Understanding tax assessment ............... Sabrina Kahwaty

Pay what you owe Wolfgang & Weinmann challenges tax assessments for New Yorkers

BY SABRINA KAHWATY

Every property owner pays taxes. The bill shows up, property owners pay. Simple, right?

Not necessarily.

“Property taxes are based on the valuation wage set by the local municipality,” explains Peter Weinmann, managing attorney at tax assessment challenge firm Wolfgang & Weinmann (W&W). “The wage is a subjective determination by the local municipality, and they usually use algorithms, not humans.” This lack of direct human interaction can lead to inaccuracies. Weinmann shares that in most cases, the firm determines municipalities’ assessments are wrong and “because of that, the taxpayer is paying too high a property tax.”

Taxpayers who suspect their bills are too high contact Wolfgang & Weinmann by phone or email. The firm requests a copy of the tax bill (and purchase contract, if it’s a recent acquisition), to determine if there’s a case. W&W operates on contingency, so initial consultation is free.

“Our firm does our own calculations to determine the valuation,” Weinmann says. If the firm finds the client is paying too much, it handles everything from initial filings to possible court action.

“It’s sort of like when you file an income tax return,” says Weinmann. “Paperwork goes to an administrative review board. After that, we make an appointment for an oral presentation, they ask for supplemental information to back up our presentation, then they issue a decision. We have thirty days to either accept or change that decision.” If the decision is accepted, case closed. If not? “The next stage is a court challenge, which is more formal,” says Weinmann. “You have to be a lawyer.”

W&W’s team of lawyers and administrative staff is ready to help. “We’ve got a practice that really just does tax assessment challenges,” Weinmann says. “We’re the biggest practice in the state that does this exclusively.”

Think you may have a case? Visit wolfgangandweinmann.com to fill out an inquiry form, email info@ WolfgangAndWeinmann.com, or call 855-0600. FY

Sabrina Kahwaty is editor of Forever Young.

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