The California Supreme Court ruled that a corporation’s transfer of its ownership of two Los Angeles supermarkets to a trust that already owned 92.8% of the corporation’s stock was a “change in ownership,” permitting the revaluation of the supermarkets’ real property. Article XIII A of the California Constitution, added by Proposition 13, strictly limits increases

The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of a county document recording surcharge that financed affordable housing, eviction prevention, and housing stability services. A trade association of homebuilders challenged the surcharge as a property tax that violates the uniformity requirement of the Washington Constitution. The court held that the surcharge was a tax because

The California Court of Appeal held that the Los Angeles County Assessor erred by failing to remove the value of certain nontaxable intangible assets when valuing a hotel for property tax purposes. Intangible assets are generally exempt from property tax in California. In valuing the hotel, the Assessor used the income valuation approach, which looks

An Alabama legislator has re-introduced a bill that would expressly exempt “virtual currency” from ad valorem tax. Alabama broadly imposes its ad valorem tax on all property, unless expressly exempt. Under current law, several other forms of currency are enumerated as exempt, such as “money on deposit in any bank or banking institution and all

The California Court of Appeal held that a county’s failure to comply with statutory notice requirements did not render an assessment a “legal nullity” that would excuse the taxpayer from the requirement to exhaust administrative remedies.

For property tax purposes, California requires a “Notice of Proposed Escape Assessment” (which levies a retroactive assessment to recapture

On January 6, 2021, the Court of Appeals of New Mexico held that a power purchase agreement (PPA), entered into by a wholesale electricity generator to secure compensation in exchange for providing electricity, constituted intangible property that is not subject to property taxation and cannot be included in the value of the wholesaler’s electric plant

Voters in California headed to the polls (or mailboxes) this Election Day not only to choose the next president of the United States but also to make decisions on a range of tax policy questions.  From removing property tax protections for commercial properties to imposing new and increased business gross receipts taxes in San Francisco,

The Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously held that the Louisiana Tax Commission did not act in an arbitrary and capricious manner when it rejected a property tax assessor’s valuation for ad valorem taxes.  In 2012, D90 Energy, LLC purchased several wells.  For tax years 2013 through 2016, D90 Energy appealed assessments by a Jefferson Davis Parish

A California Court of Appeal found that because the taxpayer did not file proper notice with the California Board of Equalization (BOE), the limitation on the number of years the county assessor can levy retroactive escape assessments did not apply. The taxpayer’s 2006 merger constituted a change in ownership triggering reporting requirements to the BOE.