If you purchased real property last year, you have to be vigilant about the tax assessment this year as it can be over and above the purchase price of the subject property, and assessed higher than other comparable properties in the immediate area. Otherwise, your action may well be to accept the Fulton County property tax assessment and write a check for the taxes, when the tax bill comes. 

While many property owners/taxpayers believe that House Bill 202 (HB 202), which was passed by the State Assembly of Georgia after intensive deliberations, took effect only on 1 January 2016, this is not so. Many of the provisions in the statute passed into effect upon the approval of the Governor and as of July 1, 2015. Along with the Office of the DeKalb County Tax Assessor, which has a considerable stake in the law, you should be well aware of the changes that have considerable impact on your own stake as a property owner.

Aside from taking measures to reduce the appraised value or appealing the assessed value of your property, you can also enjoy a substantial Gwinnett County property tax reduction via tax exemptions. At present, residents of Gwinnett County can choose from 14 property tax exemptions including regular homestead, disabled veteran, and senior citizens exemptions.

Property owners/taxpayers in the State of Georgia have several reasons to rejoice with the approval of House Bill 202 (HB 202). Once it went into effect on January 1, 2016, the bill introduced several sweeping changes in the Fulton County property tax appeal process – and for other counties, for that matter – including the right to make recordings of the hearings and interviews related thereto. 

 

Right to Record

Keep in mind that recordings of interviews and hearings can be used against the tax authorities in your appeal. You should then always keep a recording device handy whenever you are gathering evidence especially when you feel that the tax assessment staff is uninformed or combative.

Watch the Gwinnett Video Guide

Under HB 202, you are entitled to have an interview with a county employee or officer authorized to discuss the property assessments conducted by the Fulton County property tax assessors. Your right is related only to the valuation of the subject property as well as to its appeal, arbitration, and other related proceedings so keep your questions relevant.

You have to shoulder the expenses of the interview including the equipment, such as a portable recorder, to enforce your right. You can record all of the proceedings (i.e., hearings) before the Board of Equalization (BOE) and hearing officers, as well as the evidence-gathering process before the proceedings.

Refusal to Engage

The Fulton County property tax authorities particularly the county appraisers and assessors cannot refuse your request for an interview. You should, however, make a written request addressed to the Tax Assessor for it to push through in a timely manner. You should receive a reply to your request for the possible date and time of the interview, which should be within 30 calendar days from the postmark date on your request.

You must remember that the date and time should be mutually agreed between both parties. The interview itself must be conducted in the office of the Tax Assessor, and not in any other place for the interview to be admissible as part of evidence. 

As a property owner and taxpayer, you should be curious about the basic ins and outs of the DeKalb County property tax assessment process for obvious reasons. Keep in mind that even a single mistake in your real property’s assessment will be reflected on your annual notice of assessment. Your basic knowledge about the assessment process can mean the difference between winning and losing your appeal.

Of all the Fulton County property tax exemptions available for taxpayers, the homestead exemption is arguably the most beneficial. This is because applying it to your property tax is relatively easier and faster than most exemptions, not to mention that its deductions can be substantial. Here are the things that you must know about homestead exemption – what it is, what its qualifications are, and its amounts are.

The State of Georgia’s House Bill 202 (HB 202) introduced several crucial changes that have affected the Gwinnett County property tax assessment and appeal process. You should have basic knowledge about these changes since your property tax-related rights and responsibilities, from challenging the tax assessment via an appeal to paying the tax bill, will be affected. Your tax advisor will likely have an in-depth knowledge about HB 202 but it always pays to know about these matters yourself.

With the passage of House Bill 202, the Georgia General Assembly has further reinforced the rights of property owners whose property values are under the mercy, so to speak, of the Fulton County tax assessors. As a property owner and taxpayer, you should assert your rights in the same manner as you perform your responsibilities, tax-wise. 

Dubbed as the Christmas tree bill, the Georgia Legislature finally passed House Bill 202 (HB 202) on April 2, 2015, the last day of its session. The 49-page bill contains several crucial amendments to the state’s real property tax system particularly its assessment and appeals processes, many of which work to the taxpayers’ benefit. The majority of the amendments contained in it applies to 2016 assessment appeals, including the DeKalb County property tax process, with the changes in the avenues of appeals contained here.  

According to the laws of the State of Georgia, the Gwinnett County property tax authorities also have the responsibility of conducting preferential assessments on certain types of real property. You can check with the tax assessors whether your real property qualifies for the special assessments but here are the things that you must know.