Senate bill could change our tax system

A bill proposed by three urban area senators could throw property values across the state into chaos.

Senate Bill 363 proposes to amend the Machinery Act, which governs the entire property tax system in North Carolina. The amendment would force local equalization and review boards to accept any certified appraisal on a particular property as undeniable evidence at any appeal hearing.

In short, local people would have no way to balance the equity of property values, creating potentially unfair situations for county taxpayers.

“We would never know what our tax base would be,” Tax Assessor Eddie Allen said at Monday night’s meeting of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. Cherokee County's next revaluation is set for 2020; however, Clay County's is set to begin in 2018.