Property Tax Lawyers in Bell Gardens

In Bell Gardens, California, 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.).

Property taxes in Bell Gardens, California are measured as a percentage of the appraised value of the property. Property taxes are paid to the state or local government at regular (generally yearly) intervals.

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

How Property Tax is Calculated in Bell Gardens, California

Most often, property taxes in Bell Gardens, California are simply a set percentage of the property's value. Across the country, state authorities impose a wide range of various 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 Bell Gardens, California have to first decide the value of a specific piece of land.

As you probably know, value is not always objective. For example, the owners of family heirlooms typically 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 Bell Gardens, California 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 Bell Gardens, California Property Tax Attorney Can Help.

The system of levying property taxes in Bell Gardens, California can get very complicated. Disagreements about property taxes, between the taxpayer and the tax authorities, can come up in various different ways. A taxpayer may believe that an error was made in calculating their property's taxable value, resulting in bigger tax bill. Additionally, the state or city government might allege that you have failed to pay your property taxes, while you believe that you have.

If you are engaged in a property tax dispute with the tax authorities of Bell Gardens, California, you should seek the assistance of a Bell Gardens, California tax attorney. Your attorney can help you prevent a small tax problem from turning into something much bigger and more expensive than it needs to be.