Bearing Drift has the great news:
Currently, when a taxpayer believes he is being overcharged, he faces an uphill battle because the government’s assessment is presumed to be correct in any appeal. Iaquinto’s bill would lift that burden off the taxpayer by simply requiring the government official to demonstrate how the assessment was calculated.
Ironically, your friendly Virginia Association of Counties is opposing the bill because it places undue pressure on local government, who will then have to justify their assessments.
*insert snarky laughter here*
What’s more entertaining is that VACo insists that the current system works just fine for challenging unfair reassessments… but that shifting the burden of proof would require more staff, more time, etc. thereby making a good process for government… a bad one for taxpayers? What gives?
Fluvanna County is still smarting from rushed reassessments, and I know staff is not relishing the idea of another reassessment done at 30,000 feet and 120mph.
Done fairly, there is no need for the doomsday scenario VACo imagines. Frankly, our Commissioners want it done fairly as well, and there’s no better way to determine the best value of a property than from property owners themselves.
I support HB 570 as honest reform, and take a bit of exception that VACo would assume they speak for every local elected official on the matter. Let’s hope the Senate supports the reform as well.