Property Tax Lawyers in Staunton
Laws of Staunton, Virginia require all property owners to pay a tax on the value of their property. Property taxes exclusively apply to real property (as opposed to personal property). This encompasses land, buildings, and assets that are permanently or semi-permanently affixed to the land.
The property tax in Staunton, Virginia is simply a percentage of a piece of property's appraised value, paid to the state and/or local government on a periodic - typically annual - basis.
Typically, the federal government does not collect property taxes anywhere in the U.S. Property taxes are gathered almost always by state and local authorities.
How Property Tax is Calculated in Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia property taxes are typically calculated as a percentage of the value of the taxable property. Rates differentiate widely across the country, typically ranging from less than 1% at the low end, to about 5% at the high end.
To collect the property tax in a fair and consistent manner, Staunton, Virginia tax authorities need to have an objective formula for deciding the value of land under its jurisdiction.
In some ways, value is a subjective thing. For instance, 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 deciding how much a piece of real property is worth.
To that end, the Staunton, Virginia employees in charge of appraising land look at objective facts to measure 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 Staunton, Virginia Property Tax Attorney Can Help.
The system of levying property taxes in Staunton, Virginia 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 run into any issue with your Staunton, Virginia property taxes, failing to handle it properly can result in anything from unnecessary inconvenience to considerable fines and tax penalties. However, with the help of a Staunton, Virginia tax attorney, your chances of running into a property tax problem can be minimized.