JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) — A new Missouri State Auditor’s report says Jackson County homeowners were put at an unfair disadvantage when they tried to appeal their 2023 property tax assessment.
“The bottom line is taxpayers in Jackson County got a raw deal and were in effect dealt a losing hand by the Assessment Department and the Board of Equalization,” said Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. “State law makes it abundantly clear that the burden of proof in the appeals process is on the Assessment Department and not the taxpayer. Despite this, the Board of Equalization set up a system in which county officials held all the cards and homeowners had to fight an uphill battle on an unlevel playing field.”
According to the audit, state law places the burden on the Assessment Department to support its valuations during appeals. But the state audit found the county’s process instead forced taxpayers into a fight by allowing the Assessment Department to present weak or unsupported evidence while expecting more documentation from homeowners…