House Bill 2297

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2297

        By Representative Morroni






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to ad valorem tax

  3         administration; amending s. 197.182, F.S.;

  4         extending the time limitation on a claim for

  5         refund of an overpayment of tax; amending ss.

  6         197.432 and 197.443, F.S., to conform;

  7         providing a finding of important state

  8         interest; providing an effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of

13  section 197.182, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

14         197.182  Department of Revenue to pass upon and order

15  refunds.--

16         (1)

17         (b)  Those refunds that have been ordered by a court

18  and those refunds that do not result from changes made in the

19  assessed value on a tax roll certified to the tax collector

20  shall be made directly by the tax collector without order from

21  the department and shall be made from undistributed funds

22  without approval of the various taxing authorities.

23  Overpayments in the amount of $5 or less may be retained by

24  the tax collector unless a written claim for a refund is

25  received from the taxpayer. Overpayments over $5 resulting

26  from taxpayer error, if determined within the 7-year 4-year

27  period of limitation, are to be automatically refunded to the

28  taxpayer. Such refunds do not require approval from the

29  department.

30         (c)  Claims for refunds shall be made in accordance

31  with the rules of the department.  No refund shall be granted

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2297

    536-173-00






  1  unless claim is made therefor within 7 4 years of January 1 of

  2  the tax year for which the taxes were paid.

  3         Section 2.  Subsection (10) of section 197.432, Florida

  4  Statutes, is amended to read:

  5         197.432  Sale of tax certificates for unpaid taxes.--

  6         (10)  Any tax certificates issued pursuant to this

  7  section after January 1, 1977, which are void due to an error

  8  of the property appraiser, the tax collector, any other county

  9  official, or any municipal official and which are subsequently

10  canceled, or which are corrected, pursuant to this chapter or

11  chapter 196 shall earn interest at the rate of 8 percent per

12  year, simple interest, or the rate of interest bid at the tax

13  certificate sale, whichever is less, calculated from the date

14  the certificate was purchased until the date the refund is

15  ordered.  Refunds made on tax certificates that are corrected

16  or void shall be processed in accordance with the procedure

17  set forth in s. 197.182, except that the 7-year 4-year time

18  period provided for in s. 197.182(1)(c) does not apply to or

19  bar refunds resulting from correction or cancellation of

20  certificates and release of tax deeds as authorized herein.

21         Section 3.  Subsection (4) of section 197.443, Florida

22  Statutes, is amended to read:

23         197.443  Cancellation of void tax certificates;

24  correction of tax certificates; procedure.--

25         (4)  The refund shall be made in accordance with the

26  procedure set forth in s. 197.182, except that the 7-year

27  4-year time period provided for in s. 197.182(1)(c) does not

28  apply to or bar refunds resulting from correction or

29  cancellation of certificates and release of tax deeds as

30  authorized herein.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2297

    536-173-00






  1         Section 4.  Pursuant to s. 18, Art. VII of the State

  2  Constitution, the Legislature finds that this act fulfills an

  3  important state interest.

  4         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  5  law.

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  8                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Extends the time limitation on a claim for refund of an
10    overpayment of ad valorem taxes from 4 years to 7 years.

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