance producer, as those terms are defined in 33-25-105;

(u) timber as defined in 15-44-102;

(v) all trailers as defined in 61-1-111, semitrailers as defined in 61-1-112, pole trailers as defined in 61-1-114, and travel trailers as defined in 61-1-131;

(w) all vehicles registered under 61-3-456;

(x) (i) buses, trucks having a manufacturer's rated capacity of more than 1 ton, and truck tractors, including buses, trucks, and truck tractors apportioned under Title 61, chapter 3, part 7; and

(ii) personal property that is attached to a bus, truck, or truck tractor that is exempt under subsection (1)(x)(i);

(y) motorcycles and quadricycles;

(z) the following percentage of the market value of residential property as described in 15-6-134(1)(e) and (1)(f):

(i) 16% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 23% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 27.5% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 31% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years;

(aa) the following percentage of the market value of commercial property as described in 15-6-134(1)(g);

(i) 6.5% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 9% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 11% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 13% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years; and

(bb) personal property used by an industrial dairy or an industrial milk processor and dairy livestock used by an industrial dairy.

(2) (a) For the purposes of subsection (1)(e):

(i) the term "institutions of purely public charity" includes any organization that meets the following requirements:

(A) The organization offers its charitable goods or services to persons without regard to race, religion, creed, or gender and qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under the provisions of section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

(B) The organization accomplishes its activities through absolute gratuity or grants. However, the organization may solicit or raise funds by the sale of merchandise, memberships, or tickets to public performances or entertainment or by other similar types of fundraising activities.

(ii) agricultural property owned by a purely public charity is not exempt if the agricultural property is used by the charity to produce unrelated business taxable income as that term is defined in section 512 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 512. A public charity claiming an exemption for agricultural property shall file annually with the department a copy of its federal tax return reporting any unrelated business taxable income received by the charity during the tax year, together with a statement indicating whether the exempt property was used to generate any unrelated business taxable income.

(b) For the purposes of subsection (1)(g), the term "public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories" means governmental entities or nonprofit organizations whose principal purpose is to hold property for public display or for use as a museum, art gallery, zoo, or observatory. The exempt property includes all real and personal property reasonably necessary for use in connection with the public display or observatory use. Unless the property is leased for a profit to a governmental entity or nonprofit organization by an individual or for-profit organization, real and personal property owned by other persons is exempt if it is:

(i) actually used by the governmental entity or nonprofit organization as a part of its public display;

(ii) held for future display; or

(iii) used to house or store a public display.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(bb):

(a) "industrial dairy" means a large-scale dairy operation with 1,000 or more milking cows and includes the dairy livestock and integral machinery and equipment that the dairy uses to produce milk and milk products solely for export from the state, either directly by the dairy or after the milk or milk product has been further processed by an industrial milk processor. After export, any unprocessed milk must be further processed into other dairy products.

(b) "industrial milk processor" means a facility and integral machinery used solely to process milk into milk products for export from the state.

(4) The following portions of the appraised value of a capital investment in a recognized nonfossil form of energy generation or low emission wood or biomass combustion devices, as defined in 15-32-102, are exempt from taxation for a period of 10 years following installation of the property:

(a) $20,000 in the case of a single-family residential dwelling;

(b) $100,000 in the case of a multifamily residential dwelling or a nonresidential structure.

15-6-201. (Effective January 1, 2003) Exempt categories. (1) The following categories of property are exempt from taxation:

(a) except as provided in 15-24-1203, the property of:

(i) the United States, except:

(A) if congress passes legislation that allows the state to tax property owned by the federal government or an agency created by congress; or

(B) as provided in 15-24-1103;

(ii) the state, counties, cities, towns, and school districts;

(iii) irrigation districts organized under the laws of Montana and not operating for profit;

(iv) municipal corporations;

(v) public libraries; and

(vi) rural fire districts and other entities providing fire protection under Title 7, chapter 33;

(b) buildings, with land that they occupy and furnishings in the buildings, that are owned by a church and used for actual religious worship or for residences of the clergy, together with adjacent land reasonably necessary for convenient use of the buildings;

(c) property used exclusively for agricultural and horticultural societies, for educational purposes, and for nonprofit health care facilities, as defined in 50-5-101, licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3. A health care facility that is not licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3, is not exempt.

