LAC 61:V.3105 — Practice and Procedure for Public Service Properties Hearings

A. The Tax Commission or its designated representative, as provided by law, shall conduct hearings to consider the written protest of an applicant taxpayer. The appeal shall be filed within 30 days after receipt of the public service section's certificate of value. In order to institute a proceeding before the commission, the taxpayer shall file Form 3105.A and, if applicable Form 3103.B.
B.1. All filings to the Louisiana Tax Commission shall be filed, in proper form, consisting of an original and seven copies on letter size paper, with the Office of the Administrator. All appeals and filings shall be deemed filed when deposited with the United States Postal Service and can be evidenced by proof of mailing by registered or certified mail.
2. The Office of the Administrator shall be sent one “service copy” of all State Court, Federal Court, Appellate Court, and/or Supreme Court pleadings in which the LTC is named party in addition to Special Counsel for the LTC.
C. At the close of the time period for filing protests, the commission shall assign each case to the docket and notify the parties of the time and place of the hearing.
D. Thirty days prior to said hearings, the protesting taxpayer shall file a signed, pleading, specifying each respect in which the initial determination is contested, setting forth the specific basis upon which the protest is filed, together with a statement of the relief sought and seven copies of all hearing exhibits to be presented; which shall be marked "Exhibit Taxpayer_____" and shall be consecutively numbered, indexed and bound. Legal memorandum submitted by the parties will be made part of the record of proceedings before the commission, but shall not be filed as exhibits to be offered into evidence for the hearing before the commission.
E. Every taxpayer, witness, attorney or other representative shall conduct themselves in all proceedings with proper dignity, courtesy and respect for the hearing officer or the commission, and all other parties. Disorderly conduct will not be tolerated. Attorneys shall observe and practice the standards of ethical behavior prescribed for attorneys at law by the Louisiana Bar Association. Any taxpayer, witness, attorney or other representative may be excluded by the hearing officer or the commission of any hearing for such a period and upon such conditions as are just for violation of this rule.
F. Upon written notice by the commission, the parties and/or their attorneys or other representatives may be directed to meet and confer together by telephone or otherwise, prior to the hearings and/or prior to the setting of a date for a hearing, for the purpose of formulating issues and considering:
1. simplification of issues;
2. a limitation, where possible, of the number of witnesses;
3. possible consolidation of like protests;
4. the time required for presentations;
5. stipulations as to admissibility of exhibits;
6. submission of proposed findings of fact;
7. such other matters as may aid in the simplification of the proceedings and the disposition of the matters in controversy.
G. Actions requested and agreed upon at the conference shall be recorded in an appropriate statement by the taxpayer and filed with the commission seven days prior to the hearing. In the event of a disagreement over any item discussed at the conference, the statement filed with the commission shall state the specific item as to which there is a disagreement, together with a brief summary of the nature of the disagreement.
H. A motion for consolidation of two or more protests, if made prior to hearing, shall be in writing, signed by the mover, his attorney or representative, and filed with the commission prior to the date set for the hearing. No two or more protests shall be consolidated or heard jointly without the consent of the taxpayer and by consent of the commission, unless the commission shall find that the two or more protest involve common questions of law and fact, and shall further find that separate hearings would result in unwarranted expenses, delays or substantial injustice.
I. All hearings shall be open to the public. All hearings shall be held in Baton Rouge, LA, unless the commission shall designate another place of hearing.
J. Hearings may be conducted by a hearing officer selected and appointed by the commission. The hearing officer shall have the authority to administer oaths, may examine witnesses and rule upon the admissibility of evidence and amendments to pleadings. The hearing officer shall have the authority to recess any hearing from day to day.
K. The hearing officer shall have the responsibility and duty of assimilating testimony and evidence, compiling a written summary of the testimony and evidence, and presenting a proposed order to the commission. The proposed order shall be served upon the protesting taxpayer by mailing of the notice of final decision by the commission.
L. The commission or hearing officer shall direct the taxpayer to enter their appearance on the record. In all proceedings, the protesting taxpayer shall open with a statement and/or argument. After the protesting taxpayer has presented all its evidence, the commission or hearing officer may call upon any witness or the staff of the commission for further material or relevant evidence upon any issue.
M. Upon written notice by the commission the parties or their attorneys, or other representative, may be directed to file legal memorandums with the commission seven days prior to the hearing. The legal memorandum shall address in a concise manner the legal issues presented in the appeal to the commission together with a statement of any legal authority supporting the party's position.
N. Any evidence which would be admissible under the Louisiana Rules of Evidence shall be deemed admissible by the commission. The Louisiana Rules of Evidence shall be applied liberally in any proceeding before the commission. Either party may object to evidence not previously disclosed by the opposing party. The commission may exclude evidence, which is deemed by the commission to be incompetent, immaterial or unduly repetitious.
O. Any party, with leave of the commission or hearing officer, may present prepared sworn deposition testimony of a witness, either narrative or in question and answer form, which shall be incorporated into the record as if read by the witness. The opposing party will be allowed to cross-examine the witness and/or submit any sworn testimony given by the witness in the deposition. Seven copies of the prepared deposition testimony shall be filed with the commission.
P. The commission or hearing officer shall have the right in any proceeding to limit the number of witnesses whose testimony is merely cumulative.
Q. Subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses or for the production of books, papers, accounts or documents at a hearing, may be issued by the commission upon its own motion, or upon the written request of the taxpayer. No subpoenas shall be issued until the taxpayer who wishes to subpoena the witness first deposits with the agency a sum of money sufficient to pay all fees and expenses to which a witness in a civil case is entitled pursuant to R.S. 13:3661 and R.S. 13:3671. Any subpoena duces tecum shall allow no less than five days to assimilate and to deliver said documents subpoenaed by the subpoena recipient. The form of subpoena attached hereto as Form SUBP.T-2 (found on the Tax Commission’s website under General Forms), or a reasonable variation thereof, shall be filled out and presented with the subpoena request. Service of the subpoena may be accomplished by any of the methods prescribed by the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act.
R. The parties to an appeal shall be notified in writing by certified mail of the final decision of the commission. The taxpayer shall have 30 days from receipt of the Order to appeal to a court of competent jurisdiction.
S. The word commission as used herein refers to the chairman and the members or its delegate appointed to conduct the hearings.
Taxpayer Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Circle one Industry:
Airline Boat/Barge Co-op Electric Pipeline Railcar Railroad Telephone
The Fair Market Value as determined by the Public Service Section of the Louisiana Tax Commission is:
Total $ _________________________
I am requesting that the Fair Market Value be fixed at:
Total $ _________________________
I understand that property is assessed at a percentage of fair market value which means the price for the property which would be agreed upon between a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller under usual and ordinary circumstances, the highest price the property would bring on the open market if exposed for sale for a reasonable time.
___________________________________________________
Applicant:
Address:_____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Telephone No.:________________________________________
Email Address: _______________________________________