meet the standards set up by said department. They then are further analyzed at the state level and computerized for final analyzation. It is our opinion that South Dakota has one of the finer and more accurate sales ratios in the entire country. It has been so declared by experts in and out of court. The sales ratio is compiled and published annually by the department of revenue. All types of real property are included, by classes, such as residential lots, commercial lots, with structures and without structures. Our annual ratio reports are distributed to all assessment officers, legislators, libraries, and any other interested public official in the State of South Dakota.

Answer 7

The 1972-73 budget for the property tax division is less than $150,000. This includes a staff composed of a director, deputy, field supervisor, secretary, statistician and four fieldmen, of which five are working in the field most of the time.

Answer 8

There has been no change in size of our assessment districts in the past 10 years. The assessment districts are by counties.

Answer 9

Ad valorem is imposed on household goods and furnishings, antiques and works of art, jewelry, furs, intangibles, livestock, farm machinery and equipment. Standing timber is valued as part of real estate, not as a separate item.

Answer 10

Our classification of properties for different levels of assessment are limited to money and credits, grain and seed, telephone property outside of city limits, and agricultural property.

Answer 11

Real property exemptions are given to all charitable, benevolent, and religious societies used for charitable, benevolent, and religious purposes. Our last published list of the exempt property is by tax entity and was for the 1970 legislature. Of course, all property owned by all government entities are exempt.

Answer 12

At the present time, there is little restriction for land development in South Dakota. Our agricultural and values are regulated somewhat by statute. The mill levy application to agricultural property (real and personal) is limited for school purposes. The first 8 mills is applied on all property, and thereafter two mills is applied to nonagricultural property to 1 mill for agricultural property, up to a maximum of 24 and 40 mills.

Answer 13

Property tax relief for the elderly was enacted by the 1972 legislature. The limit was $1,000 of the assessed value of real estate for in

dividuals over 65 years of age, who also were required to meet other criteria to receive such an exemption. At this time, it is unknown factor as to number and amount of dollars involved. Prelegislation investigations showed a maximum of approximately $3 million worth of assessed property to receive tax relief.

Answer 14

I have included a copy of that portion of our constitution that makes specific reference to taxation. (Article IX, sections 2-5.)

TENNESSEE

Answer 1

$380,000,000; 19 percent.

Answer 2

(a) Elected.

(b) No.

Answer 3

(a) Yes. Recent legislation provides additional compensation out of funds available to the State Division of Property Assessments for those assessors and their deputies who have completed the necessary courses of study and training and have been designated by the International Association of Assessing Officers as a "Certified Assessment Evaluator." Further, the State Board of Equalization has provided out of funds available to the State board incentive increases in compensation to assessing officials who have successfully completed certain courses of study and training and have been designated by the State Board of Equalization as a "Tennessee Certified Assessor."

(b) The State Board of Equalization and State Division of Property Assessments, in cooperation with the University of Tennessee, conducts the courses for such training. The only costs incurred by assessing officials who attend these courses is their living expenses during the duration of the courses, and most counties reimburse these assessing officials for such expenses.

Answer 4

(a) Appointed by the county court, or governing legislative body of the local jurisdiction.

(b) No.

Answer 5

(a) By law, the State Board of Equalization consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller of the Treasury, State Treasurer, and two persons appointed by the Governor with knowledge and experience in city and county government.

(b) Each term of office is as follows:

Governor, 4 years.

Secretary of State, 4 years.

Comptroller of the Treasury, 2 years.

State Treasurer, 2 years.

Appointee with experience in city government, 4 years.

Appointee with experience in county government, 4 years.

(c) They do not have the responsibility of assessing intercounty property although they have the responsibility to review the assessments of such property. This property includes all property assessed by the Public Service Commission, and includes all of the properties belonging to the following persons and companies: (1) railroads; (2) telephones; (3) telegraphs; (4) sleeping cars; (5) freight cars; (6) streetcars; (7) power, whether hydroelectric, steam, or other kinds, for the transmission of power; (8) express; (9) pipelines; (10) gas companies; (11) electric light companies; (12) motor bus and/or truck, and (13) water companies.

(d) Yes.

Answer 6

(a) The State Division of Property Assessments. (b) As often as needed.

(c) They are published upon their completion and made available. to any interested person.

(d) Real property assessed by local assessing officials.

(a) $956,200.

(b) 70.

Answer 7

(c) None whose duties are limited to the appraisal of industrial property; however, seven of our staff employees have been designated "Certified Assessment Evaluator" by the International Association of Assessing Officers and have had some experience in appraising industrial property.

No.

Answer 8

Answer 9

Tennessee imposes an ad valorem property tax upon all property, except such property specifically exempted by law. A recent amendment to the constitution does provide for an exemption of $7,500 of tangible personal property which shall cover household goods, furniture, wearing apparel, and other such tangible personal property in the hands of a taxpayer. Legislation implementing this constitutional amendment will be enacted during the upcoming session of the general assembly.

