Thursday, April 15, 2010

“Property tax payers see big increase” plus 2 more

“Property tax payers see big increase” plus 2 more

Property tax payers see big increase

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 03:31 PM PDT

SOUTH BEND — Many in St. Joseph County now have their property tax bills. It's the first time in eight years that those bills went out on time, but some people aren't happy because they owe hundreds of dollars more this year.

By now, most people have received their property tax bill. And while many will just hand over the money, not everyone is okay with the amount due.

"I was just astonished. I mean, just astonished," says Alison Goldsmith.

Goldsmith got her property tax bill in the mail this week. She will have to pay $1,000 more this year than last year. The reason? The assessed value of her home went up.

"The assessed value of the house, according to them, has gone up 15.2 percent. I don't see it," Goldsmith said.

As more tax bills go out, Goldsmith will not be the only one with questions. The phones have been ringing non stop at the St. Joseph County Treasurer's Office.

"There are always surprises. Some people are pleasantly surprised and others are not so pleasantly surprised," said Sean Coleman, the county treasurer.

Coleman says not everyone's tax bills went up. He says there are two main things that go into determining how much is owned in property taxes — the property's assessed value, and the tax rate. The property tax bill will detail which one affected your taxes.

"If they have serious questions about the assessed valuation, call the assessor's office or the Penn Township assessor to talk about the possibility of appealing their assessed valuation," said Coleman.

And that is exactly what Goldsmith will be doing.

"This is just going to get to be my new hobby," she said.

To appeal the assessed value, property owners have 45 days from April 19. As for those affected by an increased tax rate — Coleman says there are lots of different government units that make up the tax rate, including schools, the airport, townships and municipalities.

Coleman says each township is different, and the best way to get an idea of why the township tax rate went up is to contact your trustee.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Ga. House voted to end tax on property, retirement income

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 01:35 PM PDT

ATLANTA -- The House voted today to eliminate the tax the state levies on retirement income and property as part of a bill to boost fees by $96 million and impose a new tax on the revenue of hospitals.
Efforts by Democrats to derail the tax cuts with a parlimentary tactic failed when only about half the Democrats voted with them.
The hospital tax and higher fees take effect in July, but the tax cuts only begin phasing out in 2012 to be completely eliminated by 2017.
Republicans sold the bill to their colleagues as a net tax cut, with the political benefits that it can bring in this year's elections.
House Majority Leader Jerry Keen said in a session marked by budget cuts and discussion of tax hikes, "Here's something we can do to send a message to your voters."
The state only levies one-quarter mill in property tax, a fraction of what local governments impose.
The break on retirement income will only apply to pensions and other retirement plans. Senior citizens who are still working would continue to pay tax on those paychecks.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

White Castle property owners might see tax hike

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:29 PM PDT

White Castle, La. -

The White Castle Board of Aldermen will consider "rolling up" property taxes to capture some new revenue at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 17.

Mayor Maurice Brown said it has been years since the town council voted to roll the taxes up after the four-year reassessment of property around the parish.

Brown said he did not know what the town's property tax millage was or what it might be if the council agrees to rolling the taxes up, but said those taxes only comprise $35,000 to $40,000 of the town's budget.

According to Iberville Tax Assessor John Randall "Randy" Sexton, White Castle's original property tax levy before last year's reassessment was seven mills; after reassessment, it dropped to 5.65 mills.

In dollar terms, the owner of a $65,000 home in White Castle is paying $36.73 at 5.65 mills, and would be paying $45 a year at seven mills, or a 19 percent increase, Sexton said. The assessor said owner of a $130,000 home pays $73.45 at the 5.65-mill level, and would pay $91 a year at the seven-mill level.

Sexton noted that the homestead exemption does not cover municipal property taxes. He also said the town council does not have to roll the taxes up to the full seven mills.

Under Louisiana law, property is reassessed every four years, normally with an increase in property values. Millages are rolled back to prevent local governing bodies from gaining additional tax revenues – unless they vote specifically to roll the taxes up to the millage rates they had before reassessment.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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