SANTA FE — Gov. Susana Martinez’s office is throwing its support behind a Democratic state senator’s bill to create an independent hearing office for tax disputes, an idea long backed by a business group as a way to ensure such appeals are handled fairly.

Currently, New Mexico is one of a handful of states that houses its tax hearing officers within the same agency that imposes taxes, a setup that tax experts say creates the appearance of a lack of independence.

The proposal backed by the Martinez administration and business groups would move that internal hearing office — and its employees — out from under the Taxation and Revenue Department and make it more of a standalone agency.

“This proposal makes the hearing process truly independent, so taxpayers are not appearing before the same agency that is billing them,” Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla said in a statement.

A draft of the bill will be rolled out Friday at an interim committee hearing. It will be sponsored during the upcoming 60-day session by Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, who carried a similar measure during the 2013 session.

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