Terms Used In Alabama Code 40-6A-1

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1

The Legislature recognizes the necessity of an equitable, fair, and efficiently administered ad valorem tax program to the revenue producing functions of government, both state and local, and it further recognizes that since the implementation of statewide reappraisal of property and the equalization of ad valorem taxes in this state, the complexity and burden on the officials charged with assessing and collecting such taxes has greatly increased. Likewise, great disparity has developed among the various counties of this state in both the adequacy of compensation of such officials and the distribution of the cost of administering the ad valorem tax program among the various agencies and funds receiving such taxes. Therefore, in order to secure the services of competent officials in all counties of this state to administer the ad valorem tax program and to fairly distribute the burden of funding the costs of such program, it is the intent of this chapter to establish an equitable, minimum basis of compensation of such officials and distribution of the costs of administering such program.