See other bills
under the
same topic
                                 SENATE AMENDED
        PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1046, 2777               PRINTER'S NO. 4164

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 927 Session of 2001


        INTRODUCED BY PHILLIPS, BELFANTI, GEIST, ALLEN, BARD,
           CALTAGIRONE, CLARK, J. EVANS, FAIRCHILD, FORCIER, GEORGE,
           GODSHALL, HORSEY, R. MILLER, MUNDY, ROHRER, WANSACZ, WILT,
           SAYLOR, YOUNGBLOOD, HENNESSEY, CAPPELLI AND TURZAI,
           MARCH 13, 2001

        SENATOR THOMPSON, APPROPRIATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-REPORTED AS
           AMENDED, JUNE 27, 2002

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of May 22, 1933 (P.L.853, No.155), entitled "An
     2     act relating to taxation; designating the subjects, property
     3     and persons subject to and exempt from taxation for all local
     4     purposes; providing for and regulating the assessment and
     5     valuation of persons, property and subjects of taxation for
     6     county purposes, and for the use of those municipal and
     7     quasi-municipal corporations which levy their taxes on county
     8     assessments and valuations; amending, revising and
     9     consolidating the law relating thereto; and repealing
    10     existing laws," further providing for subjects of taxation
    11     enumerated; PROVIDING FOR A LIMITATION ON CERTAIN TAXATION;    <--
    12     AND PROHIBITING THE IMPOSITION OF CERTAIN TAXES.

    13     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    14  hereby enacts as follows:
    15     Section 1.  Section 201(a) of the act of May 22, 1933
    16  (P.L.853, No.155), known as The General County Assessment Law,
    17  amended October 11, 1984 (P.L.866, No. 167), is amended to read:
    18     Section 201.  Subjects of Taxation Enumerated.--The following
    19  subjects and property shall, as hereinafter provided, be valued
    20  and assessed, and subject to taxation for all county, city,


     1  borough, town, township, school and poor purposes at the annual
     2  rate:
     3     (a)  All real estate, to wit: Houses, house trailers and
     4  mobilehomes buildings permanently attached to land or connected
     5  with water, gas, electric or sewage facilities, buildings,
     6  lands, lots of ground and ground rents, trailer parks and
     7  parking lots, mills and manufactories of all kinds, furnaces,
     8  forges, bloomeries, distilleries, sugar houses, malt houses,
     9  breweries, tan yards, fisheries, and ferries, wharves, all
    10  office type construction of whatever kind, that portion of a
    11  steel, lead, aluminum or like melting and continuous casting
    12  structures which enclose, provide shelter or protection from the
    13  elements for the various machinery, tools, appliances,
    14  equipment, materials or products involved in the mill, mine,
    15  manufactory or industrial process, and all other real estate not
    16  exempt by law from taxation. Machinery, tools, appliances and
    17  other equipment contained in any mill, mine, manufactory or
    18  industrial establishment shall not be considered or included as
    19  a part of the real estate in determining the value of such mill,
    20  mine, manufactory or industrial establishment. No office type
    21  construction of whatever kind shall be excluded from taxation
    22  but shall be considered a part of real property subject to
    23  taxation. That portion of a steel, lead, aluminum or like
    24  melting and continuous casting structure which encloses,
    25  provides shelter or protection from the elements for the various
    26  machinery, tools, appliances, equipment, materials or products
    27  involved in the mill, mine, manufactory or industrial process
    28  shall be considered as part of real property subject to
    29  taxation. No silo used predominantly for processing or storage
    30  of animal feed incidental to operation of the farm on which it
    20010H0927B4164                  - 2 -

     1  is located, no free-standing detachable grain bin or corn crib
     2  used exclusively for processing or storage of animal feed
     3  incidental to the operation of the farm on which it is located
     4  and no in-ground and above-ground structures and containments
     5  used predominantly for processing and storage of animal waste
     6  and composting facilities incidental to operation of the farm on
     7  which the structures and containments are located, shall be
     8  included in determining the value of real estate used
     9  predominantly as a farm: Provided, That for the tax or fiscal
    10  year beginning on or after the first day of January, one
    11  thousand nine hundred fifty-eight, eighty per centum of the
    12  assessed value of any such machinery, tools, appliances and
    13  other equipment located in counties of the second class as well
    14  as in all cities of the third class, boroughs, townships, school
    15  districts of the second, third and fourth class, and
    16  institutional districts in counties of the second class, shall
    17  be considered and included in determining the value of such
    18  mill, mine, manufactory or industrial establishment: Provided
    19  further, That for the tax or fiscal year beginning on or after
    20  the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred fifty-nine,
    21  sixty per centum of the assessed value of any such machinery,
    22  tools, appliances and other equipment located in said political
    23  subdivisions, shall be considered and included in determining
    24  the value of such mill, mine, manufactory or industrial
    25  establishment: Provided further, That for the tax or fiscal year
    26  beginning on or after the first day of January, one thousand
    27  nine hundred sixty, forty per centum of the assessed value of
    28  any such machinery, tools, appliances and other equipment
    29  located in said political subdivisions, shall be considered and
    30  included in determining the value of such mill, mine,
    20010H0927B4164                  - 3 -

