New Mexico Property Tax Amendment, Amendment 4 (2010)

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The New Mexico Property Tax Amendment was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in the state of New Mexico as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment, where it was approved. a The measure exempted veterans' organizations from property taxes in the state. The organizations, according to the proposal, would have to be chartered by the United States Congress, and would have be used only for veterans and their families.

Election results

See also: 2010 ballot measure election results

Official election results follow:

Amendment 4 (Property Tax)
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		298,830	58%
No		216,706	42%

Results via New Mexico Secretary of State.

Text of measure

Summary

The summary of the amendment read as follows:

Proposing and amendment to Article 8 of the Constitution of New Mexico to provide a property tax exemption for property of a veterans' organization chartered by the United States Congress.

Fiscal note

The fiscal implications of the measure, as stated in the state's Fiscal Impact Report, read:

If approved by the voters, the proposed exemption would reduce net taxable value. Local government tax rates would adjust upward slightly, offsetting the impacts on revenues but shifting some property tax liability to other taxpayers.

Constitutional changes

The measure was proposed to amend Article 8 of the New Mexico Constitution by adding a new section to read:

The legislature shall exempt from taxation the property of a veterans' organization chartered by the United States congress and used primarily for veterans and their families. The burden of proving eligibility for the exemption in this section is on the person claiming the exemption.

Support

• There was no known supporting campaign for the measure.

Opposition

• There was no known opposing campaign against the measure.

Media endorsements

See also: Endorsements of New Mexico ballot measures, 2010

Opposition

• The Valencia County News Bulletin, in an editorial stated about the measure, "...the state offers veterans many direct benefits as a thank you for their service, including property tax breaks, education breaks, and lower fees for many state services. A property tax break for the organizations would not benefit veterans directly. The News-Bulletin recommends a no vote."

Path to the ballot

The measure was first introduced to the New Mexico State Senate on January 21, 2010, where it was approved with a vote of 35-0 on February 15, 2010. The measure was then sent to the New Mexico House of Representatives, who approved the measure on February 18, 2010 with a vote of 53-2. According to Article XIX of the New Mexico Constitution, it takes a majority vote of all members of both houses of the New Mexico State Legislature to refer a proposed amendment to the ballot. New Mexico is one of ten states that allows a referred amendment to go on the ballot after a majority vote in one session of the state's legislature.

See also

Suggest a link

• New Mexico 2010 ballot measures
• New Mexico Legislature

External links

• Example of a New Mexico sample ballot that shows the language of New Mexico's 2010 ballot measures