SSB 5424 -
By Senators Parlette, Sheldon
ADOPTED 02/05/2010
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 84.34.108 and 2009 c 513 s 2, 2009 c 354 s 3, 2009 c
255 s 2, and 2009 c 246 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as
follows:
(1) When land has once been classified under this chapter, a
notation of the classification ((shall)) must be made each year upon
the assessment and tax rolls and the land ((shall)) must be valued
pursuant to RCW 84.34.060 or 84.34.065 until removal of all or a
portion of the classification by the assessor upon occurrence of any of
the following:
(a) Receipt of notice from the owner to remove all or a portion of
the classification;
(b) Sale or transfer to an ownership, except a transfer that
resulted from a default in loan payments made to or secured by a
governmental agency that intends to or is required by law or regulation
to resell the property for the same use as before, making all or a
portion of the land exempt from ad valorem taxation;
(c) Sale or transfer of all or a portion of the land to a new
owner, unless the new owner has signed a notice of classification
continuance, except transfer to an owner who is an heir or devisee of
a deceased owner ((shall)) does not, by itself, result in removal of
classification. The notice of continuance shall be on a form prepared
by the department. If the notice of continuance is not signed by the
new owner and attached to the real estate excise tax affidavit, all
additional taxes calculated pursuant to subsection (4) of this section
((shall become)) are due and payable by the seller or transferor at
time of sale. The auditor ((shall)) may not accept an instrument of
conveyance regarding classified land for filing or recording unless the
new owner has signed the notice of continuance or the additional tax
has been paid, as evidenced by the real estate excise tax stamp affixed
thereto by the treasurer. The seller, transferor, or new owner may
appeal the new assessed valuation calculated under subsection (4) of
this section to the county board of equalization in accordance with the
provisions of RCW 84.40.038. Jurisdiction is hereby conferred on the
county board of equalization to hear these appeals;
(d) Determination by the assessor, after giving the owner written
notice and an opportunity to be heard, that all or a portion of the
land no longer meets the criteria for classification under this
chapter. The criteria for classification pursuant to this chapter
continue to apply after classification has been granted.
The granting authority, upon request of an assessor, ((shall)) must
provide reasonable assistance to the assessor in making a determination
whether the land continues to meet the qualifications of RCW 84.34.020
(1) or (3). The assistance ((shall)) must be provided within thirty
days of receipt of the request.
(2) Land may not be removed from classification because of:
(a) The creation, sale, or transfer of forestry riparian easements
under RCW 76.13.120; or
(b) The creation, sale, or transfer of a fee interest or a
conservation easement for the riparian open space program under RCW
76.09.040.
(3) Within thirty days after the removal of all or a portion of the
land from current use classification under subsection (1) of this
section, the assessor shall notify the owner in writing, setting forth
the reasons for the removal. The seller, transferor, or owner may
appeal the removal to the county board of equalization in accordance
with the provisions of RCW 84.40.038. The removal notice must explain
the steps needed to appeal the removal decision, including when a
notice of appeal must be filed, where the forms may be obtained, and
how to contact the county board of equalization.
(4) Unless the removal is reversed on appeal, the assessor
((shall)) must revalue the affected land with reference to its true and
fair value on January 1st of the year of removal from classification.
Both the assessed valuation before and after the removal of
classification shall be listed and taxes shall be allocated according
to that part of the year to which each assessed valuation applies.
Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, an additional
tax, applicable interest, and penalty ((shall be)) is imposed which
((shall be)) is due and payable to the treasurer thirty days after the
owner is notified of the amount of the additional tax. As soon as
possible, the assessor ((shall)) must compute the amount of additional
tax, applicable interest, and penalty and the treasurer shall mail
notice to the owner of the amount thereof and the date on which payment
is due. The amount of the additional tax, applicable interest, and
penalty ((shall)) must be determined as follows:
(a) The amount of additional tax ((shall be)) is equal to the
difference between the property tax paid as "open space land," "farm
and agricultural land," or "timber land" and the amount of property tax
otherwise due and payable for the seven years last past had the land
not been so classified;
(b) ((The amount of applicable interest shall be equal to the
interest upon the amounts of the additional tax paid at the same
statutory rate charged on delinquent property taxes from the dates on
which the additional tax could have been paid without penalty if the
land had been assessed at a value without regard to this chapter;)) The
interest rate provided in RCW 84.69.100 must be charged on the amount
of additional tax imposed under (a) of this subsection. The annual
rate of interest in effect at the time of removal must be applied to
the total amount of additional tax due;
(c) The amount of the penalty ((shall be)) is as provided in RCW
84.34.080. The penalty ((shall)) may not be imposed if the removal
satisfies the conditions of RCW 84.34.070.
(5) Additional tax, applicable interest, and penalty, ((shall))
must become a lien on the land which ((shall)) attaches at the time the
land is removed from classification under this chapter and ((shall
have)) has priority to and shall be fully paid and satisfied before any
recognizance, mortgage, judgment, debt, obligation or responsibility to
or with which the land may become charged or liable. This lien may be
foreclosed upon expiration of the same period after delinquency and in
the same manner provided by law for foreclosure of liens for delinquent
real property taxes as provided in RCW 84.64.050. Any additional tax
unpaid on its due date ((shall)) becomes thereupon ((become))
delinquent. From the date of delinquency until paid, interest
((shall)) must be charged at the same rate applied by law to delinquent
ad valorem property taxes.
