BLOG: Property Tax Appeal

Red Card for Red Bull Soccer Stadium

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
11 Feb 2012
Like a referee ejecting a soccer player for overly aggressive play, the New Jersey Tax Court has thrown out a tax appeal that claimed Red Bull Arena, home to the New York Red Bulls Soccer Club, is a tax-exempt entity. The arena sits on a 12-acre parcel that is located within a designated redevelopment area... Read More

Refunds for Environmental Remediation?

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
1 Feb 2012
Getting a refund from a successful property tax appeal may get a little harder for owners of certain contaminated industrial properties.  State Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney introduced legislation yesterday that would require a property tax refund to be forwarded to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) and applied toward remediation costs, instead of being... Read More

Another Taxpayer Bites the Dust, This Time For Being One Day Too Late

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
25 Jan 2012
A Tax Court judge dismissed a complaint that arrived by regular mail one day past the statutory filing deadline.  The property owner initially appealed his assessment to the Monmouth County Board of Taxation, who affirmed the judgment and mailed a copy to the parties on September 20, 2011.  The property owner’s Tax Court complaint was... Read More

Ailing Seller’s Eagerness to Sell Fatal to Buyer’s Tax Appeal

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
23 Jan 2012
A sale of the subject property was recently disqualified as an “arms’ length” sale, according to the Tax Court, because the seller was ill and accepted the first offer made by the buyer.  The buyer filed a tax appeal to challenge the property’s assessment and offered only the sale of property to establish that the... Read More

City Council Cannot Cure Assessor’s Mistake

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
18 Jan 2012
In Harbor Cove Marina LLC v. City of Somers Point, the Law Division of the Superior Court struck down a resolution by the City Council that increased an assessment in an attempt to cover the mistake of the City Tax Assessor. The City Council adopted the resolution increasing the assessment after the assessor realized that... Read More

Star Ledger Reports: Finally Some Property Tax Relief!

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
9 Jan 2012
The Sunday Star-Ledger reported yesterday its finding of an analysis of local property taxes in all 566 New Jersey municipalities that shows the average property tax bill was $7,758 in 2011, an increase of about $182 or 2.4% from 2010.  (The Star Ledger article can be found here) This increase was at a significantly slower... Read More

Experts’ Opinions on Golf Course Valuation Not Up to Par

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
3 Jan 2012
A Tax Court judge rejected the opinions of both parties’ experts after both failed to present sufficient evidence of value at trial.  The property under appeal for the 2008 and 2009 tax years, the Bear Brook Golf Club, is a 183 acre 18 hole semi-private golf course in Fredon Township, New Jersey, with an assessment... Read More

Property Owner’s “False” Responses Lead to Dismissal of Tax Appeal

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
30 Dec 2011
A recent decision by the Tax Court held that a property owner’s failure to include information concerning a concession lease for a 3,000 sq. ft. area within a skating rink was a “false or fraudulent account” under N.J.S.A. 54:4-34 (Chapter 91 Request).  The property owner answered the Township of Mt. Laurel’s Tax Assessor’s request for... Read More

McKirdy & Riskin’s Thomas Olson And Anthony DellaPelle Will Be Featured As Panelists

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
27 Dec 2011
McKirdy & Riskin’s Thomas Olson and Anthony DellaPelle will be featured as panelists, along with appraiser and builder David Bossart, at an upcoming seminar sponsored by the Community Builders and Remodelers Association:  “Real Estate Tax Appeals:  What builders need to know about reducing their property tax expenses”.    The seminar will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2012,... Read More

Tax Court to Nonprofit – Only 2% Exempt.

by: Anthony F. Della Pelle
23 Dec 2011
In Phillipsburg Riverview Organization Inc. v. Town of Phillipsburg, (December 16, 2011, Approved for Publication), the Tax Court denied in part and granted in part a property tax exemption pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:4-3.6 to plaintiff, Phillipsburg Riverview Organization Inc. (“PRO”), a New Jersey not-for-profit corporation.  Under its Articles of Incorporation, PRO was formed to promote... Read More