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<section article="gtp" article_name="Tax - Property" number="12-117" title_number="12" title_name="Recordation Taxes" subtitle_number="1">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Controlling interest” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>more than 80% of the total value of all classes of stock of a corporation;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>more than 80% of the total interest in capital and profits of a partnership, association, limited liability company, or other unincorporated form of doing business; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>more than 80% of the beneficial interest in a trust.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Final transfer” means that transfer of any portion of a controlling interest that completes the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Plan of transfer” means an intentional plan or program to transfer the controlling interest in a real property entity.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Plan of transfer” does not include a series of sales of shares of a publicly traded entity.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Real property” means real property located in the State.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Real property” does not include:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>a leasehold, unless created by a lease that is required to be recorded under § 3–101(a) of the Real Property Article; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>any mortgage, deed of trust, or other lien on or security interest in real property that secures an indebtedness.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Real property entity” means a corporation, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, other unincorporated form of doing business, or trust that directly or beneficially owns real property that:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>constitutes at least 80% of the value of its assets; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <level label="A">
            <text>has an aggregate value of at least $1,000,000; or</text>
          </level>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>is the product of an untaxed conversion from a sole proprietorship effected under the exemption provided under § 12–108(y) of this title.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>For the purposes of this paragraph, the value of real property shall be determined without reduction for any mortgage, deed of trust, or other lien on or security interest in the real property.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>“Real property entity” does not include an entity with land holdings that, other than homesites or areas of commercial activity related to agricultural production, are entirely subject to an agricultural use assessment under § 8–209 of this article.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The recordation tax is imposed on the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity as if the real property, directly or beneficially owned by the real property entity, was conveyed by an instrument of writing that is recorded with the clerk of the circuit court for a county or filed with the Department under § 12–102 of this title.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The recordation tax is imposed on the consideration payable for the transfer of the controlling interest in the real property entity.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The consideration to which the recordation tax applies includes the amount of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>any mortgage, deed of trust, or other lien on or security interest in the real property directly or beneficially owned by the real property entity; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>any other debt or encumbrance of the real property entity.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The consideration to which the recordation tax applies is reduced by the amount allocable to the assets of the real property entity other than real property.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>The real property entity has the burden of establishing to the satisfaction of the Department the consideration referred to in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph and the amount of any consideration allocable to assets other than real property referred to in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>If the real property entity fails to establish the amount of consideration referred to in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the recordation tax is imposed on the value of the real property, directly or beneficially owned by the real property entity, determined by the Department at the date of finality immediately before the date of the final transfer.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Except as otherwise provided in § 12–103(d) of this title, the recordation tax is applied at the rate set under § 12–103(b) of this title by the county where the real property is located.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity is not subject to recordation tax if the transfer of the real property owned by the real property entity between the same transferor and transferee of the controlling interest and under the same circumstances would have been exempt under § 12–108 of this title.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Subparagraph (i) of this paragraph does not apply to transactions under § 12–108(y)(2)(i)3 of this title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The recordation tax is not imposed on the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity effected in more than one transaction if:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the transfer is completed over a period of more than 12 months; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the transfer is not made in accordance with a plan of transfer.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The recordation tax is not imposed on the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity if the ownership interests in the real property entity are owned, directly or indirectly, by the same persons and in the same proportions after the transfer.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The recordation tax is not imposed on the transfer of a controlling interest in a real property entity if the transferee of the controlling interest in the real property entity is:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a nonstock corporation organized under Title 5, Subtitle 2 of the Corporations and Associations Article; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>registered with the Department of Aging as a continuing care retirement community under § 10–408 of the Human Services Article.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>The real property entity has the burden of establishing to the satisfaction of the Department the applicability of any exemption referred to in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this subsection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The real property entity shall file with the Department a report of any transfer of a controlling interest in the real property entity that is completed within a period of 12 months or less within 30 days following the date of the final transfer.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The report shall include all information to establish to the satisfaction of the Department:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the consideration referred to in subsection (b)(2)(i) of this section;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the amount of assets other than real estate referred to in subsection (b)(2)(ii) of this section; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>any exemption provided for in subsection (c) of this section.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The report shall be accompanied by payment of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a $20 filing fee; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>any tax, interest, and penalty that is due.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If any tax due under this section remains unpaid for 30 days after the date of the final transfer:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>interest on the unpaid amount shall accrue thereafter at the rate of 1% per month; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>a penalty of 10% of the unpaid amount shall be due.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any tax, interest, and penalty due under this section is an obligation of the real property entity.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>For reasonable cause, the Department may waive the imposition of interest or penalty.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>This section does not apply to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a pledge of stock or other interest in a real property entity as security for a loan; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the admission to the real property entity of additional shareholders, partners, beneficial owners, or other members incident to the raising of additional capital through a public or private offering of stock or other interests in the real property entity if:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the effective management of the real property entity is not substantially changed; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>under the terms of the offering, none of the new members is expected to participate in the day–to–day management of the real property entity.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department shall adopt regulations to administer this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The regulations shall include any additional standards and exemptions to assure that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a tax is imposed when a transaction is structured involving a controlling interest in a real property entity to avoid payment of the recordation tax;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>exemptions provided by law when real property is transferred by an instrument of writing are applicable; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>there is no double taxation of a single transaction.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
