An often overlooked tax is property tax. Most, if not all, states have them and some of them are really high. Kent and Sherry ask the following question about property taxes in California.

Q: We received a notice in the mail from a company called "Property Tax Assessor Records Corp" saying that we are over paying property taxes (personal Res) and that we should ask for an exemption of $5600.00 and after year one, that the exemption will increase to $7000.00. We live in California, Ventura County. Is this true? Should we apply? (tax Code 218)is what they use. Is it worth it?

A: I would have to spend some time looking this up. What I will say is that property taxes can frequently be lowered either through a specific exemption like the one this company is talking about or by protesting your assessed value to the county assessor. I definitely think you should look into this.

I do recommend using professionals whenever possible, especially when it comes to unique tax benefits like the one you refer to here. I don't know the company, so be sure to do your due diligence, both by checking with the Better Business Bureau and by checking into the law itself. You can do a lot of checking into this online.

Warmest regards,

Tom