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Thousands of homeowners who challenged assessments on their own fared worse than those with similar appeals who were represented by two big tax firms.
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The county miscalculated nearly a million exemptions, which were small but added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over seven years.
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A county program called Carry Forward virtually guaranteed some homeowners 5% to 9% decreases each year — but those who didn’t qualify paid a price.
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Not filing an appeal for several years was one reason but another involved the varying criteria of the Carry Forward process, which the county barely publicized.
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Business owners who have not filed a challenge — whether they thought they were already underassessed or were not fully informed of the advantages of appealing — have been hit even harder than homeowners who haven’t filed.
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The halt means taxpayers who have not been awarded one of the overhaul’s substantial assessment reductions will continue to pay for the tax savings of those who have been.
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You can file an appeal for free on the county’s Assessment Review Commission website.
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Thousands of Nassau property owners who had not challenged their assessments since the process was overhauled in 2010 filed appeals this year.
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Nassau extended the deadline for accepting property tax assessment appeals, a day after Newsday reported the system has created stark differences in tax bills.