As we dive into the 2021 holiday season, I wanted to reflect over the next few weeks on a dozen (or so) gifts that have been given to Hoosier taxpayers by the Indiana General Assembly to protect them from excessive, unfair and improper property tax assessments. First up: one of the most important taxpayer … [Read more...]


No Indiana property tax exemption for land encumbered by flowage easement
On June 29th, the Indiana Tax Court affirmed the Indiana Board of Tax Review’s ruling that land encumbered by a flowage easement did not qualify for a property tax exemption. In Hatke v. Parke County Assessor, taxpayers owned a home on .66 acres of lakefront land in Rockville, Indiana. More than half the acreage … [Read more...]

April Brings a Shower of Increased Property Tax Assessments for Iowa Businesses
Despite the crush of the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2021 brings a shower of increased property tax assessments for Iowa businesses. Now is the time to analyze and consider challenging excessive values. For the full post, go here. … [Read more...]

Will COVID-19 Impact Your Eligibility for an Indiana Property Tax Exemption?
Indiana property tax exemption applications must be filed on or before April 1, 2021. To grant an exemption, a county’s property tax assessment board of appeals will look at both the physical status and use of a property as of January 1, 2021 — and will consider its use during the prior calendar year. Many Indiana … [Read more...]

Quick Property Tax Cuts: Indiana Board of Tax Review Final Determinations (June – August 2020) – market data necessary; purchase price probative; vague testimony not probative
Reports should “set out the main points in a series of short, crisp paragraphs. . . . Let us not shrink from using the short expressive phrase, even if it's conversational.” Winston Churchill (as quoted in The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, pages 154-55). Case: Mutchner, LLC v. Vigo County … [Read more...]

Indiana Board of Tax Review may not “ride in on a white horse to save the day” for Assessor who failed to prove his case
Name: CVS Corporation #2519-01 v. Lake County Assessor and CVS Corporation #0434-01 v. Lake County Assessor Date Issued: May 22, 2020 Property Type: Retail pharmacy Assessment Years: 2007 – 2014, 2012 – 2016 Synopsis: In Indiana property tax appeals, taxpayers and assessors alike are responsible for … [Read more...]