Property Tax Lawyers in Washington

In Washington, District of Columbia, the government imposes a tax (a legally-mandated payment made to the government) on real property. "Real property" is specified as any piece of land, or object permanently or semi-permanently attached to the land (such as buildings, trees, minerals, etc.).

Washington, District of Columbia calculates property taxes simply by taking a percentage of the property's value. Typically, they are paid on a yearly or monthly basis.

Usually, property taxes are not levied by the federal government. This applies to everywhere in the U.S.. Typically, property taxes are imposed by state and local governments.

How Property Tax is Calculated in Washington, District of Columbia

Property tax in Washington, District of Columbia almost exclusively takes the form of a tax levied on the appraised value of the property in question. Property tax rates in the U.S. range from 0.2% to around 5% of the property's value.

To collect the property tax in a fair and consistent manner, Washington, District of Columbia tax authorities need to have an objective formula for deciding the value of land under its jurisdiction.

In many ways, the value of a piece of land is relative. After all, many individuals ascribe sentimental value to their homes, which goes well beyond its market value. To guarantee that the system is equal, the government uses only objective standards to determine value.

To this end, the Washington, District of Columbia appraiser will look at things like the state of the real estate market, the size of the land, the existence of additions to the land such as buildings, and the way in which the property is zoned.

How A Washington, District of Columbia Property Tax Attorney Can Help.

The property tax system in Washington, District of Columbia can get pretty confusing. There are numerous reasons why you might run into a legal dispute regarding your property tax. For instance, you may believe that the appraised value of your property was too high, increasing your tax burden unjustly. Or, the state might accuse you of failing to pay your property tax.

If you are affected by one of these, or any other, property tax legal issues in Washington, District of Columbia, you should deal with it correctly. If you fail to do so, a relatively minor issue can become much more costly and inconvenient than it might otherwise have been. Thus, the assistance of a reliable tax attorney in Washington, District of Columbia is highly useful in avoiding these issues in the first place, or handling them if they do arise.