Sacramento – California State Board of Equalization (BOE) Member Ted Gaines today announced a pro-taxpayer deadline extension for property tax appeals that will help Californians cope with pandemic-related delays in tax administration.
“It’s hard enough to be a California taxpayer in the best of times. I want to make sure they aren’t being punished because of pandemic disruptions. I’m pleased that the Board has tackled this time extension issue and that government has acted to give taxpayers a break.”
At their May 13 and May 29 Board Meetings, Member Gaines and his fellow BOE Members led Public Policy Hearings on the impact of COVID-19 on property tax administration to gather input and discuss actions that would help property tax administrators impacted by the pandemic to maintain the fair and efficient administration of their Constitutional and statutory mandates related to property assessment.
Following those meetings, on July 31, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-72-20, extending the deadline within which a County Assessment Appeals Board must render a decision until January 31, 2021, for any pending assessment appeal filed with a County Assessment Appeals Board on or before March 4, 2020. The deadline extension provides County Assessment Appeals Boards that may have been impacted by the stay-at-home order, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional time to render decisions on pending appeals.
The Board will discuss this matter further at the August 18 Board meeting. The Board meeting agenda will be published on August 7 on the BOE website: http://www.boe.ca.gov/meetings/boardcomm.htm.
“Taxpayers need to know that they can appeal their property tax assessments. That’s step one. But they also need the time to ensure they are getting the fair and thorough hearings they deserve in those appeals. As a taxpayer advocate, I’m happy to see this extension and hope it benefits overtaxed Californians.”
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Ted Gaines represents nearly 10 million Californians as a Member of the State Board of Equalization. He is the highest-ranking Republican in the state.
