Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Don't waste your time appealing your tax assessment!

With reference to your letters relating to property assessments, I had a very similar experience to Mr. Webster. The whole process from start to finish was very "civilized."

After being given the opportunity to speak before the Board of Equalization, I eagerly presented my case. This involved a detailed analysis of my neighborhood and house values in our subdivision.

When the tax assessor responded, she admitted that our home was one of the largest on the block and was surrounded by smaller homes. However, she had been unable to find comparatively priced homes.

I pointed out that in the absence of such data, and that my home was surrounded by smaller homes, lowering the resale value of my home, I argued that the assessment was too high.

Needless to say, several days later I received their decision accepting the tax assessor's valuation. This increased my property value by 16 percent!

Other than filing a civil action, which would incur fees above any savings generated by winning my appeal, there was nothing else I could do. Don't you think the "System" already knows this?

Trevor Jones

Peachtree City