Property Tax Lawyers in Ephrata

The law of Ephrata, Pennsylvania says that everyone who owns real property has to pay taxes on it. The term "real property" refers to land and buildings, as well as anything adhered to the land, like trees and natural resources.

The property tax in Ephrata, Pennsylvania is simply a percentage of a piece of property's appraised value, paid to the state and/or local government on a periodic - normally annual - basis.

Federal authorities do not collect a property tax. Only state and local governments collect property taxes, as a general matter.

How Property Tax is Calculated in Ephrata, Pennsylvania

Most often, property taxes in Ephrata, Pennsylvania are simply a set percentage of the property's value. Across the country, state authorities impose a wide range of different tax rates. The highest rates in the country are in the area of 5% of the property's value, and the lowest are less than 1%.

To collect the property tax, the authorities of Ephrata, Pennsylvania have to first determine the value of an individual piece of land.

As you probably know, value is not always objective. For instance, the owners of family heirlooms normally place far more value on them than their objective monetary value. So tax officials have to be careful to only use objective criteria in valuing property for tax purposes.

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

How A Ephrata, Pennsylvania Property Tax Attorney Can Help.

The system of levying property taxes in Ephrata, Pennsylvania can get fairly difficult. Disputes about property taxes, between the taxpayer and the tax authorities, can come up in many different ways. A taxpayer may believe that an error was made in calculating their property's taxable value, resulting in bigger tax bill. Furthermore, the state or city government might allege that you have failed to pay your property taxes, while you believe that you have.

If one of these contentions affects you and your property in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, you should make every effort to properly handle it. This can prevent small issues from growing into large ones. The best way to do this is to seek the advice of a brilliant Ephrata, Pennsylvania tax attorney who specializes in property tax law.