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committee hears SB540 to clarify Class 17 data‑center taxation; industry backs clarity, environmental group urges coordination
Summary
SB540 would clarify local assessment rules for dedicated communications infrastructure at qualified data centers and extend local tax treatment; industry and chambers urged the committee to adopt the bill to attract investment, while environmental groups urged coordination with other bills to preserve local protections. Committee later concurred on an amended version.
Senator Becky Beard opened the hearing on Senate Bill 540, saying the bill clarifies how Class 17 property taxation applies to data centers and the dedicated communications infrastructure that supports them.
"This is intended, to clarify class 17 property tax code and to promote economic development by bringing business opportunities to our state," Beard said in her opening remarks.
What the bill does: SB540 provides a definition of "local dedicated communications infrastructure" (fiber, copper, microwave and satellite systems within a single county and within a data‑center’s external boundaries) and clarifies which components are locally assessed versus centrally assessed.…
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