What to Do About the DeKalb County Tax Rate

Posted by Jill Noelle Olandria on Jun 12, 2015 11:30:00 AM

Like it or not, the DeKalb County tax rate is one of the highest in the State of Georgia, even in the entire United States, resulting in high tax payments for property owners. Fortunately, there are options for reducing the tax assessments and tax bills that property owners can take advantage of.

The trick is in arming yourself with the necessary information about your options as well as in seeking professional assistance in choosing the best steps. Keep in mind that while you may be well-versed in other matters, your tax knowledge may be limited, not to mention that the tax processes can be time-consuming.

High Tax Rate

According to the latest figures on property taxes, property owners in DeKalb County pay $1,977 annually for a home with a median value of $190,000. In terms of percentage, you are paying 1.04 percent of your property’s assessed value in applicable taxes. Such is the high DeKalb County tax rate on property that it ranks 458th out of 3,143 U.S. counties in terms of median property taxes.

In contrast, Warren County property owners pay just 0.51 percent of their properties’ assessed fair market values. Of course, you continue to own property in DeKalb County for many reasons but the relatively high tax rate will give you something to think about your investment.

In terms of the relationship between the total property taxes paid and the annual income, DeKalb County property owners also experience a high ratio. DeKalb residents pay an average annual property tax of approximately 2.84 percent of their annual income. In this regard, DeKalb County ranks 698th out of the 3,143 counties.

Still, there is a silver lining. The DeKalb County tax rate is comparatively lower than that of Fulton County, which has the highest rate at 1.08 percent.

DeKalb_County_tax_rate

Good Options

While you have several options in reducing your property taxes, one of the best is appealing your tax assessment. Keep in mind that you cannot reduce the tax rate but you can reduce your tax assessment and payment with the right steps.

Keep in mind that you have the right and responsibility as a citizen to appeal the property tax assessment indicated on the annual notice of assessment. You should have sufficient reason to believe that the values determined by the assessors/appraisers of DeKalb County are incorrect, such as when the appraised values differ from the fair market value per your research.

Again, when you appeal your tax assessment and get approval for its reduction, then your tax bill will be reduced regardless of the DeKalb County tax rate in effect. This is because the tax is based upon the assessment and the assessment has been reduced.

Your first step is contacting the DeKalb County Tax Assessor’s Office. You will be required to fill out an official form containing information about the assessor’s current appraisal and your proposed value as well as the reasons for your proposal. You can attach supporting documents, such as a certified appraiser’s report, to your appeal.

And that’s how you can reduce your DeKalb County tax rate without being charged for tax fraud or tax evasion!

Source: 1 http://www.tax-rates.org/georgia/dekalb_county_property_tax

property tax appeals

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