H-874                _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 422

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives J. Williams, Tilly, Vander Stoep, Holland, Zellinsky, Hastings, Prince, Chandler, Ballard, Addison, Bond, Sanders, May, Fuhrman, Patrick, Dobbs, Van Luven, S. Wilson and Taylor

Read first time 2/1/85 and referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

AN ACT Relating to property taxation; and amending RCW 84.40.045.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 10, chapter 146, Laws of 1967 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 181, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 84.40.045 are each amended to read as follows:

          The assessor shall give notice of any change in the true and fair value of real property for the tract or lot of land and any improvements thereon no later than thirty days after appraisal:  PROVIDED, That no such notice shall be mailed during the period from January 15 to February 15 of each year:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That no notice need be sent with respect to changes in valuation of forest land made pursuant to chapter 84.33 RCW.

          The notice shall contain a statement of both the prior and the new true and fair value and the ratio of the assessed value to the true and fair value on which the assessment of the property is based, stating separately land and improvement values, and a brief statement of the procedure for appeal to the board of equalization and the time, date, and place of the meetings of the board.  If the change in valuation is appealed, no taxes that are based on the new valuation may be collected pending appeal, but interest shall accrue on the amount of tax found to be due at the rate provided in RCW 84.56.020 from the date the taxes would otherwise have been due.

          The notice shall be mailed by the assessor to the taxpayer.

          If any taxpayer, as shown by the tax rolls, holds solely a security interest in the real property which is the subject of the notice, pursuant to a mortgage, contract of sale, or deed of trust, such taxpayer shall, upon written request of the assessor, supply, within thirty days of receipt of such request, to the assessor the name and address of the person making payments pursuant to the mortgage, contract of sale, or deed of trust, and thereafter such person shall also receive a copy of the notice provided for in this section.  Wilful failure to comply with such request within the time limitation provided for herein shall make such taxpayer subject to a civil penalty of five dollars for each parcel of real property within the scope of the request in which it holds the security interest, the aggregate of such penalties in any one year not to exceed five thousand dollars.  The penalties provided for herein shall be recoverable in an action by the county prosecutor, and when recovered shall be deposited in the county current expense fund.  The assessor shall make the request provided for by this section during the month of January.