The Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ bipartisan House Select Committee on Property Tax Reform held two days of hearings in Harrisburg to review local government property tax collection, reassessments and local tax structures. The committee is conducting a review of Pennsylvania’s local tax structure. According to an article in PA Law Weekly, State Representative Tom Quigley
Assessments
PA Court Rules That “Ongoing Subdivision Concerns” Should Not Be Considered In Valuing Individual Subdivision Lots
In Greth Development v. Berks County Board of Assessment Appeals, the Berks County trial court considered whether the tax assessment of individual lots of a residential subdivision should take into account “ongoing subdivision concerns, including cash flow, absorption rate of lot sales, and ongoing expenses.” The case involved a residential subdivision in which 25 lots…
Lehigh County Extends Informal Reassessment Appeals Deadline
Lehigh County has extended the deadline for filing informal reassessment challenges. The revised deadline is Thursday, March 22. Informal reviews give property owners the chance to sit down with an assessor and dispute the record. They can be requested online, in person, over the phone or by mail. More than 10,000 challenges were filed as…
Philadelphia Taxpayers Intervene to Defend 18.1 Percent CLR
The Philadelphia’s Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) recently decided to apply the County of Philadelphia Common Level Ratio (CLR)–which had been reduced by Pennsylvania’s State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) from 32 percent to 18.1 percent–to property values as certified by the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Property Assessment (OPA). Our firm filed a Petition…
Tax Assessment System Challenge Dismissed
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…
PA Commonwealth Court Issues Important Tax Assessment Appeal Ruling
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court recently decided a tax assessment appeal involving a 486,086 square foot industrial facility in Erie County. The Court considered a number of important issues including:
1. Whether the taxpayer’s appraiser utilized a “value-in-use” methodology?
2. Whether the Court was entitled to split the difference between the appraiser’s values?
3. Whether the…
Pennsylvania Tax Assessment Appreal Deadlines Approaching
The deadlines to file a real estate tax assessment appeal are right around the corner. Below are some of the deadlines for Pennsylvania counties:
Philadelphia October 3 (first Monday in October)
Berks August 15
Bucks August 1
Chester August 1
Dauphin August 1
Delaware August 1
Lackawanna September 1
Lancaster August 1
Lehigh August 1…
Uniform Property Reassessment System Proposed in PA
Western Pennsylvania state legislators are advocating the creation of a uniform, statewide process to update property values.
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21 Names Nominated for Philadelphia Board of Property Assessment Appeals
21 Names Nominated for Philadelphia Board of Property Assessment Appeals…
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Philadelphia Voters Abolish BRT
Philadelphia voters yesterday approved a charter change abolishing the 156-year-old Board of Revision of Taxes.
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