BLOG: Property Tax Appeal

Want To File A Property Tax Appeal? You Gotta Pay! Except When…

by: Thomas Olson
11 Aug 2022
Deciding to file a property tax appeal is a major decision… So, you just received your property tax bill and noticed the payment has increased and now want to reduce your property taxes.  Easier said than done, but do you have to pay the higher taxes in order to file the appeal? Usually, the answer... Read More

Governor Murphy’s ANCHOR Program Could Lead To “Truly Historic” Tax Relief

by: Thomas Olson
30 Jun 2022
It is nothing new that New Jersey homeowners pay the highest property taxes in the country, with average tax bills in 2021 around $9,200. Much-needed property tax relief could be on the way if approved as part of Governor Murphy’s state budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2023, beginning July 1. The new state program supported... Read More

Failure to Read Ordinance Leads to Appraisal’s “Fatal Flaw”

by: Thomas Olson
26 May 2022
In two recent related matters, both with years 2016-2020 pending, Phillipsburg Mall c/o Namdar Realty Corp. v. Lopatcong Twp. and Phillipsburg Mall c/o Namdar Realty Corp. v. Pohatcong Twp., defendants filed motions under R. 4:40-1 for entry of judgments at trial. Judge Joshua Novin, J.T.C., granted defendants’ motions and affirmed the property tax assessments. The... Read More

Tax Court Affirms Standing To File An Appeal Under Long Term Tax Exemption Law (“LTTEL”)

by: Thomas Olson
3 Aug 2021
A recent Tax Court opinion by the Honorable Joshua D. Novin examined whether a property owner possessed standing to bring a tax appeal when the property was part of a redevelopment project subject to a financial agreement under the Long Term Tax Exemption Law (“LTTEL”) and whether the Court possessed jurisdiction to adjudicate same. Here,... Read More

Appellate Court: Ensure Your Address Is Current With The Tax Assessor, Or It May Cost You

by: Thomas Olson
18 Jun 2021
The Appellate Division recently decided a case between the City of Newark and IMJ1, LLC, regarding three parcels of property which IMJ1 owned in Newark. The three parcels of property were purchased in January 2017 and were characterized by IMJ1’s counsel as being abandoned. From January 2017 through the present day, IMJ1 never paid the... Read More

Are Property Taxes Too High In New Jersey?

by: Thomas Olson
16 Jun 2021
Pursuant to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a study conducted by the finance company Self found that the average New Jerseyan pays $931,000 in taxes in their lifetime. That ranks as the most of any state in the country. To put it into perspective, pursuant to the same study the average American pays $525,000... Read More

New Legislation: Make The Veteran’s Tax Exemptions Available for Co-Ops and Other Communal Housing

by: Thomas Olson
11 Jun 2021
The NJ Veteran Property Tax Exemption has been frequently discussed on this blog. For example, we blogged a case regarding the denial of a Veteran’s Tax Exemption because the deceased veteran never held a property interest nor had a Veteran’s Tax Exemption on the subject property. The Veteran’s Property Tax Exemption has been around since... Read More

The Process to Appeal Your New Jersey Property Tax Assessment

by: Thomas Olson
property tax appeal process
9 Jun 2021
Although many property owners may believe that their property tax assessments are set in stone, the truth is that property taxes are not fixed expenses. Tax assessments hinge on the assessor’s calculation of the market value of a property, and it is often the case that such calculations are inaccurate or not reflective of current... Read More

Tax Court: Chapter 91 Request Must Be Unambiguous

by: Thomas Olson
1 Jun 2021
Chapter 91, codified at N.J.S.A. 54:4-34, has long been a tool used by municipalities to dismiss tax appeals. Chapter 91 applies to income-producing properties. The tax assessor mails the taxpayer a written request for the income and expenses on income-producing property. Those figures help the assessor determine the value of the property for the succeeding... Read More

Jersey City Tax Assessor Questioning Property Tax Exemptions for Non-Profits

by: Thomas Olson
26 May 2021
The Property Tax Assessor in Jersey City has been attempting to remove various nonprofit organizations’ property tax-exempt status. While some non-profits have been successful in maintaining their property tax-exempt status, several others are still in danger of seeing their property’s tax-exempt status revoked. This could cost nonprofit organizations thousands of dollars a year in property... Read More