On the eve of the deadline to apply for the Homestead Exemption and
a month before the cutoff date for property tax appeals, the Crosstown
Coalition of Taxpayers on Thursday released two comprehensive guides for
concerned residents: “An AVI Appeal Guide” and “AVI Survival Guide.”
“The guides will help homeowners through the sometimes complicated
process of filing an appeal to the Board of Revision of Taxes,” said
Walt Spencer, one of two authors of the guides. The guides, also written
by Rene Goodwin, provide information on real estate tax relief programs
including homeowner and tenant rebate programs and senior citizen
relief programs.
“We view the Coalition’s ongoing goal as working toward a real estate
tax system that is fair and transparent,” said Steve Huntington, a
coordinator at the Crosstown Coalition, which counts as members 21 civic
associations across the City of Philadelphia. “Until we achieve that
goal, we believe it is important to educate the general public about
their right to appeal inaccurate assessments.”
The deadline to apply for the Homestead Exemption, by which
owner-occupants can subtract $30,000 from the taxable assessed value of
their homes, is Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. The deadline to file an appeal
before the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) is Monday, Oct. 7, 2013.
The guides can be found at the following links:
AVI Survival Guide
AVI Appeal Guide
