New legislation to eliminate the late filing barrier to Michigan’s $576 million Personal Property Tax (PPT) tax cut by allowing applicants to file late forms directly with the local March board of review passed the Senate unanimously, 37-0, on 10/11/17. The legislation also requires local assessors to accept applications that are postmarked by the annual February 20 deadline.

Senate Bill 570 (S-1) (Senator Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell) would amend the General Property Tax Act to:

• Allow a late application to be filed directly with the March board of review before it adjourned, if a combined document were not filed on time
• Specify that an appeal of a denial by the March board of review could be made by filing a petition with the Michigan Tax Tribunal within 35 days of the denial notice
• Specify that a combined document delivered by the U.S. Postal Service would be timely filed if it were postmarked by the deadline and received by the local assessor at least one week before the March meeting of the board of review began
• Change the February 20 deadline for submitting a combined document for the exemption of qualified new and qualified previously existing eligible manufacturing personal property if February 20 were a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday

“These bills remove barriers for taxpayers to claim the personal property tax exemption supported by the voters of Michigan in the ballot proposal in 2014,” says Mike Johnston, MMA vice president of government affairs. “By empowering the local boards of reviews to approve late applications, more companies will be able claim their portion of the $576 million PPT tax cut we achieved for them.”

MMA applauds Senator Dave Hildebrand, Senator Jack Brandenburg, Senator David Robertson and Senator John Proos for working to address concerns in the PPT exemption filing process. The legislation has been referred to the House Tax Policy Committee where a vote is expected soon.

See the PPT Savings Tool Kit, for forms, deadlines and other resources to get your Personal Property Tax (PPT) savings.

This article was published in the 10/17/17 edition of MFG Voice.

Contact Mike Johnston

Vice President of Government Affairs
Call 517-487-8554
E-mail johnston@mimfg.org