How Far Would You Go to Lower Your Property Tax?
Topic: A Tax to Grind, Property Tax Appeals
Thursday, 27 May 2010 by David H. LeVan
Loading ...How far would you go to be a hero and lower property taxes? According to legend, Lady Godiva answered that question in the 11th century with a nude ride through the streets of Coventry, England. You may be wondering what a naked woman on a horse has to do with property taxes. Trust me, they’re related.
Property Tax Hero Coventry was burdened by heavy property taxes imposed by Godiva’s husband, Leofric, whose job description included assessing and collecting property taxes. Wanting to provide relief to the people, Godiva begged Leofric to lower the property taxes. Leofric did not want to lose the revenue he gained from the taxes so he responded with a bet that he thought would never be taken. The terms of the bet were that if Lady Godiva would ride through the town completely naked he would lower the taxes.
Upon taking the bet, Lady Godiva sent out a herald requesting that the people of Coventry go indoors and close their shutters at midday. Legend has it that all the people obeyed her request, except one man. His name was Tom the tailor, but you may know him as “Peeping Tom”. He went inside, but peeped through his shutters and was the only one who saw her naked body that day.
At the completion of the ride, Leofric begrudgingly honored the bet and lowered the property taxes. How about this as a way to become a property tax hero? Thank goodness these days we have forms to use instead.
Sometimes It’s About Giving Back
Topic: A Tax to Grind
Thursday, 20 May 2010 by David H. LeVan
Loading ...Twelve employees of Advantax volunteered on 4/28 at Feed My Starving Children (www.fmsc.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to sending millions of meals to starving and malnourished children across the world. Our team was one of several groups (other companies, families, churches, clubs, etc) packing food that day. After a briefing on poverty and how the meals were packaged and used, we went to work packing as many meals as possible in 2 hours. It was an exciting way to spend the afternoon and gave us a chance to have lots of fun, engage in team building, and make a difference. In the end 103 boxes were packed, which means 22,248 meals; 61 kids fed for a year! What a great day’s work!
On 5/17, fourteen Advantax employees and members of their families participated or helped in the Feets of Strength 5k Run/Walk, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to creating positive memories for abused and neglected children in our community. The weather was great for running/walking and each participant had the opportunity to raise both awareness and support for the needs of these children.
I’m excited that activities such as these are part of the culture at Advantax and proud to work with individuals dedicated to helping others.
Do you remember your first kiss? Your first year in property taxes?
Topic: A Tax to Grind
Thursday, 13 May 2010 by David H. LeVan
Loading ...Do you remember your first kiss? Was it in junior high, high school, college, or are you still waiting? How about your first job… your first venture into property taxes? If you are like many in the property tax industry you probably stumbled into it and over time found a home. I’d like to take you back… through the eyes of someone new to the industry. Scott Eckhardt joined Advantax last November through our intern program. Seven months into his career as a full time employee of Advantax, he shares his fresh perspective and first impressions – his first kiss with property tax.