     1  manufactory or industrial establishment: Provided further, That
     2  for the tax or fiscal year beginning on or after the first day
     3  of January, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, twenty per
     4  centum of the assessed value of any such machinery, tools,
     5  appliances and other equipment located in said political
     6  subdivisions, shall be considered and included in determining
     7  the value of such mill, mine, manufactory or industrial
     8  establishment: Provided further, That for the tax or fiscal
     9  years beginning on or after the first day of January, one
    10  thousand nine hundred sixty-two, no portion of the value of any
    11  such machinery, tools, appliances and other equipment regardless
    12  of where located, shall be considered and included in
    13  determining the value of such mill, mine, manufactory or
    14  industrial establishment: Provided further, That nothing
    15  contained in this section of this act shall be construed as an
    16  intent to provide for the valuing and assessing and subjecting
    17  to taxation for purposes of any city of the second class or any
    18  school district of the first class A any such machinery, tools,
    19  appliances and other equipment: And provided further, That such
    20  exclusion of silos used predominantly for processing or storage
    21  of animal feed incidental to operation of the farm on which the
    22  silo is located shall be included in determining the value of
    23  real estate used predominantly as a farm shall become effective
    24  for taxes to be levied for the tax or fiscal year beginning on
    25  or after the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred
    26  seventy-four: And provided further, That such exclusion of free-
    27  standing detachable grain bins and corn cribs used exclusively
    28  for processing or storage of animal feed incidental to operation
    29  of the farm on which the grain bin or corn crib is located shall
    30  become effective in determining the value of real estate used
    20010H0927B4164                  - 4 -

     1  predominantly as a farm for taxes to be levied for the tax or
     2  fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January, one
     3  thousand nine hundred eighty-five. No amusement park rides shall
     4  be assessed or taxed as real estate regardless of whether they
     5  have become affixed to the real estate.
     6     * * *
     7     SECTION 2.  THE ACT IS AMENDED BY ADDING SECTIONS TO READ:     <--
     8     SECTION 203.2.  LIMITATION ON RATES OF SPECIFIC TAXES.--NO
     9  TAXES LEVIED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT OR 53 PA.C.S. §
    10  8402(C) (RELATING TO SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS) SHALL BE LEVIED BY
    11  ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION ON ADMISSIONS TO AUTOMOBILE RACING
    12  FACILITIES WITH A SEATING CAPACITY OF OVER TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND
    13  AND A CONTINUOUS RACE AREA OF ONE MILE OR MORE IN EXCESS OF THE
    14  PER CENTUM COLLECTED AS OF JANUARY 1, 2002. THE TAX BASE UPON
    15  WHICH THE TAX SHALL BE LEVIED SHALL NOT EXCEED FORTY PER CENTUM
    16  OF THE COST OF ADMISSION TO AN AUTOMOBILE RACING FACILITY.
    17     SECTION 203.3.  PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN LEVIES.--
    18  NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT, THE ACT OF DECEMBER
    19  31, 1965 (P.L.1257, NO.511), KNOWN AS "THE LOCAL TAX ENABLING
    20  ACT," OR 53 PA.C.S. § 8402(C) (RELATING TO SCOPE AND
    21  LIMITATIONS), NO POLITICAL SUBDIVISION SHALL LEVY, ASSESS OR
    22  COLLECT A TAX ON ADMISSIONS TO SKI FACILITIES AFTER DECEMBER 1,
    23  2002.
    24     SECTION 3.  ALL ACTS AND PARTS OF ACTS ARE REPEALED INSOFAR
    25  AS THEY ARE INCONSISTENT WITH THIS ACT.
    26     Section 2 4.  This act shall apply to valuation for taxes      <--
    27  levied for the calendar year or fiscal year beginning on or
    28  after January 1, 2001 2002.                                       <--
    29     Section 3 5.  This act shall take effect immediately.          <--

    A9L53DMS/20010H0927B4164         - 5 -