Were you happy with your land tax bill this year?

I suspect we are never happy with our land tax bill. I try to sooth myself and keep a positive spin on paying tax by saying it means we have assets so be thankful. If we didn’t have any income or assets then we wouldn’t pay tax.

That may work some of the time but when the tax has increased by an enormous amount then all positive thoughts fly out the window. What do you do?

Well, one of our landlords showed what persistence can achieve.

He read on his notices (yes he has more than one investment property) that you could appeal within a certain timeframe. So he did just that. The council he was dealing with had increased his property values ridiculously so he was determined to win a revision downwards.

He wasn’t alone in his dismay at the enormous increases this year. There were articles in the newspapers about commercial properties’ land taxes going through the roof with the consequence that some businesses would no longer be viable.

So our landlord, wrote and he rang and he kept at it just like the river. I told him I wouldn’t have stuck with it like he did. And just like the river he managed to crack the rock – not a lot but he did succeed in gaining a small decrease. So next time you get your land tax bill and it seems like the property value has jumped too much it might be worth trying to have it reassessed. Good luck.