A Philadelphia judge recently dismissed a challenge by a group of Philadelphia taxpayers challenging the city’s tax assessment practices. The suit alleged that properties were “over assessed” due to alleged illegal and unconstitutional City Property Tax practices. The complaint took issue with the citywide moratorium on property tax reassessments that went into effect in January 2010. It also alleged that the City violated the General County Assessment Law and PA Constitution. The taxpayers accused the city of unequal taxation of similar properties, spot reassessment, failure to assess all properties at the actual values, failure to perform annual assessments and failure to correct all assessment errors.

Trial Judge Idee C. Fox dismissed the suit. She found that the plaintiffs did not prove the necessary element that their properties were assessed at a higher level than the majority of other properties in their municipality. Therefore, the Court ruled, the plaintiffs cannot claim to have suffered an “adverse action” and have no standing.