(d) property that is:

(i) owned and held by an association or corporation organized under Title 35, chapter 2, 3, 20, or 21;

(ii) devoted exclusively to use in connection with a cemetery or cemeteries for which a permanent care and improvement fund has been established as provided for in Title 35, chapter 20, part 3; and

(iii) not maintained and operated for private or corporate profit;

(e) subject to subsection (2), property that is owned or property that is leased from a federal, state, or local governmental entity by institutions of purely public charity if the property is directly used for purely public charitable purposes;

(f) evidence of debt secured by mortgages of record upon real or personal property in the state of Montana;

(g) public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories that are not used or held for private or corporate profit;

(h) all household goods and furniture, including but not limited to clocks, musical instruments, sewing machines, and wearing apparel of members of the family, used by the owner for personal and domestic purposes or for furnishing or equipping the family residence;

(i) truck canopy covers or toppers and campers;

(j) a bicycle, as defined in 61-1-123, used by the owner for personal transportation purposes;

(k) motor homes;

(l) all watercraft;

(m) motor vehicles, land, fixtures, buildings, and improvements owned by a cooperative association or nonprofit corporation organized to furnish potable water to its members or customers for uses other than the irrigation of agricultural land;

(n) the right of entry that is a property right reserved in land or received by mesne conveyance (exclusive of leasehold interests), devise, or succession to enter land with a surface title that is held by another to explore, prospect, or dig for oil, gas, coal, or minerals;

(o) (i) property that is owned and used by a corporation or association organized and operated exclusively for the care of persons with developmental disabilities, persons with mental illness, or persons with physical or mental impairments that constitute or result in substantial impediments to employment and that is not operated for gain or profit; and

(ii) property that is owned and used by an organization owning and operating facilities that are for the care of the retired, aged, or chronically ill and that are not operated for gain or profit;

(p) all farm buildings with a market value of less than $500 and all agricultural implements and machinery with a market value of less than $100;

(q) property owned by a nonprofit corporation that is organized to provide facilities primarily for training and practice for or competition in international sports and athletic events and that is not held or used for private or corporate gain or profit. For purposes of this subsection (1)(q), "nonprofit corporation" means an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and incorporated and admitted under the Montana Nonprofit Corporation Act.

(r) (i) the first $15,000 or less of market value of tools owned by the taxpayer that are customarily hand-held and that are used to:

(A) construct, repair, and maintain improvements to real property; or

(B) repair and maintain machinery, equipment, appliances, or other personal property;

(ii) space vehicles and all machinery, fixtures, equipment, and tools used in the design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance of space vehicles that are owned by businesses engaged in manufacturing and launching space vehicles in the state or that are owned by a contractor or subcontractor of that business and that are directly used for space vehicle design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance;

(s) harness, saddlery, and other tack equipment;

(t) a title plant owned by a title insurer or a title insurance producer, as those terms are defined in 33-25-105;

(u) timber as defined in 15-44-102;

(v) all trailers as defined in 61-1-111, semitrailers as defined in 61-1-112, pole trailers as defined in 61-1-114, and travel trailers as defined in 61-1-131;

(w) all vehicles registered under 61-3-456;

(x) (i) buses, trucks having a manufacturer's rated capacity of more than 1 ton, and truck tractors, including buses, trucks, and truck tractors apportioned under Title 61, chapter 3, part 7; and

(ii) personal property that is attached to a bus, truck, or truck tractor that is exempt under subsection (1)(x)(i);

(y) motorcycles and quadricycles;

(z) the following percentage of the market value of residential property as described in 15-6-134(1)(e) and (1)(f):

(i) 16% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 23% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 27.5% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 31% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years;

