The telecom industry has some unique aspects of assessment that don’t apply to other industries. In this post we’ll cover the issues associated with telecommunications tax assessments so you can ensure accurate valuation.

We do many sales presentations for our property tax management software. During every single one we emphasize the idea of data accuracy. And even though most of our audience agrees that data accuracy is important, there’s rarely the sense of urgency surrounding it that there should be.

How would you characterize your tax team’s approach to business personal property tax—are you managing it (on top of deadlines and working on appeals) or just managing to get by (filing returns down to the wire and no time for appeals)?

With many property tax return form deadlines upon us (most are between late February and mid-May), it’s a busy time of year for tax professionals. It may be part of your process to compare this year’s business personal property forms with last year’s, in which case it’s good to know when a form has changed. Most forms don’t change from one year to the next, and even when they do, the changes rarely impact the way you’ll prepare or file. But having a heads-up about the differences can help speed up the process—and sometimes even prevent mistakes.

Property tax teams deal with numerous challenges throughout the course of a year, not the least of which is managing deadlines. Every season of the tax cycle has critical due dates and there’s virtually nothing straightforward about them. (Does the return due date apply to the postmark date or the date received? What if 30 days after the assessment falls on a weekend? When are installment due dates and extensions?) For tax teams working with more than a few properties in various locations, the property tax calendar can become so complex that it’s no longer plausible to keep track of it all on spreadsheets.

The course of a tax year offers numerous opportunities for property tax practitioners to hone their precognitive skills. The ability to read and interpret available data for signs of what’s upcoming in the tax cycle—and then to determine if action should be taken—is key to carrying out the job successfully.

Like every industry, property tax has its share of conferences. Whatever you’d like to know more about, whether it’s real estate, personal property, business valuation, compliance, depreciation, tax technology, or anything else, there’s probably a conference that covers it. You’ll also find conferences that specialize in certain industries (like the Broadband Tax Institute’s annual conference for internet and cable companies) and ones that focus on taxation in certain regions (like the Texas Association of Assessing Officers conference). There’s no shortage of learning opportunities for those looking to expand their knowledge and skills.

New York businesses have an uphill climb when it comes to property tax, and corporate tax rates in general—it is ranked 49 out of 50 (just above New Jersey) on the Tax Foundation’s state-by-state comparison with regard to business tax climate. And over the last decade, property taxes in New York City have risen at a rate three times faster than income growth. (The recently created New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform is likely to recommend tax reforms in the coming year.) In recent years, the state has been making strides toward improving its tax system by enacting things like a two percent property tax cap and real property tax relief credits. Still, the tax climate may be a reason why some companies have chosen to leave the state (though that perspective is debatable).

I think it’s safe to say that all property tax teams strive to avoid penalties. But they happen. Teams working for companies with a large number of properties sometimes don’t have enough staff to keep up with deadlines or they have new, untrained staff members. Other times a failure in the process leads to a missed deadline, and extra expenses are incurred. But just because penalties happen doesn’t mean they’re acceptable—or that you should stop searching for ways to avoid them.

The start of a new year is a popular time for predictions—what developments do experts and visionaries see around the bend?