Fort Worth, TX asked in Tax Law for Texas

Q: In Texas, my county's property tax assessor made a sizable error (in my favor) in calculating my property taxes.

It affected 2016 and 2017. They charged me and I paid only about $300 when my annual tax bill should have been more than $2,500. They recently noticed their error and have billed me to reclaim the difference. Do I have to pay the difference because of their error from 2-3 years ago?

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Yes, regardless of who made the mistake, if you own the property then you are responsible for the property taxes.

The best thing to do now is to ask the county or city for assistance in repaying the huge debt they caused; unless I miss my guess, yours is not the only property that was assessed wrong, and you are not the only person unhappy about it.

The good news is that--after you repay all the money-- you can amend your 2016 and 2017 federal tax returns and possibly receive a refund caused by the new deduction.

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