Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Another Property Tax Avoidance Trick -- Box Stores in Deschutes County

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2018/02/theres-much-smarter-way-cities-plan-futures.html

"Often, the harm a giant corporation or big-box store does to a community doesn’t seem to be measured using traditional indicators. Box stores will use what’s known as the “dark store tactic” to reduce or eliminate their tax responsibility, LaVecchia explains. Since the big-box chain-store business model is to build a purpose-built store that has no resale value, the store, they argue, should be compared with stores that are closed, so a brand new Lowe’s might be valued as closed and compared to other closed stores. With this tactic, big-box stores “are winning big slashes in what they owe in property tax, and in some cases cities have to refund back property tax,” LaVecchia says. Not only is the company not paying tax into the community, the company is extracting ever more resources from the community."

What about Box Stores in Bend?  Time to take a look at their property taxes and monitor them for attempts to change.  Initially it looks like they are paying their fair share.

Costco
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/164843
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/164843

Walmart
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/125122
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/192590
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/121251
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/192591

Home Depot
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/117923

Lowe's
https://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/117907





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