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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
December 7, 2007
Contact: Jim Avery, Kitsap
County assessor
Phone: (360) 337-7085
No. 07-88
Tax relief and refunds available for owners of storm
damaged property
PORT
ORCHARD, WA—Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery offers a small
silver lining for property owners dealing with damage from the storm’s
aftermath. “If any property is involuntarily damaged or destroyed by a
storm, fire or other reason, property taxes can be reduced to reflect the
amount of assessed value lost,” Avery said.
Avery says that because the storm took place in December, in most cases the
2007 tax refunds will likely be modest. “Since the annual property tax is a
bit less than 1% of a property’s market value, owners of damaged property
can expect to receive a refund of one month’s worth of this year’s taxes, or
about one twelfth of that 1% of property value.”
Avery encourages property owners seeking tax adjustments for property damage
to first register with the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management
at http://www.kitsapdem.org or by phone at 360 307-5870. Once registered,
the assessor’s office will use that information as the starting point to get
refunds to taxpayers if appropriate. Due to the anticipated volume, people
who have filled out a damage form should hear from the assessor’s office
within a few weeks. Property owners may also contact the assessor’s office
directly at their customer service line at 360.337.7160.
The assessor’s office presumes that most property owners will complete their
repair work after the New Year, and in that case their property tax
reduction will also be applied to their 2008 property taxes.
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