As a taxpayer, you have the right to file your Hall County tax appeal in case your property’s assessed value is too high, too low, or just right. But before filing your appeal, you must consider the impact of your decision on the county and its coffers including its ability to provide basic services to its constituents.
While you may have the right to appeal your property’s assessed value in order to reduce your property taxes, you also have the responsibility of performing your civic duty of paying your taxes in the right amount at the right time. Taxes are, after all, the lifeblood of the county.
Impact of Tax Appeals
It must be emphasized that any Hall County tax appeal will have an impact on the county’s revenues for the succeeding years. This is because the county cannot collect on the full taxes from the property owners while the appeal is being processed. The county can only issue a temporary discounted tax bill to the property owners, typically at least 85% of the full tax.
While this may not seem such a big deal, it must be noted that the county uses the taxes as funds for a wide range of basic services including sanitation, education and transportation, among others. Every Hall County tax appeal filed means hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars of revenue on hold that could have been used for these purposes.
Keep in mind that Hall County has to adjust both its gross revenue projections and general fund budget when appeals are filed and assessments are changed. For example, when many owners file their appeals, the county may adjust their tax revenue projections for the succeeding years. During the appeals process, the country may also discover additional taxable property (e.g., a new building) or property characteristics (e.g., renovations), which can increase tax collections.
In recent years, the accumulated and approved Hall County tax appeal assessment reductions have resulted in a 2% loss in the budget. Adjustments in the general fund may be necessary, such that the county can increase reserves or reduce the spending.
File Your Appeal
When you have carefully considered the pros and cons of filing your Hall County tax appeal, you may still want to proceed with it. You should ideally hire a tax advisor for this purpose because of the amount of time, energy and expertise involved in filing and winning a tax assessment appeal.
With a tax advisor on board, you can let him handle two aspects of your appeal. First, you can let him file the appeal on your behalf including meeting the deadlines and complying with the necessary documents. Second, you can hand over the reins to them for case presentation, as is the case during the Board of Assessor’s review and Board of Equalization’s hearing.
The bottom line: You don’t have to go at the Hall County tax appeal alone – you should have an advocate for your cause! You will enjoy the benefits of having the experts by your side as you take on the county’s tax authorities.
