LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 29, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable J.E. "Buster" Brown, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Natural Resources
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB 329 by Haywood (relating to the date on which certain
               tax payments are due), Committee Report 1st House, as
               amended
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  SB329, Committee Report 1st House, as amended:  impact of $0          *
*  through the biennium ending August 31, 2001.                          *
*                                                                        *
*  The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal      *
*  basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of    *
*  the bill.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Seven-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                                   $0  *
          *       2001                                    0  *
          *       2002                                    0  *
          *       2003                         (41,516,000)  *
          *       2004                           41,516,000  *
          *       2005                         (42,148,000)  *
          *       2006                           42,148,000  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Seven-Year Impact:
  
***************************************************************************
*Fiscal    Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss)    Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss)   *
* Year     from Foundation School Fund      from General Revenue Fund     *
*                      0193                            0001               *
*  2000                                $0                              $0 *
*  2001                                 0                               0 *
*  2002                                 0                               0 *
*  2003                      (10,379,000)                    (31,137,000) *
*  2004                        10,379,000                      31,137,000 *
*  2005                      (10,649,000)                    (31,499,000) *
*  2006                        10,649,000                      31,499,000 *
***************************************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would eliminate certain "speed-up" provisions relating to the
payment of the gasoline tax, the diesel fuel tax, the oil production tax,
and the natural gas tax.

Under current law, in August of each odd-numbered year, gasoline, diesel
fuel, and oil production taxpayers must remit an estimated  monthly
payment (basically equal to the amount of tax due the previous month) on
the 15th.  In all other months, true monthly payments are due on the
25th.  The bill would repeal the three sections that impose the payment
speed-ups.

The bill also would repeal provisions that require, in August of each
odd-numbered year, natural gas taxpayers to remit an estimated July
production payment in August.  As such, the payment based on true July
production would become due in September, consistent with the two-month
delay that applies to all other months.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2001.
  
  
Methodology
  
The change in due dates for the oil production, gasoline, and diesel fuel
taxes would have an insignificant fiscal impact given the preponderant
use of electronic return filing and electronic funds transfers.

The change in the due date for the natural gas tax would eliminate the
current cycle of odd-numbered years having 13 months of revenue
collections and even-numbered years having 11 months of revenue
collections.  With a September 2001 effective date, odd-year prepayments
would still occur in fiscal 1999 and fiscal 2001.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:         JK, DE, CT