(6) The additional tax, applicable interest, and penalty specified
in subsection (4) of this section ((shall)) may not be imposed if the
removal of classification pursuant to subsection (1) of this section
resulted solely from:
(a) Transfer to a government entity in exchange for other land
located within the state of Washington;
(b)(i) A taking through the exercise of the power of eminent
domain, or (ii) sale or transfer to an entity having the power of
eminent domain in anticipation of the exercise of such power, said
entity having manifested its intent in writing or by other official
action;
(c) A natural disaster such as a flood, windstorm, earthquake, or
other such calamity rather than by virtue of the act of the landowner
changing the use of the property;
(d) Official action by an agency of the state of Washington or by
the county or city within which the land is located which disallows the
present use of the land;
(e) Transfer of land to a church when the land would qualify for
exemption pursuant to RCW 84.36.020;
(f) Acquisition of property interests by state agencies or agencies
or organizations qualified under RCW 84.34.210 and 64.04.130 for the
purposes enumerated in those sections. At such time as these property
interests are not used for the purposes enumerated in RCW 84.34.210 and
64.04.130 the additional tax specified in subsection (4) of this
section ((shall be)) is imposed;
(g) Removal of land classified as farm and agricultural land under
RCW 84.34.020(2)(f);
(h) Removal of land from classification after enactment of a
statutory exemption that qualifies the land for exemption and receipt
of notice from the owner to remove the land from classification;
(i) The creation, sale, or transfer of forestry riparian easements
under RCW 76.13.120;
(j) The creation, sale, or transfer of a conservation easement of
private forest lands within unconfined channel migration zones or
containing critical habitat for threatened or endangered species under
RCW 76.09.040;
(k) The sale or transfer of land within two years after the death
of the owner of at least a fifty percent interest in the land if the
land has been assessed and valued as classified forest land, designated
as forest land under chapter 84.33 RCW, or classified under this
chapter continuously since 1993. The date of death shown on a death
certificate is the date used for the purposes of this subsection
(6)(k); or
(l)(i) The discovery that the land was classified under this
chapter in error through no fault of the owner. For purposes of this
subsection (6)(l), "fault" means a knowingly false or misleading
statement, or other act or omission not in good faith, that contributed
to the approval of classification under this chapter or the failure of
the assessor to remove the land from classification under this chapter.
(ii) For purposes of this subsection (6), the discovery that land
was classified under this chapter in error through no fault of the
owner is not the sole reason for removal of classification pursuant to
subsection (1) of this section if an independent basis for removal
exists. Examples of an independent basis for removal include the owner
changing the use of the land or failing to meet any applicable income
criteria required for classification under this chapter.
Sec. 2 RCW 84.34.070 and 1992 c 69 s 10 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) When land has once been classified under this chapter, it shall
remain under such classification and shall not be applied to other use
except as provided by subsection (2) of this section for at least ten
years from the date of classification and shall continue under such
classification until and unless withdrawn from classification after
notice of request for withdrawal shall be made by the owner. ((During
any year)) After ((eight years of)) the initial ten-year classification
period ((have)) has elapsed, notice of request for withdrawal of all or
a portion of the land may be given by the owner to the assessor or
assessors of the county or counties in which such land is situated. In
the event that a portion of a parcel is removed from classification,
the remaining portion must meet the same requirements as did the entire
parcel when such land was originally granted classification pursuant to
this chapter unless the remaining parcel has different income criteria.
Within seven days the assessor shall transmit one copy of such notice
to the legislative body which originally approved the application. The
assessor or assessors, as the case may be, shall((, when two assessment
years have elapsed following the date of receipt of such notice,))
withdraw such land from such classification and the land shall be
subject to the additional tax and applicable interest due under RCW
84.34.108. Agreement to tax according to use shall not be considered
to be a contract and can be abrogated at any time by the legislature in
which event no additional tax or penalty shall be imposed.
(2) The following reclassifications are not considered withdrawals
or removals and are not subject to additional tax under RCW 84.34.108:
(a) Reclassification between lands under RCW 84.34.020 (2) and (3);
(b) Reclassification of land classified under RCW 84.34.020 (2) or
(3) or chapter 84.33 RCW to open space land under RCW 84.34.020(1);
(c) Reclassification of land classified under RCW 84.34.020 (2) or
(3) to forest land classified under chapter 84.33 RCW; and
(d) Reclassification of land classified as open space land under
RCW 84.34.020(1)(c) and reclassified to farm and agricultural land
under RCW 84.34.020(2) if the land had been previously classified as
farm and agricultural land under RCW 84.34.020(2).
(3) Applications for reclassification shall be subject to
applicable provisions of RCW 84.34.037, 84.34.035, 84.34.041, and
chapter 84.33 RCW.
(4) The income criteria for land classified under RCW 84.34.020(2)
(b) and (c) may be deferred for land being reclassified from land
classified under RCW 84.34.020 (1)(c) or (3), or chapter 84.33 RCW into
RCW 84.34.020(2) (b) or (c) for a period of up to five years from the
date of reclassification.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 This act applies to taxes levied for
collection in 2011 and thereafter."
SSB 5424 -
By Senators Parlette, Sheldon
ADOPTED 02/05/2010
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "Relating to" strike the remainder of the title and insert "interest rate and penalty provisions in the current use program; amending RCW 84.34.070; reenacting and amending RCW 84.34.108; and creating a new section."
EFFECT: Changes the interest rate on property tax upon removal from a current use program. Under current law, the rate is 12%. Under the bill as it was introduced, the rate was the short-term federal rate, plus two percentage points. The striking amendment changes the interest rate to the property tax refund rate provided in RCW 84.69.100. The amendment also removes hold harmless provisions, which were enacted by separate legislation in 2009. The effective date is updated.