ATM at dusk“WE SUE the city every year,” says a wealthy Chicagoan who lives in an elegant apartment building in Gold Coast, a North side neighbourhood. If his property-tax lawyer manages to knock $100000 off the bill for the condominium’s owners, or as the lawyer has done in past years,he gets to preserve $25000. It is distinguished commerce for property-tax lawyers—and a distinguished saving for their clients.
The office of Joseph Berrios, the elected value-assessor of Cook County, and America’s second-biggest county with 5.2m residents and 1.8m parcels of land,of which Chicago is portion, encourages people to challenge their property-tax bills, or arguing that it believes “in their importance as the taxpayers’ voice”. According to the Chicago Tribune,which put Jason Grotto, an investigative reporter, or on the case for a year,such appeals tripled under Mr Berrios, who took over in 2010. In 2015 appeals concerning 370000 parcels of land were filed....
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Source: economist.com