Prop8

Should I appeal my property taxes?

Posted by admin under CA Property Tax News

By Jennifer Davies-November 8, 2008

If you’ve bought in the last few years, the answer is: Absolutely.

It’s a simple process that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year and has almost no drawbacks.

Under the law, your property taxes can’t go up more than 2 percent a year. However, when housing prices fall, as they have been doing precipitously over the last few years, your property taxes are supposed to drop as well.

Now if you bought anytime before, say, 2002, you probably won’t get a property tax reduction. But if you bought a house or condo in a particularly hard-hit area like Chula Vista or Escondido in recent years, there’s a good chance you could whittle down your property taxes, said Gregory Smith, San Diego County’s assessor-recorder-clerk.

Here’s how to appeal:

When can I appeal?

There are two time periods for appeals. The first is an informal appeal period between March 1 and May 30 in which a homeowner files a written request. The result can’t be appealed, but it must be reviewed by July 1, which is the start of the next fiscal year.

What if they reject my appeal?

Smith said that in cases where the original appeal is rejected, a compromise with the homeowner is reached 90 percent of the time. For instance, if a homeowner thinks the home value is $450,000 but the assessor’s office values it at $470,000, the two sides could agree on a value of $460,000.

What if we can’t come to a compromise?Then you have to go through the formal appeal process. The appeals board meets regularly through much of the year, typically taking the summer off. An appeal can take up to two years to resolve, but you’ll receive a refund for any retroactive tax savings.

SMART INFO

Some important things to remember

Even if the assessor’s office has lowered your property taxes, Smith said it’s imperative to pay the full amount of the current bill. You will get a refund for the overpayment sometime next year. As for your April tax bill, Smith said he hopes to send out the new, lower tax bills sometime early next year, but there are no guarantees. If you don’t receive a new tax bill, pay the current one and wait for the refund.

As long as property values continue to fall, you can continue to appeal your taxes on an annual basis. Even if you appealed your taxes this fall, for instance, you can go ahead and appeal your property taxes during the informal appeal period starting March 1 for the next fiscal year. If you file early, you can receive a lower property tax bill for 2009-10, so you won’t have to wait for a refund.

Just because your property values have plummeted doesn’t mean your taxes will be lower. If you bought in, say, 1984, your home is probably still worth a lot more than you paid for it. Also, if you’ve done any sort of improvements, you could end up with a higher property tax bill, not a lower one.

When property values go back up, so will your taxes, so don’t get too comfortable with the lower payments. Still, you won’t be hit with any back taxes. Your tax bill can only go back to the purchase price plus the potential 2 percent annual increase.

There are plenty of companies offering to appeal your property taxes for you for a fee while other companies are offereing FREE evaluations.  Here is the company that we recommend, Prop8.ORG.

Original Article HERE

Letter: Tax assessor pulling a fast one

Posted by admin under CA Property Tax News

Chico Enterprise-Record-Article Launched: 11/08/2008 12:00:00 AM PST

Santa Cruz-Higher Property Taxes to pay for Cleaner Water

Posted by admin under CA Property Tax News

By Genevieve Bookwalter-Sentinel staff writer

Article Launched: 11/04/2008 11:37:09 PM PST

SANTA CRUZ - Early results showed city voters supporting a property tax hike to pay for cleaner water.

Measure E, which would raise annual property taxes to help Santa Cruz meet state requirements to clean up storm water runoff, will pass by a narrow margin if Tuesday night’s early results stand.

The measure needed a two-thirds vote to pass; early results showed it with 67.19 percent voter approval, according to the County Clerk’s Office.

The measure would raise property taxes $28 per year for residential parcels and $94 per year for on other developed plots, for $700,000 in new city revenue, which will pay to clean up water that runs into local waterways and the Pacific Ocean after storms, carrying oil, trash and other pollutants with it.

“Santa Cruz voters tonight put their wallets where their hearts are. We are proud of the work done by volunteers, donors and supporters who care deeply about our community and our beaches, river and ocean,” said Dan Haifley, co-chair of the Yes on E campaign.

The money raised by Measure E can only be spent on storm water cleanup projects like public education efforts, new city building codes and employee training, among others. The tax does not have a sunset clause.

While Santa Cruz voters typically can be counted on to put their money where their environmental values are, city leaders were nervous that the nation’s flailing economy would prompt residents to keep their pocketbooks closed.

They also feared that the many students who turned out to vote for Democrat president-elect Barack Obama would not continue to vote on the local issues down-ticket.

If the measure was not approved, the money would have come out of the city’s $78.4 million general fund. That could have hamstrung the city, which already faces a $5 million deficit this year.

Instead, the Measure E dollars would complement the $760,000 that the city already spends each year to clean up storm water, much of which is raised through an existing Storm Water Enterprise Utility Fee.

Of the additional $700,000, about $300,000 would be spent on more storm drains and catch basin cleaning; $100,000 to upgrade existing storm drains; and $150,000 for education and outreach to help keep pollutants from washing or being dumped into the sea, among other expenses. The city and state are working on a plan and time line for meeting the goals.

