A. The New Mexico livestock board shall furnish to the department who shall forward to the county assessor of each county information obtained by it about the number, name and address of owner, description, movement, origin and destination of livestock being moved into or from any county. All such information shall be sent in duplicate to the county assessor into or from whose county livestock are being moved. Upon receipt of the information, the assessor shall send the duplicate to the department with a notation indicating the date on which it was received. The livestock board report made under this section fulfills the livestock owner's responsibility to make a report of the livestock under Section 7-36-21 NMSA 1978.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Property Tax Code to the contrary, either the county assessor or the director may:

(1) determine the value of livestock for property taxation purposes at any time the livestock are subject to valuation under the Property Tax Code whether or not the owner of the livestock or any other person has reported them for valuation;

(2) issue a notice of valuation of livestock at any time after a determination of valuation has been made of livestock for property taxation purposes;

(3) prepare and deliver a tax bill and collect taxes on livestock at any time after a notice of valuation has been issued when there is reasonable cause to believe that it would jeopardize the collection of the taxes if the regular tax collection cycle in the Property Tax Code was followed; and

(4) issue a demand warrant to enforce collection of taxes on livestock as delinquent taxes if there is reasonable cause to believe that the livestock may be moved out of the state prior to the payment of taxes, and proceed to collect the taxes as delinquent taxes by sale of the livestock in accordance with Sections 7-38-53 through 7-38-59 NMSA 1978.

C. In the preparation of a tax bill under this section, the assessor or director may determine the tax due on the basis of the prior year's tax rates if the current year's tax rates have not yet been set. Taxes determined on livestock under this section are due when the tax bill is delivered to the owner or the person in charge of the livestock and are delinquent if not paid upon demand. Payment of taxes determined on the basis of the prior year's tax rates constitutes full payment of the taxes on the livestock for the current tax year.

History: 1953 Comp., § 72-31-45, enacted by Laws 1973, ch. 258, § 85; 1974, ch. 92, § 17.

Compiler's notes. — Pursuant to Laws 1977, ch. 256, § 3, the livestock board is attached to the New Mexico department of agriculture.