I represent retailers and other taxpayers across the state challenging their property taxes. The municipalities hire lawyers to defend them in court, and political figures speak out in the court of public opinion against them. They are often chastised for exercising their constitutional and statutory rights to challenge their taxes. Every taxpayer has these same fundamental rights. When those taxpayer challenges upset the status quo, you see “dark store” referendums across the state and proposed legislation designed to make their taxpayer challenges procedurally and substantively more difficult. The common refrain along the way is that these taxpayers are “not paying their fair share” and are “causing other taxpayers to have to pay more.” But who is really to blame?
In the words of Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction: Well allow me to retort.
I came across a New York Times article that once again pointed out the inequality in the property taxation system coming from nonprofit property tax exemptions. Are the “nonprofits” in your community paying their fair share? Are they true “nonprofits” that deserve to be protected and exempted from property taxes in the state?
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