Updated june 2018
In Rhode Island the dates for proving value have changed
The general rule in Rhode Island is that when appealing a property tax based upon overvaluation the iss is the market value of the property as of the revaluation or updated assessing date. This is the case even if the revaluation or updated assessing date was years in the past. The recent Rhode Island Supreme Court case of Michael A. Balmuth et al v. Tax Assessor for the Town of Portsmouth 2018 R.I. Lexis 43 has changed that rule. The court held that taxing statutes must be interpreted in the light most favorable to the taxpayer. The result is that the taxpayer has the opportunity to appeal for a lower value in years subsequent to the revaluation or updated assessing date without proving value in the year of the revaluation or updated assessing date. This is helpful to taxpayers in years when real estate values have decreased after the revaluation or updated assessing date.
David G. Saliba
Saliba & Saliba
American Property Tax Counsel (APTC)
