H-4005.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2765

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Orcutt, Fromhold, Morell and McDermott)

Read first time 02/06/2002.  Referred to Committee on .

Concerning the timber and forest lands compensating tax.

    AN ACT Relating to timber and forest lands; and amending RCW 84.33.145.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 84.33.145 and 2001 c 249 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) If no later than ((thirty)) sixty days after removal of designation the owner applies for classification under RCW 84.34.020 (1), (2), or (3), then the designated forest land shall not be considered removed from designation for purposes of the compensating tax under RCW 84.33.140 until the application for current use classification under chapter 84.34 RCW is denied or the property is removed from classification under RCW 84.34.108.  Upon removal of classification under RCW 84.34.108, the amount of compensating tax due under this chapter shall be equal to:

    (a) The difference, if any, between the amount of tax last levied on the land as designated forest land and an amount equal to the new assessed valuation of the land when removed from classification under RCW 84.34.108 multiplied by the dollar rate of the last levy extended against the land, multiplied by

    (b) A number equal to:

    (i) The number of years the land was designated under this chapter, if the total number of years the land was designated under this chapter and classified under chapter 84.34 RCW is less than ten; or

    (ii) Ten minus the number of years the land was classified under chapter 84.34 RCW, if the total number of years the land was designated under this chapter and classified under chapter 84.34 RCW is at least ten.

    (2) Nothing in this section authorizes the continued designation under this chapter or defers or reduces the compensating tax imposed upon forest land not transferred to classification under subsection (1) of this section which does not meet the definition of forest land under RCW 84.33.035.  Nothing in this section affects the additional tax imposed under RCW 84.34.108.

    (3) In a county with a population of more than one million inhabitants, no amount of compensating tax is due under this section if the removal from classification under RCW 84.34.108 results from a transfer of property described in RCW 84.34.108(6).

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