This bill makes several changes to the ad valorem tax laws.

• Requires forestland protection grants for 2008 to be based upon the final value once an appeal is settled;
• Before an appeal can be filed in Superior Court, the legislation authorizes the payment of the temporary tax bill as an alternative to payment of the amount of taxes that were paid in the year a final tax bill was determined;
• Reinstates appeal thresholds that cannot be exceeded in order to get digest approval;
• Gives the Commissioner the authority to reject a tax digest if evidence exists that the county has substantially failed to comply with the ad valorem tax laws or the Department's rules and regulations;
• Authorizes owners of nonhomestead property with a value of $2 million or more to pay a portion of the temporary tax bill to an escrow account held by the tax commissioner until the appeal is settled;
• Consolidates the provisions that define the amount of interest due once an appeal is settled into a single subsection;
• Changes the eligibility to request a refund of paid taxes or license fees from a case where it has been determined that the tax or fee was illegally erroneously collected to an allegation that the tax or fee was illegally or erroneously collected;
• Redefines the authorized time frame for submitting a refund request to the governing authority and filing suit in court for a refund;