Advantax Group, LLC | PropTax Center » A Tax to Grind

Using Property Taxes to Conquer the World

David H. LeVan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:00:29 +0000

We know Alexander the Great was the ruler of the known world in 326 B.C., but what else do you know about him?

Check out our latest PropTax Minute.

Property Tax is all the Rage in Ireland

David H. LeVan — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:00:47 +0000

To say the folks in Ireland are upset about property taxes would be a huge understatement. Over 500,000 who are required to register for the property tax are refusing. Many have protested, boycotted, rallied and marched. But now they are taking it to iTunes. For $.99 you can own the Irish anti-property tax song, “Now is the Time for Rage” by The Resistance Choir. If you haven’t heard of them it’s because they are new to iTunes, and to the music industry. The Resistance Choir is made up of ordinary people who have come together to sing in protest.

Resistance Choir member Tina MacVeigh said: ‘We have the Resistance Choir using the song in political flashmobs around Dublin to counter the propaganda onslaught of Revenue, and then we have the production of the song from one of our live performances as a download single. We are giving people opposed to the tax another way to vote against it. So don’t sit around, let’s fight this tax, and we can beat it’.

If you want to save the $.99, you can watch The Resistance Choir live on this YouTube video, http://bit.ly/13yxZB7. As Randy Jackson might say, “a little pitchy, Dog”. Not sure they’ll make American Idol, but it’s kind of a catchy tune. And as a bonus, the lyrics are on flashcards so you can sing along.

Protest songs to fight property taxes. That’s a new one! I’ll be watching this one closely. Might change my blogs into songs.

Curiosity May Have Killed the Cat, but it’s Not All Bad

David H. LeVan — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:00:44 +0000

You have probably heard the old saying, “Curiosity killed the cat”. Depending on your predisposition to cats this could be a good thing or a bad thing. Either way it does make one wonder how such an important quality like curiosity can lead to the death of cats.

Curiosity is a great quality because it produces lots of questions and asking questions leads to digging deeper and coming up with better ideas. Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Albert was a pretty smart guy, so I’m going to have to agree with him.

In fact, curiosity is a core value at Advantax. We ask “why” a lot. Curiosity allows us to dig deeper into property tax issues, discover better ideas and find more savings opportunities for our customers. And who doesn’t love saving money? Curiosity may not have worked out so well for the cat, but it does for property taxes.

What’s Obsolescence?

David H. LeVan — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:00:49 +0000

Obsolescence can be a complicated topic. We’ve created a three-part PropTax Tutorial series to help demystify it.

Check out the first video in the series and let us know what you think.

Property Taxes on a Room-by-Room Basis

David H. LeVan — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:48 +0000

What if tax exempt organizations were evaluated on a room-by-room basis? New Hampshire is trying it out.

Check out our latest PropTax Minute.

Tippecanoe Really Tips the Canoe with Property Tax Mistake

David H. LeVan — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:00:16 +0000

Everyone makes mistakes. When a mistake is made, it needs to be corrected. But what happens if the correction makes things worse? Just ask Stuart Boehning, the Lafayette attorney and proud owner of the Cascade Center in Tippecanoe County. Last year, Stuart paid a tax bill of $7,650 for a commercial/medical office building. This year however, he is looking at a bill that will be upwards of $200,000.

Why the increase? Well, it would seem that Tippecanoe County really dropped the ball (or tipped the canoe). The building was originally assessed at $2,300 when Stuart purchased it and began fixing it up in 2008. Now, it’s valued at $2.8 million. Unfortunately, Tippecanoe County didn’t take this property value change into account in earlier years, so Stuart has been paying only a fraction of what the county now believes he actually owes.

Recently approved legislation holds property owners responsible for any back taxes that are owed due to a mistake made by the county. (That’s convenient for the county). Stuart will have plenty of time to pay the bill though, since the legislation gives the property owner equal to “the number of years that the assessing officials took to make the correct assessment”. So yes, Stuart will have to pay his back taxes. The nice thing is he’ll have several years to pay up. What was once a lucky overlook is now an expensive reality.

Do you think taxpayers should be given a grace period for mistakes made by the county?

Ask Advantax

David H. LeVan — Mon, 27 May 2013 23:00:14 +0000

At Ask Advantax, we do our best to answer all of your property tax questions.

Here are questions we recently answered – perhaps the answers are helpful to you as well:

Q: What does CMI mean?
A: Certified Member of the Institute. This designation is a mark of achievement and expertise in the property tax industry. It is awarded by the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT).

Q: What is the definition of real property for property tax purposes?
A: Generally speaking, real property is the earth’s surface extending from the center of the earth and upward into space, including all things permanently attached to it. Each state and jurisdiction may have a more specific definition.

If you have any questions about property tax, Ask Advantax.

Kitty Cat Obsolescence

David H. LeVan — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:06 +0000

Have you ever walked out of your house and been engulfed in the powerful stench of cat feces? Me neither. Home owners Keith and Doris Cormier however, have had to deal with this problem first-hand. The Cormier’s live in their dream house in the City of Corner Brook, Canada. They say that their prior neighbor owned over 200 cats, and despite their neighbors no longer living there, the felines and their droppings remained which caused a terrible stench around the area.

The Cormiers have been corresponding with Corner Brook officials since 2008 about the cat problem. The city finally acted on the situation when the cats were seized in May of 2012. Sadly, the damage had already been done and the Cormier’s complained that because of the smell, their property’s value had dropped from $292k to around $150k. Almost a 50% decline! They feel strongly that they are deserving of a corresponding reduction in their property taxes because of the stench of cat feces.

The City of Corner Brook doesn’t agree with that valuation, though. Perhaps it’s because they’ve never heard of kitty cat obsolescence. They are willing, however, to have the Cormier’s apply to have their taxes deferred based on financial hardship. The Cormier’s continue to fight this issue and have since taken legal action, and continue to search for ways to reduce their property taxes.

Obsolescence due to kitty cats. What do you think about that?

Advantax Chicagoland

David H. LeVan — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:00:23 +0000

Doesn’t spring always feel busy to you? I often feel like spring is when I catch up – with yard work, spring cleaning and home projects. But just because I’m busy, I don’t want to let other important things fall to the wayside. Especially my property tax bill…

In Chicagoland, tax rates and assessments continue to increase and many Chicago business owners don’t know how to lower their property taxes. Fortunately, Advantax offers a service to help businesses specifically in our area – Advantax Chicagoland. We review and manage the upcoming property tax assessment appeals, and represent taxpayers at county board hearings in order to reduce their property taxes. Advantax handles the process and achieves savings so that local business owners can increase their bottom line and focus on running their companies.

Let Advantax take the burden off your hands and lower your property taxes. For more information, visit www.advantaxchicagoland.com.

Is Your Property Tax Value Calculated Correctly?

David H. LeVan — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:16 +0000

You could be paying more than you should on your property taxes. How do you know?

Check out our latest PropTax Minute to see what to do.