§ 835c–1 — Taxation And Assessments; Applicability Of State Laws

(a) The Secretary may enter into agreements to pay annual sums in lieu of taxes to any State or political subdivision thereof with respect to any real property situated therein after it is acquired pursuant to the authority of this Act and before execution by the United States of a contract of sale covering it, out of funds derived from the leasing of such lands. The amount so paid for any year upon any such property shall not exceed the taxes that would be paid to the State or subdivision as the case may be upon such property if it were not exempt from taxation thereby. (b) Any public lands within the project and any lands or interests in lands acquired by the United States under this Act, beginning at such date or dates and subject to such provisions and limitations as may be fixed or provided by regulations made under section 8 [16 U.S.C. 835c–4], shall be (i) subject to the provisions of the laws of the State of Washington relating to the organization, government, and regulation of irrigation, reclamation, and conservancy districts, and (ii) subject to legal assessment or taxation by any such district, and to liens for such assessments and taxes and to all proceedings for the enforcement thereof, in the same manner and to the same extent as privately owned lands of like character. The United States does not assume any obligation for amounts so assessed or taxed; and any proceedings to enforce them shall be subject to any title then remaining in the United States, to any prior lien reserved to the United States for unpaid installments under land sale contracts made under this Act, and to any lien for any other charges, accrued or unaccrued, under and by virtue of such contracts or any contract between the United States and the district in which the land is located. (c) In addition to taxation or assessment under subsection (b) upon execution by the United States of a contract of sale of any lands within the project, the lands under contract may be taxed by the State or political subdivision thereof in the same manner and to the same extent as privately owned lands of a like character. All taxes legally so assessed may be enforced in the same manner and under the same proceeding whereby said taxes are enforced against privately owned lands, subject to the limitations in favor of the United States that govern the enforcement of district assessments or taxes as provided in subsection (b). If lands under any such contract shall at any time revert to the United States before transfer of title under the contract by reason of default thereunder, all liens or tax titles resulting from taxes levied pursuant to the authority of this subsection upon such lands shall be thereupon extinguished; and the levying of any such tax by such State or political subdivision shall be deemed to be an agreement on its part, in the event of such reversion, to execute and record a formal release of such lien or tax title.