Monday, 29 July 2013

Property Tax Value - Tactics And Property Tax Reform

By David Wilkesnod


Overly high property assessments can hamper the survival prospects for many property owners on a tight budget. You'll hear rumors and rants about property tax reforms to blunt increases to those burdens. The ideas often are to create transparency in the implementation of property tax assessments.

Sadly we hear of migrations out of states with high property taxes. Government waste and inefficiency are some of the mitigating factors. Often property owners simply overlook the possibilities of appealing their real estate taxes.

Property tax assessments should be neutral and the jargon easy to understand. They should be based on a simple and transparent basis. One suggestion is that the taxes should only be based on the original acquisition costs not a constantly changing assessment.

A further idea that has been advanced is to treat real estate as you would any other capital purchase such as an automobile. A home owners tax is paid upon purchase. If the real estate is later sold for a capital gain, another tax could be levied.

Still others want to promote to cap tax increases to mirror corresponding cost-of-living boosts, and require a public vote for anything larger. Capping annual increases in value at 5 percent is a popular idea.

Real estate taxes can be appeal by professionals but the cost to do so is steep. The do-it-yourself method is much better if you have a reliable guide. Appraisers charge $250 for an appraisal and lawyers charge about $250 an hour. The bill escalates to show up at the municipal hearings and they offer no guarantee that you'll win.

If your 6th sense tell you that you have been paying too much in property taxes you should look into it. Find a reliable property tax information guide and you will be shown specifically whether you qualify for a real estate property tax cut. Most guides don't get into the mechanics of doing an appeal and are only a fluff overview of the process.

Not all guides are the same. Most don't offer item by item adjustment advice and threat the topic on an overview basis. You'll want workable clear and easy to figure out instructions and the necessary forms you need to make your appeal win under review.

Hefty property tax hikes loom for many communities as tax assessors send out annual property tax forms. Are you a candidate for a property tax appeal? A property tax appeal will change that.




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