SENATE DOCKET, NO. 134        FILED ON: 1/11/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1500

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Cynthia Stone Creem

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act eliminating telecommunications tax exemptions.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 134        FILED ON: 1/11/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1500

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1456 OF 2015-2016.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act eliminating telecommunications tax exemptions.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1: Section 5 of chapter 59 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “than”, in line 254, the following words:- "a telephone or telegraph corporation subject to tax under section 52A of chapter 63 or".

SECTION 2: Said section 5 of said chapter 59 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the figure "23”, in line 257, the following words:- , other than a telephone or telegraph corporation,

SECTION 3: Clause Sixteenth of said section 5 of said chapter 59 of the General Laws is hereby further amended by striking out paragraph (2) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

(2) In the case of (a) a business corporation subject to tax under section 39 of chapter 63 that is not a manufacturing corporation, or (b) a telephone or telegraph corporation subject to tax under section 52A of chapter 63, all property owned by the corporation other than the following:- real estate, poles, underground conduits, wires and pipes, and machinery used in the conduct of the business, which term, as used in this clause, shall not be considered to include stock in trade or any personal property directly used in connection with dry cleaning or laundering processes or in the refrigeration of goods or in the air-conditioning of premises or in any purchasing, selling, accounting or administrative function. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a telephone or telegraph corporation shall be subject to property tax assessment on machinery used in the conduct of its business and leased to it by a corporation that is not a telephone or telegraph corporation, and the telephone or telegraph corporation shall include such property on its list to the board of assessors where the property is situated under section 29 of this chapter.