Negotiating Property Tax Exemptions and Abatements

Corporate tax departments have considerable leeway within local ordinances to negotiate complete or partial exemptions of county and city property taxes as well as tax abatements for a certain number of years.

While that leeway is a plus for corporate taxpayers, it also makes it difficult to verify whether a company is receiving as generous an incentive as it can. In addition, financially strapped local governments have become much tougher about inserting terms and commitments for companies into their abatement agreements, and are more willing to recoup if the agreements are not met.

How can a corporate tax department feel confident it has negotiated the most generous abatement and most advantageous agreement for the company?

Listen and participate from your office phone as our expert panelists – including Mark Semerad of Level 3 Communications, Foy Mitchell of Marvin F. Poer & Co., Glen Fandl of Grant McCarthy Group and Dale Cummings of Cummings Westlake -- offer their experiences, insights and stratagems for a winning approach to negotiating property tax abatements.

With their insights, you’ll leave the teleconference better prepared for:

• Crafting a cohesive strategy for approaching government officials about property tax exemptions – including options about where else the company could expand.
• Analyzing the potential value of a property tax exemption by running preliminary cash flows and calculating the valuation threshold.
• Negotiating the duration and amount of a property tax exemption, jobs and investment performance standards, and flexibility if those standards aren’t met.
• Adjusting your strategy for real vs. personal property, and local vs. state governments.

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