_____________ bill NO. _____________

INTRODUCED BY _________________________________________________

By Request of the ****

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT generally revising class 10 property taxation of forest lands; revising the tax rate on forest productivity value; AMENDING SECTION 15-6-143, MCA; and PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE and A RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY DATE."

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

Section 1. Section 15-6-143, MCA, is amended to read:

"15-6-143. Class ten property -- description -- taxable percentage. (1) Class ten property includes all forest lands, as defined in 15-44-102, and property described in subsection (2).

(2) Any parcel of growing timber totaling less than 15 acres qualifies as class ten property if, in a prior year, the parcel totaled 15 acres or more and qualified as forest land but the number of acres was reduced to less than 15 acres for a public use described in 70-30-102 by the federal government, the state, a county, or a municipality and, since that reduction in acres, the parcel has not been further divided.

(3) Class ten property is taxed at:

(a) 0.34% of its forest productivity value in tax year 2021;

(b) 0.33% of its forest productivity value in tax year 2022; and

(c)  0.37% of its forest productivity value in tax years after 2022."

NEW SECTION. Section 2. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

NEW SECTION. Section 3. Retroactive applicability. [This act] applies retroactively, within the meaning of 1-2-109, to property tax years beginning after December 31, 2020.