Counties might be forced to raise taxes because so many homes have lost value
Property owners rushed to county tax offices around metro Atlanta on Monday to file paperwork showing the foreclosure crisis has cost them so much value that their taxes should be reduced.
The push to lower taxes with property tax returns threatens in coming months to reduce tax collections for already cash-strapped local governments across the state — or force local officials to raise property taxes during a deepening recession.
Officials in Clayton and Fulton reported lines of filers crowding offices Monday ahead of the April 1 deadline, contending their properties had lost value during what many folks are calling a real estate depression. The deadline for Gwinnett and DeKalb counties passed March 2.
Property owners in most Georgia counties have until the close of business Wednesday to file their returns. They will also be accepted with an April 1 postmark.
How to file
April 1 is the final day to file a property tax return and lower tax values for 2009. The deadline for 2009 has already passed for properties in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
Here’s who to contact or where you can go in Clayton, Cobb and Fulton:
Clayton County Board of Tax Assessors
Chief Appraiser: Rodney McDaniel
P.K. Dixon Annex 2
Second Floor
121 S. McDonough Street, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Office (770) 477-3285 Fax (770) 477-4566
www.co.clayton.ga.us/tax_assessor/index.htm
Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors
Phillip Y. Hogsed, Sr.
736 Whitlock Avenue, Suite 200
Marietta, GA 30064
Office(770)528-3100 Fax (770) 528-3118
e-mail: cobbtaxassessor@cobbcounty.org
www.cobbassessor.org/Main/Home.aspx
Fulton County Board of Assessors
Burt Manning, Chief Appraiser
141 Pryor Street, Suite 2052
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 612-6440 phone / (404) 224-0417 fax
www.fultonassessor.org/Main/home.aspx
Labels: assessments, Fulton County, Homeowners, Property Taxes
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 8:08 AM