According to a story written by Katheryn Hayes Tucker and posted at Law-com, and other trustworthy sources, owners of five marinas on Lake Lanier will not have to pay exorbitant increases in their tax bills, due to a ruling in Georgia’s Supreme Court on their tax appeal.
A unanimous ruling by Supreme Court that was written by Justice Michael Boggs said the Hall County Board of Tax Assessors did not schedule a “settlement conference” within 45-days of the time when the marinas appealed the tax increases which, according to Law-com, totaled almost 50-million dollars.
The ruling of the Supreme Court of Georgia was in response to a lawsuit brought on behalf of the marinas owners who objected to the application of a law that took effect in January 2016 regarding ad valorem taxes and whether they were applicable to the marinas.
Katheryn Hayes Tucker wrote:
According to the court, the five marinas lease shoreline property on Lake Lanier from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. All five have added, and own, improvements to the marinas such as docks, swim platforms, bathhouses, restaurants and stores, which Hall County assesses for ad valorem taxation.
In 2015 the county recalibrated its assessments. The docks and additions previously had been valued and taxed separately as personal property, like automobiles. After the change, they were included within the value of the companies’ leasehold interest and taxed as attachments to the realty.
We are grateful for all the marinas who serve Georgia’s greatest lake.
