Tax Assessment Appeals

Property taxes can eat up a large portion of your profit if you don’t have an experienced attorney on your side to help you decrease your tax liability. At Hoegen & Associates, P.C., we work with business owners in Wilkes-Barre, PA and across Pennsylvania in helping to reduce their taxes on their commercial properties

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Total Tax Savings

$2,844,721

Monroe County Court of Common Pleas Pocono Mountain School District v. Monroe County Board of Assessment Appeals, et al. - Monroe County Docket No. 10745-CV-2008 (September 12, 2012)

The school district attempted to raise the assessment on the property from $3,455,960 to $5,040,000. The case went to trial and the Court ruled for a reduction in tax assessment to $2,226,000. This resulted in a tax savings of over $1,000,000 over a four-year period.

Bradford County Court of Common Pleas Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation c. Board of Assessment Appeals of Bradford County, Bradford County Docket No. 2013 AA 0004 (December 8, 2015)

The implied market value set by the Board of Assessment Appeals was $18,068,899 for the tax year 2014 and $19,031,818 for the tax year 2015. On appeal to the Court of Common Pleas the School District’s appraiser argued that the market value should be $12,463,000. Petitioner’s appraiser argued that the market value should be$ 4,350,000. The Court of Common Pleas of Bradford County entered an Opinion and Order setting the market value at $8,105,832. This obtained a reduction in assessment from $6,071,150 to $2,723,560 for 2014 and $2,512,808 for 2015. This resulted in a tax savings for our client of$199,986.36 for 2014 and $186,871.54 for 2015.

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate, Inc. f/k/a Ambrosia US Newco, LLC v. Luzerne County Board of Assessment Appeals, et al., Luzerne County Docket No. 2016-11484 (August 8, 2018)

Reduction in assessed value from $65,000,000 to $23,000,000. Annual Tax Savings of $667,864.00.

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Wilkes Barre Behavioral Hospital v. Luzerne County Board of Assessment Appeals, et al. - Luzerne County Docket No. 2017-12656 (August 14, 2018)

The parties stipulated to a reduction in tax assessment from $21,215,900 to 9,800,000 for 2018 and 9,650,000 for 2019. This resulted in tax savings of approximately $280,000 per year.

Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas 60 Green Mountain, LLC v. Schuylkill County Board of Assessment Appeals, et al., Schuylkill County Docket No. S-2391-2012 (November 6, 2014)

The School District’s expert argued an opinion of value of $34,000,000. The Court found the Petitioner’s experts more credible. The Court Ordered that the fair market value be reduced to $27,300,000. This changed the assessment from $16,310,000 to $13,048,000 in 2013 and $13,540,800 in 2014 and subsequent years. This resulted in a tax savings of approximately $65,000 per year.

63 Green Mountain, LLC v. Schuylkill County Board of Assessment Appeals, et al., Schuylkill County Docket No. S-2390-2012 (November 6, 2014)

The School District’s expert argued an opinion of value of $24,750,000. The Court found the Petitioner’s experts more credible. The Court Ordered that the fair market value be reduced to $18,650,000. This changed the assessment from $13,980,000 to $9,506,400 in 2013 and $9,250,400 in 2014 and subsequent years. This resulted in a tax savings of approximately $45,000 per year.

Fayette County Court of Common Pleas Duke Energy Fayette II, LLC V. Fayette County Bd. Of Assessment Appeals, 116 A.3d 1176 (Pa. Cmwlth Ct., May 28, 2015)

The Fayette County Board of Assessment Appeals issued an assessment change notice to Duke Energy which revised the assessment of their property from $1,800,000 to $35,181,260. The trial court ruled in favor of the Board. Upon appeal, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court reversed the decision of the trial court and decided that the assessment was a spot assessment. The School District then filed a reverse appeal nunc pro tune for the tax years 2011 through 2016. Ultimately, the parties stipulated to an assessment of $14,000,000. This resulted in refunds due to Duke Energy in excess of $1.6 million and a savings of approximately $400,000 per year.

We Represent Your Best Interests in Tax Assessment Appeals

By reducing your tax obligation, we help you save money for what matters most—ensuring your business’s success. We have worked with Fortune 500 companies, land developers, entrepreneurs, and others looking to decrease their taxes. We put our years of experience and knowledge of local and regional real estate tax code to work for you to help you contest a property evaluation.

Providing You With an Accurate Property Evaluation

We take into account all of the factors when it comes to determining a proper property evaluation. These factors include the construction costs, income approach, and the sales price of similar commercial properties. By doing this, we can determine if the county has overvalued your property, resulting in a higher tax liability for you. We will represent you before a county agency or a courtroom to decrease your property taxes as much as possible.

However, keep in mind that your property value will change over time as the local markets change. We recommend meeting with us at least once a year to determine if your property value is still accurate based on the current market state, as this can affect your tax liability.

For more information about how we can help you decrease your commercial property taxes with a tax assessment appeal, or to schedule a free consultation, contact us today at 570-820-3332!

Hoegen & Associates, P.C.

152 S Franklin St

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

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Phone: 570-820-3332

Fax: 570-820-3262

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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