A WOMAN fought her 2024 tax bill after noticing a dramatic rise in the value of her vehicle – it was $1,000 more than last year.
Even after the city adjusted the value of her car, she appealed the decision again.
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Durham, North Carolina resident Shirley Davis experienced “shock” when she realized the value of her 2018 Honda Civic had jumped from $8,000 to $9,000 – $1,000 more than her tax bill. property in 2023.
In North Carolina, drivers pay a “personal property” tax on the vehicles they own.
The more the vehicle is worth, the more taxes a resident must pay.
Davis’ six-year-old car was estimated to be worth more than $17,000.
Since North Carolina vehicle owners must pay 100% of the vehicle’s appraised value, she would have to pay about $252 in taxes.
“How could I raise $9,000 in one year?” Davis asked the ABC affiliate TVVD.
Davis filed an appeal with the Durham County Board of Equalization and Review, which corrected his project.
The council approved his appeal and reduced the property value to $15,473, but it still didn’t seem fair to Davis.
So she filed a second appeal.
“I just wanted to let it go, but something stayed in my spirit and just said, you know, keep doing this no matter what,” she said.
This week, Davis was told by a council representative that the value of his Honda was determined by a third party, who set the value based on the market.
During her second appeal case, the board told her it concluded her car was worth $11,000, based on the average price of similar vehicles for sale in the area.
Davis told the board she wanted its value to drop to $8,000, as a dealership told her how much they would pay for the vehicle if she traded it in.
The board told her they determined the value based on the market average, not what a dealership would pay for the car.
How North Carolina Vehicle Ownership Tax Works
According to Car & Driver, North Carolina residents are expected to pay taxes annually on their vehicles as personal property.
All North Carolina residents must pay property taxes on their vehicles, regardless of how long they have owned them. The exact value is determined by a third party, who analyzes the average market value of similar vehicles in the owner’s region.
“North Carolina policy states that all vehicles will be taxed at 100% of their assessed value,” the website says.
The exact amount a driver will pay depends on where they live, and it won’t be cheaper if you buy a vehicle in one county and move to another.
“The DMV requires you to pay the property tax rate where you currently reside. They will not prorate the amount due to the change in state, which means you won’t get a tax break even if you haven’t lived in your current home all year,” the website continued.
Property tax is expected to be paid in full before a vehicle’s registration can be renewed.
Source: Driver
Therefore, they denied his request.
However, they reduced the value of her car to $11,000 instead of $15,473.
Although it wasn’t the number she originally wanted, Davis was happy not to have to pay the original amount of taxes on more than $17,000.
“I’m satisfied. You know, it took a lot of effort and work on this, you know, to get to where I am,” she said.
With the car reduced to US$11,000, the amount in taxes she will have to pay is around US$168, according to the city’s vehicle property tax calculator.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