Measures to raise taxes in Berkeley win at the polls

Posted by admin under CA Property Tax News

By Kristin Bender-Oakland Tribune

Article Last Updated: 11/05/2008 11:11:48 PM PST

BERKELEY — Homeowners will pay about $100 more a year on their property tax bills following the passage of two measures that will expand and upgrade the four branch libraries and the tool-lending library and improve fire service throughout the city, according to preliminary returns from the Alameda County registrar of voters.

Both Measures FF and GG had the two-thirds majority needed to win, according to returns posted Wednesday.

“I’m thrilled that the voters, the citizens of Berkeley, had the foresight to realize the importance to the whole community to rehabilitate the branch libraries,” said Amy Roth, the president of Friends of the Berkeley Public Libraries.

Most of the branches have not been renovated for more than 30 years and findings from a study last summer show that buildings are overcrowded, structurally unsafe, and lack handicap accessibility and the infrastructure to meet future technology needs.

Money from the measure will be used to bring the library branches up to code, restore and refurbish historic features, and add space.

The $26 million bond measure will increase homeowners’ property taxes by about $27 annually over 30 years, roughly two cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value. Commercial property owners will also be taxed about two cents per $100 of assessed value of the property.

Measure FF got about 68 percent of the votes while Measure GG for fire service logged about 72 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the registrar.

Outcomes could change because there are about 120,000 absentee ballots in Alameda County that still need to be counted as well as thousands of provisional ballots still not counted, said registrar spokesman Guy Ashley. The registrar will update the figures today and certify the results Dec. 2.

“(Passage of this measure) is a sign that people want certain minimal emergency service standards in Berkeley and they are willing to pay for it even in hard economic times,” said union President David Sprague-Livingston.

The measure was almost solely funded by firefighters who assessed themselves, taking money out of their paychecks, said firefighter Adam Cooke. The campaign raised about $98,000 and spent most of it, he said.

Measure GG will raise about $3.6 million in fiscal 2009 to prevent fire station closures, put paramedics at each station, fund neighborhood disaster preparedness and upgrade radio communication equipment.

Improvements will begin July 1, 2009, but any temporarily fire station closures will be stopped immediately, Sprague-Livingston said.

The measure will increase homeowners’ taxes by about $78 annually, while nonresidential building owners will pay $118 more each year.

The Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations and Berkeleyans Against Soaring Taxes campaigned heavily against both measures.

Other winners Tuesday according to preliminary returns were Measure HH, which will allow the city to continue collecting previously voter-authorized taxes; Measure II, which will give the city more time to redraw council districts after each census; and Measure JJ, a resubmission of the Patient’s Access to Medical Cannabis Initiative Ordinance.

Measure KK, which would have required voter approval before traffic lanes could be reduced for rapid bus lines, and Measure LL, which would have expanded city authority over the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission, lost at the polls.

Original Article HERE

Property tax help available

Posted by admin under CA Property Tax News

Posted on Tuesday, November 04 @ 10:56:23 PST

Nov. 4, 2008 — There’s some bad news and some good news for Lassen County seniors and disabled property owners in Lassen County who need assistance from the state in order to pay their property tax bills.

The bad news is the California legislature did not provide funding for the Homeowner and Renters Assistance Program in the state’s 2008-2009 budget. 

According to the Web site for California’s Franchise Tax Board, the state “deleted funding” for the program, and “FTB cannot process or pay 2008 assistance checks.”

Under the program, the state would pay a portion of a qualifying homeowners property tax bill.

The good news is property owners may get some help paying their tax bill from the state controller’s office through the State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement Program.

Lassen County officials declined to comment on these programs and said interested property owners should contact the state agencies involved.

The phone number for the FTB is (800) 252-5711. Its Web site is ftb.ca.gov. The phone number for the State Controller’s Office is (800) 952-5661 or (916) 327-5587. Its Web site is sco.ca.gov.

In existence since 1977, the State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement Program provides low-interest loans that allow homeowners to defer paying their property tax bills.

The program allows eligible homeowners to postpone payment of part or all of the property taxes on their residence.

According to Jacob Roper, a public information officer in the state’s communications office, the program is available for homeowners who meet the following eligibility requirements:
•Have an income of less than $35,500 for calendar year 2007.
•Have 20 percent equity in their home.
•Are 62 years of age or older on Dec. 31, 2008 or who are blind or disabled.

To participate in this program, the homeowner must complete the claim form and submit it to the State Controller’s Office. Claim forms are available at sco.ca.gov.

The deadline to file a claim is Wednesday, Dec. 10. Claims filed after the deadline may be denied.

Upon approval of the claim, the controller’s office will mail Certificates of Eligibility to the homeowner. The homeowner must mail or take the certificates to the county tax collector’s office to postpone the property taxes due.

In order to secure the postponed amount, the controller’s office records a lien against the property. Interest is charged on the postponed taxes on a simple interest basis. 

Roper said the current interest rate is 5 percent. He said changes in the interest rate will not be applied retroactively.

The amount of the postponed taxes and interest are not due until: 
•The homeowner moves from the qualified property.
•The homeowner sells or conveys the title to the home.
•The homeowner dies and does not have a spouse, or registered domestic partner, or other qualified individual who continues to reside in the home.
•Or, future property taxes or other senior liens are allowed to become delinquent. However, the homeowner may pay all or part of the obligation before it becomes due.

Original Article HERE