1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to taxation; mortgage registry; providing for 
  1.3             payment by the county treasurer of receipts relating 
  1.4             to obligations secured by property in more than one 
  1.5             county; amending Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, 
  1.6             section 287.08. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  1.9   287.08, is amended to read: 
  1.10     287.08 [TAX, HOW PAYABLE; RECEIPTS.] 
  1.11     (a) The tax imposed by sections 287.01 to 287.12 shall be 
  1.12  paid to the treasurer of the county in which the mortgaged land 
  1.13  or some part thereof is situated at or before the time of filing 
  1.14  the mortgage for record or registration.  The treasurer shall 
  1.15  endorse receipt on the mortgage, countersigned by the county 
  1.16  auditor, who shall charge the amount to the treasurer and such 
  1.17  receipt shall be recorded with the mortgage, and such receipt of 
  1.18  the record thereof shall be conclusive proof that the tax has 
  1.19  been paid to the amount therein stated and authorize any county 
  1.20  recorder to record the mortgage.  Its form, in substance, shall 
  1.21  be "registration tax hereon of ..................... dollars 
  1.22  paid."  If the mortgages be exempt from taxation the endorsement 
  1.23  shall be "exempt from registration tax," to be signed in either 
  1.24  case by the treasurer as such, and in case of payment to be 
  1.25  countersigned by the auditor.  In case the treasurer shall be 
  1.26  unable to determine whether a claim of exemption should be 
  2.1   allowed, the tax shall be paid as in the case of a taxable 
  2.2   mortgage.  
  2.3      (b) Upon written application of the taxpayer, the county 
  2.4   treasurer may refund in whole or in part any tax which has been 
  2.5   erroneously paid, or a person having paid a mortgage registry 
  2.6   tax amount may seek a refund of such tax, or other appropriate 
  2.7   relief, by bringing an action in tax court in the county in 
  2.8   which the tax was paid, within 60 days of the payment.  The 
  2.9   action is commenced by the serving of a petition for relief on 
  2.10  the county treasurer, and by filing a copy with the court.  The 
  2.11  county attorney shall defend the action.  The county treasurer 
  2.12  shall notify the treasurer of each county that has or would 
  2.13  receive a portion of the tax as paid.  
  2.14     (c) If the county treasurer determines a refund should be 
  2.15  paid, or if a refund is ordered, the county treasurer of each 
  2.16  county that actually received a portion of the tax shall 
  2.17  immediately pay a proportionate share of three percent of the 
  2.18  refund using any available county funds.  The county treasurer 
  2.19  of each county which received, or would have received, a portion 
  2.20  of the tax shall also pay their county's proportionate share of 
  2.21  the remaining 97 percent of the court-ordered refund on or 
  2.22  before the tenth day of the following month using solely the 
  2.23  mortgage registry tax funds that would be paid to the 
  2.24  commissioner of revenue on that date under section 287.12.  If 
  2.25  the funds on hand under this procedure are insufficient to fully 
  2.26  fund 97 percent of the court-ordered refund, the county 
  2.27  treasurer of the county in which the action was brought shall 
  2.28  file a claim with the commissioner of revenue under section 
  2.29  16A.48 for the remaining portion of 97 percent of the refund, 
  2.30  and shall pay over the remaining portion upon receipt of a 
  2.31  warrant from the state issued pursuant to the claim.  
  2.32     (d) When any such mortgage covers real property situate in 
  2.33  more than one county in this state the whole of such tax shall 
  2.34  be paid to the treasurer of the county where the mortgage is 
  2.35  first presented for record or registration, and the payment 
  2.36  shall be receipted and countersigned as above provided.  If the 
  3.1   principal debt or obligation secured by such a multiple county 
  3.2   mortgage exceeds $1,000,000, the tax shall be divided and paid 
  3.3   over by the county treasurer receiving the same, on or before 
  3.4   the tenth day of each month after receipt thereof, to the county 
  3.5   or counties entitled thereto in the ratio which the market value 
  3.6   of the real property covered by the mortgage in each county 
  3.7   bears to the market value of all the property described in the 
  3.8   mortgage.  In making such division and payment the county 
  3.9   treasurer shall send therewith a statement giving the 
  3.10  description of the property described in the mortgage and the 
  3.11  market value of the part thereof situate in each county.  For 
  3.12  the purpose aforesaid, the treasurer of any county may require 
  3.13  the treasurer of any other county to certify to the former the 
  3.14  market valuation of any tract of land in any such mortgage.