Pour Me a Guinness and Let’s Talk Property Tax
Topic: Property Tax Appeals
Thursday, 19 April 2012 by David H. LeVan
Loading ...Why does Guinness beer taste so much better in Ireland than anywhere else in the world? I spent a few days in Dublin several years ago and had the opportunity to tour the Guinness Brewery. At the end of the tour we were treated to some freshly brewed Guinness. It was really good! In fact, during the ensuing days I was able to have a couple more Guinness beers, as well as good food, in some nice pubs in and around Dublin. What a wonderful way to relax and have a conversation.
In case you haven’t heard, Ireland is in a revolt! Unlike many of the other revolts from the history of Ireland, this one is a property tax revolt. According to the New York Times, about fifty percent of Irelands (1.6 million homeowners) failed to pay their $133 property tax bill due March 31st. Protesters came from all corners of Ireland to protest in Dublin and they are simply refusing to pay any sort of property tax.
On January 1, 2012 Ireland introduced the new property tax as part of its austerity program to comply with demands from the European Union. The idea behind the program is to have a flat property tax for 2012 and develop a more comprehensive property tax for subsequent years. The government believes it has no choice but to implement the property tax. At least half of its citizens don’t agree.
The government is considering fines, penalties, contempt of court charges and whatever else they have to do to motivate the delinquent taxpayers. But the taxpayers are holding strong. With almost 12,000 pubs in Ireland, they ought to be able to get together and have a conversation. Perhaps over a Guinness.
Pete the Property Tax Parasite
Topic: Property Tax Appeals
Thursday, 12 April 2012 by David H. LeVan
Loading ...I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Dominican Republic with a couple of colleagues from Advantax at the beginning of this month. We went with a larger team to bring computers and school supplies to Students International and work in their mentoring and sports programs for the week (you can see pictures http://on.fb.me/Iz9W8V if you’re interested). It was a very fulfilling and impactful trip!
The only downside was that I caught some kind of parasite while there. I’ll spare you the gruesome details but it was impactful in a different way. The parasite became such a part of my life that I decided to name him Pete. After a week and a strong antibiotic, I believe that Pete is now departed from me. And, there’s an upside to my relationship with Pete. He cleaned me out. I’m 8lbs lighter, my digestive system is unclogged, and I feel great. I’ll bet I can even run faster.
The Marion County (IN) Assessor’s Office currently has almost 30,000 active appeals. Over half were appealed prior to 2008! Some taxpayers have been waiting for years to have their appeal processed while the government has held on to their money. The Assessor acknowledges the clog and empathizes with the taxpayers, according to an interview, but doesn’t seem to have an answer. Is it possible that Pete the Parasite could be the solution to cleaning out their system? Heck, maybe they’ll even run faster.