Property Tax Lawyers in West Palm Beach
In West Palm Beach, Florida, the government imposes a tax (a legally-mandated payment made to the government) on real property. "Real property" is defined as any piece of land, or object permanently or semi-permanently affixed to the land (such as buildings, trees, minerals, etc.).
West Palm Beach, Florida measures property taxes simply by taking a percentage of the property's value. Typically, they are paid on a yearly or monthly basis.
Typically, the federal government does not collect property taxes anywhere in the U.S. Property taxes are collected almost exclusively by state and local authorities.
How Property Tax is Calculated in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida calculates its property taxes by requiring property owners to pay a set percentage of the appraised value. While the property tax rate varies considerably across different parts of the country, they fall into the 1-5% range.
In order to levy this tax, the tax authorities in West Palm Beach, Florida must have an uniform formula for figuring out the value of a given piece of property.
In some ways, value is a subjective thing. For example, the home in which you grew up is probably worth far more to you than its market value. To get around this, the government uses nothing but objective factors in determining how much a piece of real property is worth.
To this end, the West Palm Beach, Florida 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 West Palm Beach, Florida Property Tax Attorney Can Help.
Property tax law in West Palm Beach, Florida is not always simple. Legal disagreements about property taxes can arise from almost any situation. For instance, you might have reason to suspect that the taxable value of your home was overestimated, creating a bigger property tax bill. And, the government might claim that you have underpaid your property taxes, while you think that you have paid the correct amount.
If you are affected by one of these, or any other, property tax legal issues in West Palm Beach, Florida, you should deal with it properly. If you fail to do so, a relatively minor issue can become much more expensive and inconvenient than it might otherwise have been. Thus, the assistance of a knowledgeable tax attorney in West Palm Beach, Florida is highly useful in avoiding these issues in the first place, or handling them if they do arise.