COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 265
(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Caruth,
By Request of the Executive)
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[Originating in the Committee on Finance;
reported February 19, 2008.]
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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new article, designated §11-6H-1, §11-6H-2,
§11-6H-3, §11-6H-4, §11-6H-4a, §11-6H-5, §11-6H-5a, §11-6H-6
and §11-6H-7, all relating to the method of valuation of
certain aircraft; providing definitions; providing methodology
for valuation of certain aircraft; stating that the initial
determination of valuation is to be made by the county
assessor; providing for an initial determination by the Board
of Public Works for certain aircraft; authorizing the protest
and appeal of the assessor's decision; providing for an appeal
to the Board of Public Works; requiring an economic report on
the economic benefit of the valuation methodology; and
providing an effective date.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new article, designated §11-6H-1, §11-6H-2,
§11-6H-3, §11-6H-4, §11-6H-4a, §11-6H-5, §11-6H-5a, §11-6H-6 and
§11-6H-7, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6H. VALUATION OF SPECIAL AIRCRAFT PROPERTY.
§11-6H-1. Short title.
This article shall be known and cited as the Special Aircraft
Property Valuation Act.
§11-6H-2. Definitions.
(a) When used in this article, terms defined in subsection (b)
of this section have the meanings ascribed to them by this section,
unless a different meaning is clearly required by the context in
which the term is used.
(b)
Terms defined. --
(1) "Aircraft" means a weight-carrying structure for
navigation of the air that is supported by the dynamic action of
the air against its surfaces and includes, but is not limited to,
an airplane or helicopter. For the purposes of this article, the
term "aircraft" does not include dirigibles, balloons, kites,
rockets, gliders, ornithopters, fan wing vehicles, autogyros and
powered lift vehicles other than helicopters.
(2) "Airplane" means a fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air
that is driven by a propeller or by jet, turbojet, turbofan, ram
jet, pulse jet, scramjet or rocket engine and supported by the dynamic reaction of air against its wings.
(3) "Commercial airline" means an air transportation system
used to transport people and tangible personal property for profit
and includes carriers that operate with fixed routes and flight
schedules as well as charter carriers.
(4) "Helicopter" means an aircraft whose support in the air is
derived chiefly from the aerodynamic forces acting on one or more
rotors turning about on substantially vertical axes.
(5) "Private carrier" means any firm, partnership, joint
venture, joint stock company, any public or private corporation,
cooperative, trust, business trust or any other group or
combination acting as a unit that is engaged in a primary business
other than commercial air transportation that operates an aircraft
for the transportation of employees or others for business
purposes.
(6) "Salvage value" means the lower of fair market salvage
value or five percent of the original cost of the property.
(7) "Special aircraft property" means all aircraft owned or
leased by commercial airlines or private carriers.
§11-6H-3. Valuation of special aircraft property.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the
contrary, the value of special aircraft property, for the purpose
of ad valorem property taxation under this chapter and under
article X of the Constitution of the State of West Virginia, shall be its salvage value.
§11-6H-4. Initial determination by county assessor.
The assessor of the county in which a specific item of
property is located shall determine, in writing, whether that
specific item of property is special aircraft property subject to
valuation in accordance with this article. Upon making a
determination that a taxpayer has special aircraft property, the
county assessor shall notify the Tax Commissioner of that
determination and shall provide information as the Tax Commissioner
requires relating to that determination.
§11-6H-4a. Initial determination by the Board of Public Works.
For special aircraft property subject to assessment by the
Board of Public Works as provided for in article six of this
chapter, the board shall determine, in writing, whether that
specific item of property is special aircraft property subject to
valuation in accordance with this article. Upon making a
determination that a taxpayer has special aircraft property, the
Board of Public Works shall notify the Tax Commissioner of that
determination and shall provide information as the Tax Commissioner
requires relating to that determination.
§11-6H-5. Protest and appeal.
At any time after the property is returned for taxation, but
prior to the first day of January of the assessment year, any
taxpayer may apply to the county assessor for information regarding the issue of whether any particular item or items of property
constitute special aircraft property under this article which is
subject to valuation in accordance with this article. If the
taxpayer believes that some portion of the taxpayer's property is
subject to the provisions of this article, the taxpayer may file
objections in writing with the county assessor. The county
assessor shall decide the matter by either sustaining the protest
and making proper corrections or by stating, in writing if
requested, the reasons for the county assessor's refusal. The
county assessor may, and if the taxpayer requests, the county
assessor shall, before the first day of January of the assessment
year, certify the question to the Tax Commissioner in a statement
sworn to by both parties, or if the parties are unable to agree, in
separate sworn statements. The sworn statement or statements shall
contain a full description of the property and its uses and any
other information the Tax Commissioner requires.
The Tax Commissioner shall, as soon as possible upon receipt
of the question, but in no case later than the twenty-eighth day of
February of the assessment year, instruct the county assessor as to
how the property shall be treated. The instructions issued and
forwarded by mail to the county assessor are binding upon the
county assessor, but either the county assessor or the taxpayer may
apply to the circuit court of the county for review of the question
of the applicability of this article to the property in the same fashion as is provided for appeals from the county commission in
section twenty-five, article three of this chapter. The Tax
Commissioner shall prescribe forms on which the questions under
this section shall be certified and the Tax Commissioner has the
authority to pursue any inquiry and procure any information which
may be necessary for disposition of the matter.
§11-6H-5a. Protest and appeal to the Board of Public Works.
At any time after the property is returned for taxation, but
prior to the first day of January of the assessment year, any
public service business taxpayer may apply to the Board of Public
Works for information regarding the issue of whether any particular
item or items of property constitute special aircraft property
under this article which is subject to valuation in accordance with
this article. If the taxpayer believes that some portion of the
taxpayer's property is subject to the provisions of this article,
the taxpayer may file objections in writing with the board. The
board shall decide the matter by either sustaining the protest and
making proper corrections, or by stating, in writing if requested,
the reasons for the board's refusal.
Any taxpayer claiming to be aggrieved by any decision may
apply by petition in writing, duly verified, to the circuit court
of the county in which the property is situated, or if the property
be situated in more than one county then in the county in which the
largest assessment of the owner or operator was made in the next preceding year, for an appeal from the assessment and valuation
made of all property, in the same fashion as is provided for
appeals from the board in section twelve, article six of this
chapter.
§11-6H-6. Report on economic benefit.
The West Virginia Aeronautics Commission shall provide to the
Joint Committee on Government and Finance by the first day of
March, two thousand twelve, and on the first day of March of each
of the two subsequent years, a report detailing the economic
benefit of the valuation method specified in this article. The
report is to include the number of new jobs created, number of
additional aircraft relocated to West Virginia, number of new
hangars built and the ad valorem property tax impact.
§11-6H-7. Effective date.
This article shall be effective for assessment years
commencing on and after the first day of July, two thousand nine.