MCL 211.9n — Qualified previously existing personal property; exemption; combined document; requirements; denial of claim; books and records; fraudulent claim; definitions

(1) Beginning December 31, 2015 and each year thereafter, qualified previously existing personal property for which an exemption has been properly claimed under subsection (2) is exempt from the collection of taxes under this act.
(2) A person shall claim the exemption under this section and section 9m by filing a combined document that includes: the form to claim the exemption under this section and section 9m, a report of the fair market value and year of acquisition by the first owner of qualified previously existing personal property, and for any year before 2023, a statement under section 19. All of the following apply to a claim of the exemption under this section:
(a) The combined document must be in a form and manner prescribed by the department of treasury.
(b) Leasing companies are not eligible to receive the exemption under this section and may not use the combined document prescribed in this section. With respect to personal property that is the subject of a lease agreement, regardless of whether the agreement constitutes a lease for financial or tax purposes, all of the following apply:
(i) If the personal property is eligible manufacturing personal property, the lessee and lessor may elect that the lessee report the leased personal property on the combined document.
(ii) An election made by the lessee and the lessor under this subdivision must be made in a form and manner approved by the department.
(iii) Absent an election, the personal property must be reported by the lessor on the personal property statement unless the exemption for eligible manufacturing personal property is claimed by the lessee on the combined document.
(c) The combined document prescribed in this section must be completed and delivered to the assessor of the township or city in which the qualified previously existing personal property is located by February 20 of each year for any year the exemption is claimed before 2023 and the first year the exemption is claimed in a year after 2022. However, if February 20 of a year is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the delivery deadline for that year is the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. For purposes of a combined document delivered by the United States Postal Service, the delivery is timely if the postmark date is on or before the delivery deadline prescribed in this subdivision. If the combined document prescribed in this section is not timely delivered to the assessor of the township or city, a late application may be filed directly with the March board of review before its final adjournment by submitting the combined document prescribed in this section. The board of review shall not accept a filing after adjournment of its March meeting. An appeal of a denial by the March board of review may be made by filing a petition with the Michigan tax tribunal within 35 days of the denial notice.
(d) The assessor shall transmit to the department of treasury the information contained in the combined document filed under this section, and other parcel information required by the department of treasury and in the manner prescribed by the department of treasury no later than April 1.
(e) Beginning in 2023, an exemption granted under this section remains in effect until the personal property is no longer qualified previously existing personal property. A person claiming an exemption under this section shall rescind the claim of exemption by February 20, or if February 20 of a year is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, of the year in which exempted property is no longer eligible for the exemption by filing with the assessor of the township or city a rescission form prescribed by the department of treasury and the statement required under section 19. Upon receipt of a timely filed rescission form, the local assessor shall immediately remove the exemption. An owner that fails to file a rescission for property later determined to be ineligible for the exemption will be subject to repayment of any additional taxes with interest as described in this subdivision. Upon discovery that the property is no longer eligible manufacturing personal property, the assessor shall remove the exemption of that personal property and, if the tax roll is in the local tax collecting unit's possession, amend the tax roll to reflect the removal of the exemption, and the local treasurer shall within 30 days of the date of the discovery issue a corrected tax bill for any additional taxes with interest at the rate of 1% per month or fraction of a month and penalties computed from the date the taxes were last payable without interest or penalty. If the tax roll is in the county treasurer's possession, the tax roll must be amended to reflect the removal of the exemption and the county treasurer shall within 30 days of the date of the removal prepare and submit a supplemental tax bill for any additional taxes, together with interest at the rate of 1% per month or fraction of a month and penalties computed from the date the taxes were last payable without interest or penalty. Interest on any tax set forth in a corrected or supplemental tax bill again begins to accrue 60 days after the date the corrected or supplemental tax bill is issued at the rate of 1% per month or fraction of a month. Taxes levied in a corrected or supplemental tax bill must be returned as delinquent on the March 1 in the year immediately succeeding the year in which the corrected or supplemental tax bill is issued.
(f) The assessor of the township or city shall annually transmit the rescission forms filed, or the information contained in the rescission forms filed, under this section to the department of treasury in the form and in the manner prescribed by the department of treasury no later than April 1.
(3) If the assessor of the township or city believes that personal property for which the form claiming an exemption is timely filed each year under subsection (2)(c) is not qualified previously existing personal property or the form filed was incomplete, the assessor may deny that claim for exemption by notifying the person that filed the form in writing of the reason for the denial and advising the person that the denial must be appealed to the board of review under section 30 by filing a combined document as prescribed under subsection (2). If the denial is issued after the first meeting of the March board of review that follows the organizational meeting, the appeal of the denial is either to the March board of review or the Michigan tax tribunal by filing a petition and a completed combined document as prescribed under subsection (2), within 35 days of the denial notice. The assessor may deny a claim for exemption under this subsection for the current year only. If the assessor denies a claim for exemption, the assessor shall remove the exemption of that personal property and amend the tax roll to reflect the denial and the local treasurer shall within 30 days of the date of the denial issue a corrected tax bill for any additional taxes.
(4) A person claiming an exemption for qualified previously existing personal property exempt under this section shall maintain books and records and shall provide access to those books and records as provided in section 22.
(5) If a person fraudulently claims an exemption for personal property under this section, that person is subject to the penalties provided for in section 21(2).
(6) As used in this section:
(a) "Direct integrated support", "eligible manufacturing personal property", "fair market value", and "industrial processing" mean those terms as defined in section 9m.
(b) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, limited liability company, or any other legal entity.
(c) "Qualified previously existing personal property" means personal property that meets both of the following conditions:
(i) Is eligible manufacturing personal property.
(ii) Was first placed in service within this state or outside this state more than 10 years before the current calendar year.