Property Tax Lawyers in Georgetown

The law of Georgetown, South Carolina says that everybody who owns real property has to pay taxes on it. The term "real property" refers to land and buildings, as well as anything fixed to the land, like trees and natural resources.

Property taxes in Georgetown, South Carolina are determined 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 Georgetown, South Carolina

Most often, property taxes in Georgetown, South Carolina 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 levy this tax, Georgetown, South Carolina tax authorities must initially figure out how much a house or piece of land is worth.

As you probably know, value is not always objective. For example, 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 that end, the Georgetown, South Carolina employees in charge of appraising land look at objective facts to determine value, like the size of the land and any buildings on it, the way in which the land may legally be utilized (zoning), and the health of the local real estate market.

How A Georgetown, South Carolina Property Tax Attorney Can Help.

The property tax system in Georgetown, South Carolina can get pretty difficult. 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 Georgetown, South Carolina, 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. Therefore, the assistance of a seasoned tax attorney in Georgetown, South Carolina is highly useful in avoiding these issues in the first place, or handling them if they do arise.