HOUSE BILL No. 5777

 

September 9, 2014, Introduced by Rep. McCann and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

 

"The general property tax act,"

 

by amending section 7d (MCL 211.7d), as amended by 2012 PA 66.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 7d. (1) Housing owned and operated by a nonprofit

 

corporation or association, by a limited dividend housing

 

corporation, or by this state, a political subdivision of this

 

state, or an instrumentality of this state, for occupancy or use

 

solely by elderly or disabled families is exempt from the

 

collection of taxes under this act. For purposes of this section,

 

housing is considered occupied solely by elderly or disabled

 

families even if 1 or more of the units is occupied by service

 

personnel, such as a custodian or nurse.

 

     (2) An owner of property may claim an exemption under this

 


section on a form prescribed by the department of treasury. The

 

assessor of the local tax collecting unit in which the property is

 

located shall approve or disapprove a claim for exemption under

 

this section. The assessor shall notify the owner and the

 

department of treasury in writing of the exemption's approval or

 

disapproval. The department of treasury may deny an exemption under

 

this section. The department of treasury may grant an exemption

 

under this section for 2012 and the 3 immediately preceding years

 

for property that would have qualified for the exemption under this

 

section if an owner of that property had timely filed in 2010 or

 

2011 the form required under this subsection. If granting the

 

exemption under this section results in an overpayment of the tax,

 

a rebate, including any interest paid, shall be made to the

 

taxpayer by the local tax collecting unit if the local tax

 

collecting unit has possession of the tax roll or by the county

 

treasurer if the county has possession of the tax roll within 30

 

days of the date the exemption is granted. The rebate shall be

 

without interest. An exemption under this section begins on

 

December 31 of the year in which the exemption is approved under

 

this subsection and shall continue until the property is no longer

 

used for occupancy or use solely by elderly or disabled families.

 

The owner of property exempt under this section shall notify the

 

local tax collecting unit in which the property is located and the

 

department of treasury of any change in the property that would

 

affect the exemption under this section.

 

     (3) If property for which an exemption is claimed under this

 

section would have been subject to the collection of taxes under

 


this act if an exemption had not been granted under this section,

 

the state treasurer, upon verification, shall make a payment in

 

lieu of taxes, which shall be in the following amount:

 

     (a) For property exempt under this section before January 1,

 

2009, the amount of taxes paid on that property for the 2008 tax

 

year, excluding any mills that would have been levied under all of

 

the following:

 

     (i) Section 1211 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL

 

380.1211.

 

     (ii) The state education tax act, 1993 PA 331, MCL 211.901 to

 

211.906.

 

     (b) For property not exempt under this section before January

 

1, 2009 and for new construction to property exempt under this

 

section before January 1, 2009, the local tax collecting unit shall

 

calculate, on a form prescribed by the department of treasury, a

 

payment calculated by multiplying the taxable value of the property

 

in the first year for which the exemption is valid by the number of

 

mills levied in that year by all taxing units in the local tax

 

collecting unit, excluding any mills that would have been levied

 

under all of the following:

 

     (i) Section 1211 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL

 

380.1211.

 

     (ii) The state education tax act, 1993 PA 331, MCL 211.901 to

 

211.906.

 

     (4) All payments under subsection (3) shall be forwarded to

 

the local tax collecting unit by December 15 each year. The

 

department of treasury may require that the local tax collecting

 


units receive payments under this section through electronic funds

 

transfer.

 

     (5) The local tax collecting unit shall distribute the amount

 

received under subsection (4) in the same manner and in the same

 

proportions as general ad valorem taxes collected under this act,

 

excluding any distribution that would have been made under section

 

1211 of the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1211, and the

 

state education tax act, 1993 PA 331, MCL 211.901 to 211.906.

 

     (6) The state treasurer shall estimate the amount necessary to

 

meet the expense of administering the provisions of this section in

 

each year, and the legislature shall appropriate an amount

 

sufficient to meet that expense in each year. If insufficient funds

 

are appropriated to fully pay all payments, the department of

 

treasury shall prorate the payments made under this section.

 

     (7) Property that is used for occupancy or use solely by

 

elderly or disabled families that is eligible for exemption under

 

this section is not subject to forfeiture, foreclosure, and sale

 

for taxes returned as delinquent under this act for any year in

 

which the property was exempt under this section.

 

     (8) The department of treasury has standing to appeal the

 

assessed value, taxable value, state equalized valuation, exempt

 

status, classification, and all other issues concerning tax

 

liability for property exempt under this section in the Michigan

 

tax tribunal and all courts of this state.

 

     (9) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Disabled person" means a person with disabilities.

 

     (b) "Elderly or disabled families" means families consisting

 


of 2 or more persons if the head of the household, or his or her

 

spouse, is 62 years of age or over or is a disabled person, and

 

includes a single person who is 62 years of age or over or is a

 

disabled person.

 

     (c) "Elderly person" means that term as defined in section 202

 

of title II of the housing act of 1959, Public Law 86-372, 12 USC

 

1701q.

 

     (d) "Housing" means new or rehabilitated structures with 8 or

 

more residential units in 1 or more of the structures for occupancy

 

and use by elderly or disabled persons, including essential

 

contiguous land and related facilities as well as all personal

 

property of the corporation, association, or limited dividend

 

housing corporation used in connection with the facilities.

 

     (e) "Limited dividend housing corporation" means a corporation

 

incorporated or qualified under the laws of this state and chapter

 

6 of the state housing development authority act of 1966, 1966 PA

 

346, MCL 125.1481 to 125.1486, or a limited dividend housing

 

association organized and qualified under chapter 7 of the state

 

housing development authority act of 1966, 1966 PA 346, MCL

 

125.1491 to 125.1496, that will rehabilitate and own a housing

 

facility or project previously qualified, built, or financed under

 

section 202 of title II of the housing act of 1959, Public Law 86-

 

372, 12 USC 1701q, section 236 of title II of the national housing

 

act, chapter 847, 82 Stat. 498, 12 USC 1715z-1, or section 811 of

 

subtitle B of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez national

 

affordable housing act, Public Law 101-625, 42 USC 8013.

 

     (f) "New construction" means that term as defined in section

 


34d.

 

     (g) "Nonprofit corporation or association" means a nonprofit

 

corporation or association incorporated under the laws of this

 

state not otherwise exempt from the collection of taxes under this

 

act, operating a housing facility or project qualified, built, or

 

financed under section 202 of title II of the housing act of 1959,

 

Public Law 86-372, 12 USC 1701q, section 236 of title II of the

 

national housing act, chapter 847, 82 Stat. 498, 12 USC 1715z-1, or

 

section 811 of subtitle B of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez

 

national affordable housing act, Public Law 101-625, 42 USC 8013.

 

     (h) "Person with disabilities" means that term as defined in

 

section 811 of subtitle B of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez

 

national affordable housing act, Public Law 101-625, 42 USC 8013.

 

     (i) "Residential units" includes 1-bedroom units licensed

 

under the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218,

 

MCL 400.701 to 400.737, for persons who share dining, living, and

 

bathroom facilities and who have a mental illness, developmental

 

disability, or a physical disability, as those terms are defined in

 

the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL

 

400.701 to 400.737, or individual self-contained dwellings in an

 

unlicensed facility. At the time of construction or rehabilitation,

 

both self-contained dwellings and 1-bedroom units must be financed

 

either under section 202 of title II of the housing act of 1959,

 

Public Law 86-372, 12 USC 1701q, or under section 811 of subtitle B

 

of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez national affordable housing

 

act, Public Law 101-625, 42 USC 8013.