Next time you get your property tax bill you will want to make sure to not only verify your name and address are correct but take a look closely at your assessed value and calculations used to total your tax bill.
A recent study alleges that Detroit may have illegally increased taxes on its lowest-value homes, according to the Detroit Metro Times. Researchers say they have found evidence that property taxes were inflated beyond legal limits, impacting those with homes of lesser value disproportionately.
The paper says the study sheds light on potential discrepancies in property tax assessments, which could have unfairly burdened homeowners in economically challenged areas. This raises concerns about the fairness and legality of tax practices in the city.
The Metro Times writes… Detroit Assessor Alvin Horhn dismissed the claims in the study as “utter nonsense” and “politically driven,” saying that “any claim that homes today are systemically overassessed is just false.”
According to the article, in the past the city of Detroit admitted about five years ago: It overtaxed homeowners by at least $600 million between 2010 and 2016 affecting an estimated 100,000 Detroiters who lost their homes to tax sales. A group is advocating for those who are and were affected to be compensated.
Next time you get your property tax bill, verify your name, address, assessed value, and calculations. You can find your county’s office by going to our “County Links’ page, selecting the PA next to your county, search for your property, there should be a link on the property’s page for the tax bill or tax collector’s page. The controversy raises questions about fairness and legality in property tax assessments. As they said, Detroit Assessor Alvin Horhn dismissed the claims as politically driven, though the city admitted to overtaxing homeowners by at least $600 million between 2010 and 2016. Imagine how approximately 100,000 Detroiters affected by this feel, the outrage is leading to calls for compensation possible tax sales pauses while they figure this out. Read more in the Detroit Metro Times.
