As national editor in chief, Jeff McNaught has relationships with a nationwide network of real estate attorneys he can tap immediately when it’s beneficial to your case.

The American Bar Association’s Property Tax Deskbook is a nationwide source of up-to-date property tax information for property tax managers, attorneys, accountants, and other professionals to help them address state property tax issues, planning and procedures.

Jeff’s relationships with editors of all 50 state chapters keeps his clients on the forefront of all the latest trends and topics in property tax. Every state and the District of Columbia has a full chapter in the book, each identifying the most important principles and processes in that state with references to the pertinent statutes, rules, regulations and case law. The chapter authors also provide additional interpretative information gleaned from rulings, bulletins, and local practice that are often difficult for practitioners to find.

Updated annually by nationally recognized property tax authorities in every state.

Chapters have been updated for the current year by practitioners highly experienced in the ad valorem property tax law and procedures of their particular state. The chapters are written by lawyers in private practice or lawyers employed by companies and who have responsibility for property tax matters in that state. A few of the authors and reviewers work for state or local tax agencies. In addition, all of the chapters have been reviewed by another lawyer familiar with property tax law and procedures. While the authors remain responsible for the information contained in their chapter, the reliability of the chapter has been greatly enhanced by this review process.

Organized to help readers quickly find relevant property tax information.

Each chapter is organized in a uniform format to aid the reader in finding information. This feature is particularly helpful for multistate research. Because the property tax laws and procedures are by no means uniform among the states, the authors identify important local variations and differences. Many chapters contain an Introduction highlighting recent and important aspects of the property tax laws in that state and, where applicable, differences from the uniform outline of topics. Each chapter also contains a definitions section, which sets forth the meaning of key statutory terms. The reader will find a convenient model chapter outline at the beginning of the Deskbook. In addition, the enclosed compact disc contains the entire deskbook in a searchable format to make research easier and more efficient.

For More Information:

To increase the value of the Deskbook, we have provided the contact information of the chapter authors and editors. Readers who have questions or need information beyond the scope of the chapter are encouraged to contact an author for further information.

Acknowledgements – The contributions of the chapter authors listed in the following pages are the heart of the Deskbook. The Deskbook also reflects the enormous effort of Timothy R. Van Valen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and the Board of Editors identified on the cover page. The Deskbook is a special project of the Committee on State and Local Taxes, American Bar Association, Section of Taxation, chaired by Gregg D. Barton. The Deskbook also reflects the extraordinary contributions of Anne B. Dunn and the publication staff of the ABA Section of Taxation, without whose efforts publication of the Deskbook would not be possible. Thanks also go to Alice G. Abreu, ABA Section of Taxation, Vice Chair (Publications).

Special Acknowledgement – The Deskbook benefits from the enormous contributions of past editors, William B. Prugh, William M. Backstrom, Jr., and Stewart M. Weintraub. Bill Prugh was the Editor-in-Chief for the First and Second Editions of the Deskbook. He nurtured the publication through its infancy and established a network of authors, reviewers, and editors that made his successor’s job a more manageable one. Bill Backstrom was Editor-in-Chief for the Third and Fourth Editions and was a Co-Editor for the Fifth Edition. Stewart Weintraub served as Co-Editor for the Fifth Edition and as Editor-in-Chief for the Sixth through Tenth Editions. Stewart continued the efforts of Bill Prugh and Bill Backstrom, and his advice and guidance was instrumental to subsequent editions. The Section of Taxation and the Committee on State and Local Taxes owes a sincere debt of gratitude to them for their extraordinary efforts.

The Deskbook also owes gratitude to Professor Walter Hellerstein of the University of Georgia Law School for his review of the Deskbook and his encouraging comments on its contribution to the  collective knowledge of the profession. Equally important, the Deskbook also is indebted to Joan Youngman, Senior Fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, for her interesting and insightful remarks on the importance of the property tax in the toolbox of public revenue sources.

Suggestions – Readers are encouraged to send suggestions or corrections to the chapter author with a copy to the Editor-in-Chief.