FISCAL
NOTE
WEST virginia Legislature
2017 regular session
By
BY REQUEST
[
to the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance
A BILL to amend the Code
of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated
§19-1-4e, relating to imposing a tax on cattle which is
to be used to help fund the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services
Fund; and creating a special state revenue account to receive the income
generated by the tax and to be administered by the Commissioner of Agriculture.
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 section,
designated §19-1-4e, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
§19-1-4e. Wildlife
services fund; tax on cattle.
After June 30, 2017, it
shall be the duty of the county assessor and his or her deputies of each county
within the state, at the time they are making assessment of the personal
property within such county, to assess and collect an assessment of 50¢ on each head of cattle in this state.
The income derived from
this tax shall be deposited into a special revenue account within the State
Treasury to be known as the “Wildlife Services Fund” which is hereby created.
The money in the Wildlife Services Fund shall be used by the commissioner
solely to enter into a cooperative service agreement with the United States
Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
and Wildlife Services (WS) to expand the Coyote Control Program statewide.
Any person who does not
pay this assessment is not eligible for the services provide by this
cooperative agreement.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to impose a tax on cattle which is to be use to help fund the U. S. Department
of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Fund used to kill coyotes.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.