(a) Yes.

Answer 10

(b) Please find attached hereto the recently approved constitutional amendment regarding the classification of real and personal property. (Art. 2, sec. 28.)

(a) Yes.

Answer 11

(b) The property herein enumerated shall be exempt from taxation: (1) All property of the United States, all property of the State of Tennessee, of any county, or of any incorporated city, town, or taxing district in the State that is used exclusively for public county or municipal purposes.

(2) The real estate owned by any religious, charitable, scientific, or educational institution occupied by such institution or its officers exclusively for carrying out thereupon one or more of the purposes for which said institution was created or exists.

(3) All cemeteries, places of burial used as such, and monuments of the dead.

(4) All roads, streets, alleys, and promenades where condemned, dedicated, or thrown open for public travel or use free of charge.

(5) All growing crops of whatever kind, the direct product of the soil of this State, in the hands of the producer or his immediate vendee, and articles manufactured from the produce of this State in the hands of the manufacturer.

(6) Personal property, not including that by way of income. of the value of $7,500 in the hands of each resident taxpayer; provided that any conveyance of personal property, including money, bank stock, notes, choses in action, accounts, or other evidence of indebtedness-in trust or otherwise-to any minor by the parent or parents thereof shall be presumed to have been made for the purpose of avoiding the payment of taxes thereon, if it appears that such conveyance affects enough personal property which, added to the amount, will exceed the aggregate, the amount heretofore set out as exempt from taxation, and it shall be the duty of the assessor to list all such property as the property of the person making such conveyance or creating such trust; provided, that the maker or makers of the trust instrument or conveyance or delivery of such property may appear before the county board of equalizers and by proof establish the bona fides of such trust or conveyance.

(7) All property protected by valid charter or contract exemp tion.

(8) Leasehold estates and improvements thereon, in the hands of the lessee, holding under incorporated institutions of learning in this State, when the rents there for are used by said institutions purely for educational purposes, where the fee in the same is exempt from taxation to said institutions of learning by charter granted by the State of Tennessee.

(9) Personal property which (a) is moving in interstate commerce through or over the territory of the State of Tennessee, or (b) was consigned to a warehouse within the State of Tennessee from outside the State of Tennessee, for storage, in transit, to a final destination (whether specified when transportation begins or afterwards) which is also outside the State of Tennessee. shall be deemed not to have acquired a situs in the State of Tennessee for purposes of ad valorem taxation.

(10) Personal property in the hands of the manufacturer, processer, or assembler, transported to a plant, warehouse or establishment within the State of Tennessee from outside the State, for storage, processing, assembly or repackaging, and held for eventual sale or other disposition, other than at retail, to a destination (whether specified when transportation begins or afterwards) which is outside this State, shall be deemed not to have acquired a situs within the State of Tennessee for purposes of ad valorem taxation.

In the event such personal property mentioned in this subdivision is held for sale or eventual disposition to destinations both within and without the State of Tennessee, then this exemption shall be applicable to that percentage of the value of such

personal property, in the same proportion which sales or other dispositions to final destinations outside of the State of Tennessee during the preceding year, bears to the total sales or dispositions of such personal property by such manufacturer, processer, or assembler during such preceding year. This exemption is in addition to, and does not limit in any respect, all existing exemptions.

(11) The real estate owned or leased by an educational institution and used for dormitory purposes for its students, even though other student activities are conducted therein, and even though the student's spouse or childrn may reside therein.

(12) (a) All property of Tennessee not-for-profit general welfare corporations whose projects are financed by a loan made, insured, or guaranteed by a branch, department, or agency of the U.S. Government under §§ 202 or 236, either or both, of the national housing act, devoted to below-cost housing for elderly persons as defined by the national housing act, as amended, who have incomes not in excess of those established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, shall be exempt from all ad valorem and personal taxes of any county, municipality, or metropolitan government so long as there is an unpaid balance outstanding on said loan and so long as the corporation remains not-for profit.

(13) Real property up to the value of $25,000 when such property is owned and is used exclusively by a disabled veteran as a home.

(14) All appliances, equipment, machinery, structures, or other such property or portion thereof used primarily and necessary for the control, reduction, or elimination of water or air pollution, provided that a certificate has been issued to the applicant by the Tennessee Department of Public Health.

(a) A law has been enacted to become effective January 1, 1973 to provide that:

There shall be paid from the general funds of the State to every taxpayerr 65 years of age, or over, whose annual income from all sources does not exceed $4,800 the amount necessary to reimburse such elderly low income taxpayer for all or part of the State or local property taxes he has paid in a given tax year on that property which he uses as his residence and had used as his residence for a period of at least 1 year prior to the most recent date of assessment affecting that property, provided that such tax refund or payment shall be made by the State to each such taxpayer shall be an amount equal to the combined State, county, and municipal taxes actually paid on the first $5,000 worth of the full market value of such property, based upon assessments made after January 1, 1973.

(b) This law was not in effect in fiscal 1972.