Like it or not, the Hall County Tax Assessor and Tax Commissioner are parts of life for owners of real property within the jurisdiction of Hall County in Georgia.  These two government officials and their staff members are responsible for the assessment of property valuation including fair market values and assessed values for properties in their jurisdiction as well as for the collection of the taxes.  Their offices are also mandated by law to answer the questions posed by taxpayers. 

Understandably, many property owners think of the DeKalb County Tax Assessor and his staff as the agents of evil government.  These county officials are, after all, the people responsible for the assessment of the taxable values of real property in their jurisdiction, said taxable value of which are the basis for the estimated property taxes – and we all know the reluctance many taxpayers have about doing their civic duty and parting with their money. 

While the Fulton County Tax Assessor may or may not be pursuing unconventional valuation methods in growing the county’s property tax base, commercial property owners should be well aware of the possibility. Keep in mind that when the value of commercial property cannot keep pace with the county’s revenue needs, these methods will likely be applied. 

Many taxpayers believe that hiring the services of a Gwinnett County tax consultant is unnecessary especially in financial terms. Taxpayers, after all, can prepare and file their tax returns as well pay for their taxes on their own.

Even with computer-generated recordkeeping, the DeKalb County property tax officials can still make mistakes in keeping property-related records. Keep in mind that even apparently small errors can have a significant impact on the fairness of property valuation.

One of the most notable provisions of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (Act 431) is the shifting of the burden of proof to the DeKalb County Tax Assessor for changes in property valuation upon appeals filed by the concerned property owners. With the shift, assessing officials are obligated by law to defend excessive increases in assessment. The defence should be made with a preponderance of objective evidence coupled with meaningful arguments.

Multifamily property owners should be aware of the mistakes and their reasons made by the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor in the valuation of their real estate assets. By understanding these things, the owner/taxpayers have the weapons necessary for their successful appeals against unfairly high tax assessments.

Every year, the Hall County Tax Assessor sends out the Annual Notice of Assessment to all residential and commercial property owners. Many of these owners will file appeals against their assessments on one or all of three grounds, namely, value, taxability and equalization.

The median effective Hall County tax rate is at 0.80% of property value, as computed from the median property tax of $1,394 and median home value of $175,200. At this rate, Hall County is considered as one of the Georgia counties with the highest property taxes – 20^th by median property taxes and 65^th by median tax as a percentage of property value. The higher property taxes here can be partly attributed to the higher median property values in the county as against the rest of Georgia (i.e., $175,200 to $162,800 respectively).

Taxpayers will understandably balk at increases in their taxes especially when these apply on real and personal property. Such a tax-averse attitude will likely be observed when there are Fulton County property tax increases, which add to the yearly burden on top of other types of taxes.