Indiana Tax Court Finds Expert Property Tax Appraisal Does Not Per-Se Meet Burden of Proof

The Indiana Tax Court found that the Board of Tax Review (Board) acted contrary to law by applying a per-se rule that a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) compliant appraisal, prepared by an expert, automatically satisfies the burden of proof in a property tax valuation appeal. Both parties had presented expert appraisals that the Board found to have significant flaws, with the Board reducing the assessment to the taxpayer’s appraisal, finding the taxpayer’s appraisal was less egregious than the assessor’s. The Court found that the Board erred by applying a per-se rule without properly evaluating whether the substantive ...