SENATE BILL 654

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

John Arthur Smith

AN ACT

RELATING TO TAXATION; ELIMINATING A REQUIREMENT THAT THE VALUE OF ITEMS OF PROPERTY SUBJECT TO DEPRECIATION NEVER BE LESS THAN TWELVE AND ONE-HALF PERCENT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 7-36-33 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1975, Chapter 165, Section 14, as amended) is amended to read:

     "7-36-33. SPECIAL METHOD OF VALUATION--CERTAIN INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL PERSONAL PROPERTY.--

          A. The following kinds of property shall be valued for property taxation purposes in accordance with the provisions of this section:

                (1) all property used in connection with mineral property and defined in Paragraph (1) of Subsection B of Section 7-36-23 NMSA 1978 and Paragraph (1) of Subsection B of Section 7-36-25 NMSA 1978;

                (2) all industrial, manufacturing, construction and commercial machinery, equipment, furniture, materials and supplies subject to valuation for property taxation purposes and not subject to valuation under the provisions of Sections 7-36-22 through 7-36-32 NMSA 1978;

                (3) all other business personal property subject to valuation for property taxation purposes and not subject to valuation under the provisions of Sections 7-36-22 through 7-36-32 NMSA 1978; and

                (4) construction work in progress that includes any of the items of property specified in Paragraphs (1), (2) [or] and (3) of this subsection.

          B. As used in this section:

                (1) "depreciation" means the straight line method of computing the depreciation allowance over the useful life of the item of property;

                (2) "useful life of the item of property" means the "class life" for same or similar kinds of property as defined and used in Section 167 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended or renumbered;

                (3) "other justifiable factors" includes, but is not limited to, functional and economic obsolescence;

                (4) "schedule value" means a fixed value of an individual property unit within a mass of similar or like units established by determining the average unit tangible property cost of a substantial sample of such property and deducting therefrom an average related accumulated provision for depreciation per unit and an average of other justifiable factors per unit;

                (5) "tangible property cost" means the actual cost of acquisition or construction of property, including additions, retirements, adjustments and transfers, but without deduction of related accumulated provision for depreciation, amortization or other purposes; and

                (6) "construction work in progress" means the total of the balance of work orders for property in process of construction on the last day of the preceding calendar year but does not include the equipment, machinery or devices used or available to construct such property but not incorporated therein.

          C. The value of individual items of property subject to valuation under this section, except construction work in progress, shall be determined as follows:

                (1) the valuation authority shall first establish the tangible property cost of each item of property; and

                (2) from the tangible property cost shall be deducted the related accumulated provision for depreciation and any other justifiable factors [and

                (3) notwithstanding the foregoing determination of value for property taxation purposes, the value for property taxation purposes of each item of property valued under this subsection shall never be less than twelve and one-half percent of the tangible property cost of such item of property so long as the property is used and useful in a business activity].

          D. Construction work in progress shall be valued at fifty percent of the actual amounts expended and entered upon the accounting records of the taxpayer as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year as construction work in progress.

          E. The [division] department may establish a schedule value for the same or similar kinds of property to be valued under Subsection C of this section for property taxation purposes. In arriving at a schedule value, the [division] department shall:

                (1) determine the average unit tangible property cost of a substantial sample of the same or similar kinds of property;

                (2) such unit average tangible property cost shall then be reduced by the average related accumulated provision for depreciation per unit applicable to the sample of the same or similar kinds of property and shall then be further reduced by an average of other justifiable factors per unit applicable to the same or similar kinds of property; and

                (3) from the foregoing determination, a schedule value for the same or similar kinds of property shall be determined and set forth in a regulation [adopted pursuant to Section 7-38-88 NMSA 1978].

          F. The [division] department shall adopt a schedule value for the following kinds of property:

                (1) drilling rigs; and

                (2) large off-the-road highway construction equipment.

          G. Each item of property having a taxable situs in the state and valued under this section shall have its net taxable value allocated to the governmental unit in which the property is located.

          H. The [division] department shall adopt regulations [under Section 7-38-88 NMSA 1978] to implement the provisions of this section."

     SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is January 1, 2016.

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