(aa) the following percentage of the market value of commercial property as described in 15-6-134(1)(g);

(i) 6.5% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 9% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 11% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 13% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years;

(bb) personal property used by an industrial dairy or an industrial milk processor and dairy livestock used by an industrial dairy; and

(cc) items of personal property intended for rent or lease in the ordinary course of business if each item of personal property satisfies all of the following:

(i) the acquired cost of the personal property is less than $15,000;

(ii) the personal property is owned by a business whose primary business income is from rental or lease of personal property to individuals and no one customer of the business accounts for more than 10% of the total rentals or leases during a calendar year; and

(iii) the lease of the personal property is generally on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis.

(2) (a) For the purposes of subsection (1)(e):

(i) the term "institutions of purely public charity" includes any organization that meets the following requirements:

(A) The organization offers its charitable goods or services to persons without regard to race, religion, creed, or gender and qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under the provisions of section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

(B) The organization accomplishes its activities through absolute gratuity or grants. However, the organization may solicit or raise funds by the sale of merchandise, memberships, or tickets to public performances or entertainment or by other similar types of fundraising activities.

(ii) agricultural property owned by a purely public charity is not exempt if the agricultural property is used by the charity to produce unrelated business taxable income as that term is defined in section 512 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 512. A public charity claiming an exemption for agricultural property shall file annually with the department a copy of its federal tax return reporting any unrelated business taxable income received by the charity during the tax year, together with a statement indicating whether the exempt property was used to generate any unrelated business taxable income.

(b) For the purposes of subsection (1)(g), the term "public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories" means governmental entities or nonprofit organizations whose principal purpose is to hold property for public display or for use as a museum, art gallery, zoo, or observatory. The exempt property includes all real and personal property reasonably necessary for use in connection with the public display or observatory use. Unless the property is leased for a profit to a governmental entity or nonprofit organization by an individual or for-profit organization, real and personal property owned by other persons is exempt if it is:

(i) actually used by the governmental entity or nonprofit organization as a part of its public display;

(ii) held for future display; or

(iii) used to house or store a public display.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(bb):

(a) "industrial dairy" means a large-scale dairy operation with 1,000 or more milking cows and includes the dairy livestock and integral machinery and equipment that the dairy uses to produce milk and milk products solely for export from the state, either directly by the dairy or after the milk or milk product has been further processed by an industrial milk processor. After export, any unprocessed milk must be further processed into other dairy products.

(b) "industrial milk processor" means a facility and integral machinery used solely to process milk into milk products for export from the state.

(4) The following portions of the appraised value of a capital investment in a recognized nonfossil form of energy generation or low emission wood or biomass combustion devices, as defined in 15-32-102, are exempt from taxation for a period of 10 years following installation of the property:

(a) $20,000 in the case of a single-family residential dwelling;

(b) $100,000 in the case of a multifamily residential dwelling or a nonresidential structure.

15-6-201. (Effective on occurrence of contingency) Exempt categories. (1) The following categories of property are exempt from taxation:

(a) except as provided in 15-24-1203, the property of:

(i) the United States, except:

(A) if congress passes legislation that allows the state to tax property owned by the federal government or an agency created by congress; or

(B) as provided in 15-24-1103;

(ii) the state, counties, cities, towns, and school districts;

(iii) irrigation districts organized under the laws of Montana and not operating for profit;

(iv) municipal corporations;

(v) public libraries; and

(vi) rural fire districts and other entities providing fire protection under Title 7, chapter 33;

(b) buildings, with land that they occupy and furnishings in the buildings, that are owned by a church and used for actual religious worship or for residences of the clergy, together with adjacent land reasonably necessary for convenient use of the buildings;

(c) property used exclusively for agricultural and horticultural societies, for educational purposes, and for nonprofit health care facilities, as defined in 50-5-101, licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3. A health care facility that is not licensed by the department of public health and human services and organized under Title 35, chapter 2 or 3, is not exempt.

