Property owners seek halt to tax collection

A coalition of St. Johnians wants a federal judge to order a halt to government efforts to collect taxes based on a recently completed real estate revaluation study.The Virgin islands Unity Day Group has hired James Derr to to make the arguement to a federal judge.  Derr is the same attorney who, eight years ago, led the successful effort to begin a reworking of the islands’ property tax system.

Derr said his clients have been trying to work with the Tax Assessor, to rectify what are said to be huge disparities in property valuations, out and our errors, and revaluations that have increased values b y as much as 1000%.  “They tried going through the process, and they got to the point where nothing more happened,” Derr said, according to a report by the Virgin islands Daily News. (Read the full story here http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17622715.)  Derr’s legal complaint says “The methodology used to generate assessed values ... was unfair, unreasonable, and discriminatory.”

Disclaimer:  Mrs Inquiring Iguana and I.I. are supporting the Unity Day Group's effort.