H. B. 3031
(By Delegate Guthrie)
[Introduced February 13, 2007; referred to the
Committee on Finance.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §11-12-75a, relating
to imposing an annual tax on land-holdings in excess of one
thousand acres.
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 §11-12-75a, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 12. BUSINESS REGISTRATION TAX.
§11-12-75a. Tax on all large land holdings of more than one
thousand acres of land; federal, state, and family
farmland exempted.
Every land holder holding more than one thousand acres of land
in this state shall pay to the state an annual tax of five hundred
dollars per acre in excess of one thousand acres for the privilege of holding of land in excess to one thousand acres: Provided, That
federal, state, and family-owned farmland consisting of more than
one thousand acres is exempted from this tax. Such land holders
shall, under the hand of the owner or, in the case of corporations
under the hand of the president and seal of the corporation and
attested by the secretary, apply to the Secretary of State for a
certificate authorizing the holding of the number of acres stated
in the application, and pay the tax thereon; and it shall be the
duty of the Secretary of State to issue to the land holder,
corporation or designee a certificate stating that the tax was
paid. If a land holder or corporation fails to comply with the
provisions of this section, it shall be fined not less than
twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars, and pay the tax due
to the state with a penalty of ten percent on the total amount due.
All moneys received by the Secretary of State under the provisions
of this section shall be reported to the Auditor, and paid into the
State General Revenue Fund.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to impose a $500 tax on all
persons holding more than 1000 acres of land, with the exception of
federal, state, and family-owned farms.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.