(d) property that is:

(i) owned and held by an association or corporation organized under Title 35, chapter 2, 3, 20, or 21;

(ii) devoted exclusively to use in connection with a cemetery or cemeteries for which a permanent care and improvement fund has been established as provided for in Title 35, chapter 20, part 3; and

(iii) not maintained and operated for private or corporate profit;

(e) subject to subsection (2), property that is owned or property that is leased from a federal, state, or local governmental entity by institutions of purely public charity if the property is directly used for purely public charitable purposes;

(f) evidence of debt secured by mortgages of record upon real or personal property in the state of Montana;

(g) public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories that are not used or held for private or corporate profit;

(h) all household goods and furniture, including but not limited to clocks, musical instruments, sewing machines, and wearing apparel of members of the family, used by the owner for personal and domestic purposes or for furnishing or equipping the family residence;

(i) truck canopy covers or toppers and campers;

(j) a bicycle, as defined in 61-1-123, used by the owner for personal transportation purposes;

(k) motor homes;

(l) all watercraft;

(m) motor vehicles, land, fixtures, buildings, and improvements owned by a cooperative association or nonprofit corporation organized to furnish potable water to its members or customers for uses other than the irrigation of agricultural land;

(n) the right of entry that is a property right reserved in land or received by mesne conveyance (exclusive of leasehold interests), devise, or succession to enter land with a surface title that is held by another to explore, prospect, or dig for oil, gas, coal, or minerals;

(o) (i) property that is owned and used by a corporation or association organized and operated exclusively for the care of persons with developmental disabilities, persons with mental illness, or persons with physical or mental impairments that constitute or result in substantial impediments to employment and that is not operated for gain or profit; and

(ii) property that is owned and used by an organization owning and operating facilities that are for the care of the retired, aged, or chronically ill and that are not operated for gain or profit;

(p) all farm buildings with a market value of less than $500 and all agricultural implements and machinery with a market value of less than $100;

(q) property owned by a nonprofit corporation that is organized to provide facilities primarily for training and practice for or competition in international sports and athletic events and that is not held or used for private or corporate gain or profit. For purposes of this subsection (1)(q), "nonprofit corporation" means an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and incorporated and admitted under the Montana Nonprofit Corporation Act.

(r) (i) the first $15,000 or less of market value of tools owned by the taxpayer that are customarily hand-held and that are used to:

(A) construct, repair, and maintain improvements to real property; or

(B) repair and maintain machinery, equipment, appliances, or other personal property;

(ii) space vehicles and all machinery, fixtures, equipment, and tools used in the design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance of space vehicles that are owned by businesses engaged in manufacturing and launching space vehicles in the state or that are owned by a contractor or subcontractor of that business and that are directly used for space vehicle design, manufacture, launch, repair, and maintenance;

(s) harness, saddlery, and other tack equipment;

(t) a title plant owned by a title insurer or a title insurance producer, as those terms are defined in 33-25-105;

(u) timber as defined in 15-44-102;

(v) all trailers as defined in 61-1-111, semitrailers as defined in 61-1-112, pole trailers as defined in 61-1-114, and travel trailers as defined in 61-1-131;

(w) all vehicles registered under 61-3-456;

(x) (i) buses, trucks having a manufacturer's rated capacity of more than 1 ton, and truck tractors, including buses, trucks, and truck tractors apportioned under Title 61, chapter 3, part 7; and

(ii) personal property that is attached to a bus, truck, or truck tractor that is exempt under subsection (1)(x)(i);

(y) motorcycles and quadricycles;

(z) the following percentage of the market value of residential property as described in 15-6-134(1)(e) and (1)(f):

(i) 16% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 23% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 27.5% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 31% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years;

(aa) the following percentage of the market value of commercial property as described in 15-6-134(1)(g);

(i) 6.5% for tax year 1999;

(ii) 9% for tax year 2000;

(iii) 11% for tax year 2001; and

(iv) 13% for tax year 2002 and succeeding tax years;

(bb) personal property used by an industrial dairy or an industrial milk processor and dairy livestock used by an industrial dairy;

