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Property Tax Changes in the “Jobs Bill”. Judy Richardson Vice President 602.794.4012 jrichardson@syllc.com. The “Jobs Bill” (Laws 2011, 2 nd Special Session, Chapter 1).
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Property Tax Changes in the “Jobs Bill” Judy Richardson Vice President 602.794.4012 jrichardson@syllc.com
The “Jobs Bill”(Laws 2011, 2nd Special Session, Chapter 1) • This omnibus bill reduces business taxes and is intended to facilitate economic growth and encourage the creation of quality jobs • It contains two components directly affecting school districts: • Assessment ratio reductions (again) • Additional state aid (homeowner’s rebate) changes (again)
Assessment Ratio Reductions • Class 1 (commercial and industrial property) is currently assessed at 21% and will reduce to 20% in FY 2012 as required by priorlegislation. • The Jobs Bill further reduces the Class 1 assessment ratio as follows: • FY 2013 – 20% • FY 2014 – 19.5% • FY 2015 – 19% • FY 2016 – 18.5% • FY 2017 and thereafter – 18%
Assessment Ratio Reductions • It also reduces the assessment ratio for Class 2 (agricultural property and vacant land) from 16% to 15%, beginning in FY 2017 • Lower assessment ratios mean lower assessed valuation • (Property value x assessment ratio = assessed value) • Total district assessed valuation determines bond limits and tax rates
Impact on School Districts • Assessed valuation has already declined because of decreasing property values • Although ratio reductions are delayed, the Jobs Bill makes a bad situation worse • There may be offsetting increases in assessed valuation due to an improved economy, which may or may not be caused by the bill
Impact on Bond Limits • Districts with larger proportions of Class 1 and Class 2 property will see a greater impact • When fully phased in, maximum SAV and bond limit impact is about 10% decrease overwhat it otherwise would have been • (Other factors will also affect the final assessed valuation in FY 2017) • This decrease can be a problem for districts that are close to or over their bond limit
Impact on Secondary Property Tax Rates • Secondary tax rates will be higher thanthey otherwise would have been • The tax impact will be gradual as the new ratios phase in • Class 1 properties will pay lower taxes because their lower assessed value will more than offset the tax rate increases • Other classes of property will pay highertaxes because of higher tax rates
Impact on Secondary Property Tax Rates • Class 2 properties will pay higher taxes until 2017 when their ratio reduction becomes effective • Thus, the bill shifts the tax burden from Class 1 and eventually Class 2 to other classes of property (primarily residential property).
Impact on PrimaryProperty Tax Rates • Primary property tax rates will be affected the same as secondary tax rates • To counteract this, the bill: • increases the homeowner’s rebate for FY 2014 through FY 2017 • by the amount needed to offsetthe effect of assessment ratio changes • on primaryproperty tax rates • on a statewide basis (calculated by DOR)
Impact on PrimaryProperty Tax Rates • The increased rebate will then continue at the FY 2017 level. • Because school districts vary a lot, the statewide homeowner’s rebate increase • will be more than enough to offset the primary tax impact for districts with low proportions of Class 1 and Class 2 property • and not enough for those with high proportions of these property classes
Impact on PrimaryProperty Tax Rates • The homeowner’s rebate does not reduce the school district’s taxes on the tax bill • it is shown as a subtraction at the end • so your district will still get blamed for any tax increases
Other Rebate Changes • The bill also: • Beginning in FY 2012, limits Class 3(owner-occupied residential) property to primary residences (eliminates second homes from the homeowner’s rebate) • Reclassifies all other residential property as Class 4 • Beginning in 2012, requires homeowners to submit affidavits every other year to qualify for the rebate • These changes are expected to partially cover the cost of the increased rebate
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