Article 3. Valuations of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 3.

The value of private railroad cars shall not include the car owner's tools, shop equipment, materials, supplies, or other like items of personal property customarily kept or maintained at fixed locations for use in repairing, improving, servicing, or operating the cars.

In making the assessment, the board shall value the cars by class based on the owner's acquisition cost, less depreciation. The depreciation shall be computed for these enumerated Association of American Railroad's, or successor organization's, car type groups on a straight-line basis with the indicated depreciable life schedules with a maximum of 80 percent depreciation allowed.
  (a) Stack cars (alpha S): 22 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (b) Lightweight, low profile intermodal cars (alpha Q): 22 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (c) Flat cars (alpha F): 22 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (d) Conventional intermodal cars (alpha P): 22 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (e) Vehicular flat cars (alpha V): 22 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (f) All other cars (all other alphas): 25 years minus the age at acquisition.
  (g) Betterments: the remaining depreciable life of the car to which the betterment is applied. Acquisition cost is defined as the expenditures required to be capitalized by generally accepted accounting principles.

In making an assessment, the board shall determine the average number of each class of private railroad cars physically present in the state in the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the tax is imposed upon the basis of car days. The board shall multiply the average number so determined by the value of a car of that class as determined under Section 11292 and use the product for the assessment of the cars.

In determining the averages required in Section 11293, the board shall exclude from the California factor car mileage, car days or such other data which occurs while cars are not qualified for revenue service and are in a repair facility in this state requiring and undergoing or awaiting remodeling, overhaul, renovation, conversion or repair which necessitates total labor in excess of 10 man-hours. Car days excluded pursuant to this section shall not exceed 90 days per car unless the claimant provides substantiation of the necessity for the additional days in such form as prescribed by the board.