§ 59-5-202 — Severance tax -- Rate -- Computation -- Annual exemption.

(1) A person engaged in the business of mining or extracting metalliferous minerals in this state shall pay to the state a severance tax equal to 2.6% of the taxable value of all metals or metalliferous minerals sold or otherwise disposed of.
(2) If the metals or metalliferous minerals are shipped outside the state, this constitutes a sale, and the finished metals or the recoverable units of finished metals from the metalliferous minerals shipped are subject to the severance tax. If the metals or metalliferous minerals are stockpiled, the tax is not applicable until they are sold or shipped out of state. For purposes of the tax imposed by this chapter, uranium concentrates shall be considered to be finished metals. The owner of the metals or metalliferous minerals that are stockpiled shall report to the commission annually, in a form acceptable to the commission, the amount of metalliferous minerals so stockpiled. Metals or metalliferous minerals that are stockpiled for more than two years, however, are subject to the severance tax.
(3) An annual exemption from the payment of the tax imposed by this chapter upon the first $50,000 in gross value of the metalliferous mineral is allowed to each mine.
(4) These taxes are in addition to all other taxes provided by law and are delinquent, unless otherwise deferred, on June 1 next succeeding the calendar year when the metalliferous mineral is produced and sold or delivered.
(5) (5)(a) As used in this Subsection (5):
(5)(a)(i) "Great Salt Lake element or mineral" means a metalliferous mineral, metal, ore, chloride compound, potash, or salt mined or extracted from the brines of the Great Salt Lake.
(5)(a)(ii) "Great Salt Lake elevation" means the same as that term is defined in Section 65A-17-101.
(5)(a)(iii) "Great Salt Lake extraction operator" means a person whois engaged in the business of mining or extracting Great Salt Lake elements or minerals or metalliferous compounds from the brine of the Great Salt Lake.
(5)(a)(iv) For purposes of each tax imposed under Subsection (5)(b), "incremental revenue" means the difference between the sum of the revenue collected for the fiscal year from each of the tax rates imposed under Subsection (5)(b) and the revenue collected for the fiscal year from the tax rate imposed under Subsection (1).
(5)(a)(v) "Metalliferous compound" means a metalliferous mineral or a chloride compound or salt containing a metalliferous mineral.
(5)(b) Notwithstanding the exclusion for chloride compounds or salts from the definition of metalliferous minerals under Section 59-5-201and in lieu of the severance tax imposed under Subsection (1), beginning with calendar year 2025, a Great Salt Lake extraction operator shall pay to the state a severance tax in accordance with the following:
(5)(b)(i) for a Great Salt Lake extraction operator that is not a party or a third-party beneficiary to a voluntary agreement for water rights with an approved beneficial use by a division as defined in Section 73-3-30, a severance tax equal to 7.8% of the taxable value of Great Salt Lake elements or minerals or metalliferous compounds sold or otherwise disposed of;
(5)(b)(ii) for a Great Salt Lake extraction operator that is not a party or a third-party beneficiary to a voluntary agreement for water rights with an approved beneficial use by a division as defined in Section 73-3-30, but does not use evaporative concentrations of Great Salt Lake brines in any stage of the extractive process, a severance tax equal to 2.6% of the taxable value of Great Salt Lake elements or minerals or metalliferous compounds sold or otherwise disposed of; or
(5)(b)(iii) for a Great Salt Lake extraction operator that is a party or a third-party beneficiary to a voluntary agreement for water rights with an approved beneficial use by a division as defined in Section 73-3-30:
(5)(b)(iii)(A) a severance tax equal to 2.6% of the taxable value of Great Salt Lake elements or minerals sold or otherwise disposed of, if the Great Salt Lake elements or minerals are extracted during a calendar year when the Great Salt Lake elevation recorded pursuant to Section 65A-17-306 was at or above 4,198 feet in the prior calendar year; or
(5)(b)(iii)(B) a severance tax does not apply to the taxable value of Great Salt Lake elements or minerals sold or otherwise disposed of, if those Great Salt Lake elements or minerals are sold or otherwise disposed of in a calendar year when the Great Salt Lake elevation recorded pursuant to Section 65A-17-306 was below 4,198 feet in the prior calendar year; and
(5)(b)(iv) notwithstanding Subsection (5)(b)(iii), for a Great Salt Lake extraction operator that is a party or third-party beneficiary to a voluntary agreement for water rights with an approved beneficial use by a division as defined in Section 73-3-30, a severance tax equal to 2.6% of the taxable value of a metalliferous compound sold or otherwise disposed of under a royalty agreement issued under Subsection 65A-6-4(2)(d), entered into on or after May 1, 2024.
(5)(c) (5)(c)(i) Subject to Subsection (5)(c)(ii), the Division of Finance shall deposit the incremental revenue in accordance with Section 51-9-305.
(5)(c)(ii) The Division of Finance shall consider the incremental revenue required to be deposited under Subsection (5)(c)(i) to be the first revenue collected under this chapter for the fiscal year.
(5)(c)(iii) The Division of Finance shall deposit the incremental revenue that remains after making the deposit required by Subsection (5)(c)(i) into the Sovereign Lands Management Account created in Section 65A-5-1.
(5)(d) This Subsection (5) may not be interpreted to:
(5)(d)(i) excuse a person from paying a severance tax in accordance with the other provisions of this part; or
(5)(d)(ii) void a mineral lease or royalty agreement.
(5)(e) A person extracting metalliferous minerals, including a metalliferous compound, from the brine of the Great Salt Lake is subject to the payment of a royalty agreement under Section 65A-6-4 and the payment of a severance tax under this part.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 25, 2024 General Session