MS HB544

Shifts severance tax liability for oil and gas from producers to interest owners, regardless of whether the interest owner resides in Mississippi.

Requires owners of nonproducing oil, gas, or mineral interests held separately from surface rights to pay a prorated portion of 10% of ad valorem taxes on the land, with surface owners exempt from 10% of taxes if they provide an attorney's title opinion.

Allows nonproducing mineral interests to be sold for nonpayment of taxes and creates a procedure where unsold interests revert to the surface owner, who becomes liable for delinquent taxes and prorated tax obligations.

Requires tax collectors to provide the chancery court clerk with separate lists of mineral interests sold for taxes and mineral interests that reverted to surface owners.

Effective date: July 1, 2013.