(cc) items of personal property intended for rent or lease in the ordinary course of business if each item of personal property satisfies all of the following:

(i) the acquired cost of the personal property is less than $15,000;

(ii) the personal property is owned by a business whose primary business income is from rental or lease of personal property to individuals and no one customer of the business accounts for more than 10% of the total rentals or leases during a calendar year; and

(iii) the lease of the personal property is generally on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis;

(dd) all agricultural implements and equipment;

(ee) all mining machinery, fixtures, equipment, tools that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(r), and supplies except those included in class five;

(ff) all manufacturing machinery, fixtures, equipment, tools that are not exempt under 15-6-201(1)(r), and supplies except those included in class five;

(gg) all goods and equipment that are intended for rent or lease, except goods and equipment that are specifically included and taxed in another class;

(hh) special mobile equipment as defined in 61-1-104;

(ii) furniture, fixtures, and equipment, except that specifically included in another class, used in commercial establishments as defined in this section;

(jj) x-ray and medical and dental equipment;

(kk) citizens' band radios and mobile telephones;

(ll) radio and television broadcasting and transmitting equipment;

(mm) cable television systems;

(nn) coal and ore haulers; and

(oo) theater projectors and sound equipment.

(2) (a) For the purposes of subsection (1)(e):

(i) the term "institutions of purely public charity" includes any organization that meets the following requirements:

(A) The organization offers its charitable goods or services to persons without regard to race, religion, creed, or gender and qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under the provisions of section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

(B) The organization accomplishes its activities through absolute gratuity or grants. However, the organization may solicit or raise funds by the sale of merchandise, memberships, or tickets to public performances or entertainment or by other similar types of fundraising activities.

(ii) agricultural property owned by a purely public charity is not exempt if the agricultural property is used by the charity to produce unrelated business taxable income as that term is defined in section 512 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 512. A public charity claiming an exemption for agricultural property shall file annually with the department a copy of its federal tax return reporting any unrelated business taxable income received by the charity during the tax year, together with a statement indicating whether the exempt property was used to generate any unrelated business taxable income.

(b) For the purposes of subsection (1)(g), the term "public museums, art galleries, zoos, and observatories" means governmental entities or nonprofit organizations whose principal purpose is to hold property for public display or for use as a museum, art gallery, zoo, or observatory. The exempt property includes all real and personal property reasonably necessary for use in connection with the public display or observatory use. Unless the property is leased for a profit to a governmental entity or nonprofit organization by an individual or for-profit organization, real and personal property owned by other persons is exempt if it is:

(i) actually used by the governmental entity or nonprofit organization as a part of its public display;

(ii) held for future display; or

(iii) used to house or store a public display.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(bb):

(a) "industrial dairy" means a large-scale dairy operation with 1,000 or more milking cows and includes the dairy livestock and integral machinery and equipment that the dairy uses to produce milk and milk products solely for export from the state, either directly by the dairy or after the milk or milk product has been further processed by an industrial milk processor. After export, any unprocessed milk must be further processed into other dairy products.

(b) "industrial milk processor" means a facility and integral machinery used solely to process milk into milk products for export from the state.

(4) The following portions of the appraised value of a capital investment in a recognized nonfossil form of energy generation or low emission wood or biomass combustion devices, as defined in 15-32-102, are exempt from taxation for a period of 10 years following installation of the property:

(a) $20,000 in the case of a single-family residential dwelling;

(b) $100,000 in the case of a multifamily residential dwelling or a nonresidential structure."

Section 5. Section 15-7-111, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-7-111. Periodic revaluation of certain taxable property. (1) The department shall administer and supervise a program for the revaluation of all taxable property within classes three, four, and ten. All other property must be revalued annually. The revaluation of class three, four, and ten property is complete on December 31, 1996. The amount of the change in valuation from the 1996 base year for each property in classes three, four, and ten must be phased in each year at the rate of 25% of the change in valuation from December 31, 1998, to the appropriate percentage of taxable market value for each class.

