Property Taxes

Taxpayers first should try to win property tax reductions through informal protests to assessors.

Most formal tax appeal processes begin with an appeal, which ordinarily must be filed with the appropriate assessment appeals board.

Property taxes on all real estate, including those levied by state and local governments and school districts, are fully deductible against current income taxes.

Property taxes are generally ad valorem taxes. This means that they are charged in relation to the value of the property taxed.

Property provides an easily measured, difficult-to-hide source of wealth for purposes of taxation. Government eagerness to tax real estate wealth is generally matched by citizen reluctance to have it do so.