70.58 Forestation state tax.

(1) Except as provided in subs. (2) and (3), there is levied an annual tax of two-tenths of one mill for each dollar of the assessed valuation of the property of the state as determined by the department of revenue under s. 70.57, for the purpose of acquiring, preserving and developing the forests of the state and for the purpose of forest crop law and county forest law administration and aid payments, for grants to forestry cooperatives under s. 36.56, and for the acquisition, purchase and development of forests described under s. 25.29 (7) (a) and (b), the proceeds of the tax to be paid into the conservation fund. The tax shall not be levied in any year in which general funds are appropriated for the purposes specified in this section, equal to or in excess of the amount which the tax would produce and no tax shall be levied under this section beginning with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2017.

(2) In each of 3 years beginning with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2005, the department of revenue shall adjust the rate of the tax imposed under this section so that the percentage increase from the previous year in the total amount levied under this section does not exceed 2.6 percent. The rate determined by the department of revenue for the property tax assessment as of January 1, 2007, shall be the rate of the tax imposed under this section for all subsequent years, ending with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2017.

(3) In fiscal year 2017-18, and in each fiscal year thereafter, an amount equal to 0.1697 mills for each dollar of the assessed valuation of the property of the state as determined by the department of revenue under s. 70.57 shall be transferred from the general fund to the conservation fund for the purposes described under sub. (1).

History: 1975 c. 39 s. 734; 1977 c. 29, 418; 1979 c. 34; 1983 a. 27; 1989 a. 359; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 25; 2017 a. 59.