(2) The department shall value and phase in the value of newly constructed, remodeled, or reclassified property in a manner consistent with the valuation within the same class and the values established pursuant to subsection (1). The department shall adopt rules for determining the assessed valuation and phased-in value of new, remodeled, or reclassified property within the same class.

(3) Beginning January 1, 2001, the department of revenue shall administer and supervise a program for the revaluation of all taxable property within classes three, four, and ten. A comprehensive written reappraisal plan must be promulgated by the department. The reappraisal plan adopted must provide that all class three, four, and ten property in each county is revalued by January 1, 2003, and each succeeding 6 years. The resulting valuation changes must be phased in for each year until the next reappraisal. If a percentage of change for each year is not established, then the percentage of phasein for each year is 16.66%. The department shall furnish a copy of the plan and all amendments to the plan to the board of county commissioners of each county.

"

Section 6. Section 15-8-111, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-8-111. Assessment -- market value standard -- exceptions. (1) All taxable property must be assessed at 100% of its market value except as otherwise provided.

(2) (a) Market value is the value at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or to sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.

(b) If the department uses construction cost as one approximation of market value, the department shall fully consider reduction in value caused by depreciation, whether through physical depreciation, functional obsolescence, or economic obsolescence.

(c) If the department uses the capitalization of net income method as one approximation of market value and sufficient, relevant information on comparable sales and construction cost exists, the department shall rely upon the two methods that provide a similar market value as the better indicators of market value.

(d) Except as provided in subsection (3), the market value of special mobile equipment and agricultural tools, implements, and machinery is the average wholesale value shown in national appraisal guides and manuals or the value before reconditioning and profit margin. The department shall prepare valuation schedules showing the average wholesale value when a national appraisal guide does not exist.

(3) The department may not adopt a lower or different standard of value from market value in making the official assessment and appraisal of the value of property, except:

(a) the wholesale value for agricultural implements and machinery is the average wholesale value category as shown in Guides 2000, Northwest Region Official Guide, published by the North American equipment dealers association, St. Louis, Missouri. If the guide or the average wholesale value category is unavailable, the department shall use a comparable publication or wholesale value category.

(b) for agricultural implements and machinery not listed in an official guide, the department shall prepare a supplemental manual in which the values reflect the same depreciation as those found in the official guide; and

(c) as otherwise authorized in Titles 15 and 61.

(4) For purposes of taxation, assessed value is the same as appraised value.

(5) The taxable value for all property is the percentage of market or assessed value established for each class of property.

(6) The assessed value of properties in 15-6-131 through 15-6-134, 15-6-143, and 15-6-145 is as follows:

(a) Properties in 15-6-131, under class one, are assessed at 100% of the annual net proceeds after deducting the expenses specified and allowed by 15-23-503 or, if applicable, as provided in 15-23-515, 15-23-516, 15-23-517, or 15-23-518.

(b) Properties in 15-6-132, under class two, are assessed at 100% of the annual gross proceeds.

(c) Properties in 15-6-133, under class three, are assessed at 100% of the productive capacity of the lands when valued for agricultural purposes. All lands that meet the qualifications of 15-7-202 are valued as agricultural lands for tax purposes.

(d) Properties in 15-6-134, under class four, are assessed at the applicable percentage of market value minus any portion of market value that is exempt from taxation under 15-6-201(1)(z) and (1)(aa) .

(e) Properties in 15-6-143, under class ten, are assessed at 100% of the forest productivity value of the land when valued as forest land.

(f) Railroad transportation properties in 15-6-145 are assessed based on the valuation formula described in 15-23-205.

(7) Land and the improvements on the land are separately assessed when any of the following conditions occur:

(a) ownership of the improvements is different from ownership of the land;

(b) the taxpayer makes a written request; or

(c) the land is outside an incorporated city or town."

NEW SECTION. Section 7. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

NEW SECTION. Section 8. Applicability. [This act] applies to tax years beginning after December 31, 2000.

- END -