The League View appears weekly on Sundays in the Hendersonville Times-News.

APRIL 2009

4/5/09

April is the time of year we think about taxes. In Henderson County, property tax supports the work of local government. Each year the County and the municipalities must develop and adopt a budget before July first. During that process the local government may reset the property tax rate to a rate higher or lower than the previous year. The rate will be used to set the amount of tax due from each property owner. The rate will be applied to the assessed value of your property. Property is assessed in Henderson County every four years. There are several websites to help a citizen understand this process. Please review: www.dornc.com, the site of the state department of Revenue. In addition, check the website of our local assessor: www.hendersoncountync.org/ca for local information.

4/12/09

The property tax laws of North Carolina provide property tax relief to the elderly and to the disabled. There is also specific relief to permanently disabled veterans. These two options are referred to as exclusions. Citizens are encouraged to ask the Assessor’s staff about eligibility. Information explaining eligibility and application for approval can be found at the assessor's website, www.hendersoncountync.org/ca. Or a citizen may request the information by writing to Henderson County Assessor Attention: Property Tax Relief 200 North Grove Street Ste 102 Hendersonville, NC 28792 or by calling: (828) 698-4424 Questions will be answered by the assessor’s staff. Applications must be submitted by May 1. When visiting the assessor’s office for this consideration, please bring your current income tax return.

4/19/09

The property tax laws of North Carolina provide property tax relief to the elderly and to the disabled. There is specific relief to permanently disabled veterans. These two options are referred to as exclusions. Information explaining eligibility and application for approval is found at the assessor's website, www.hendersoncountync.org/ca. Or a citizen may request the information by writing to Henderson County Assessor Attention: Property Tax Relief 200 North Grove Street Ste 102 Hendersonville, NC 28792 or by calling: (828) 698-4424 Questions will be answered by the assessor’s staff. Applications must be submitted by May 1. When visiting the assessor’s office for this consideration, please bring your current income tax return.

4/26/09

Although a citizen may suspect their property has increased or decreased in value in a given year, the current assessed value is accepted for tax purposes for four years unless a citizen has appealed the value and has been given relief. In checking with the assessor’s website, a citizen will learn about several aspects of tax determination. For example, there is an explanation guiding one through an appeals process regarding property assessed value along with an explanation of the appraisal process. There is also an explanation of the ‘Present Use Value’ that values farmland at its present use and not at market value. The website outlines the process to apply for this exemption. Check with the website for the assessor’s office when there are questions regarding property tax information. www.hendersoncountync.org/ca.