Artículo Taxes for local benefits.. Taxes for local benefits.

id="en_US_2025_publink1000173197"> Taxes for local benefits. Deductible real estate taxes generally don’t include taxes charged for local benefits and improvements tending to increase the value of your property. These include assessments for streets, sidewalks, water mains, sewer lines, public parking facilities, and similar improvements. You should increase the basis of your property by the amount of the assessment. Local benefit taxes are deductible only if they are for maintenance, repair, or interest charges related to those benefits. If only a part of the taxes is for maintenance, repair, or interest, you must be able to show the amount of that part to claim the deduction. If you can’t determine what part of the tax is for maintenance, repair, or interest, none of it is deductible. . Taxes for local benefits may be included in your real estate tax bill. If your taxing authority (or mortgage lender) doesn’t furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it. You should use the rules above to determine if the local benefit tax is deductible. Contact the taxing authority if you need additional information about a specific charge on your real estate tax bill. . Itemized charges for services. An itemized charge for services assessed against specific property or certain people isn’t a tax, even if the charge is paid to the taxing authority. For example, you can’t deduct the charge as a real estate tax if it is: A unit fee for the delivery of a service (such as a $5 fee charged for every 1,000 gallons of water you use), A periodic charge for a residential service (such as a $20 per month or $240 annual fee charged to each homeowner for trash collection), or A flat fee charged for a single service provided by your government (such as a $30 charge for mowing your lawn because it was allowed to grow higher than permitted under your local ordinance). . You must look at your real estate tax bill to determine if any nondeductible itemized charges, such as those listed above, are included in the bill. If your taxing authority (or mortgage lender) doesn’t furnish you a copy of your real estate tax bill, ask for it. . Exception. Service charges used to maintain or improve services (such as trash collection or police and fire protection) are deductible as real estate taxes if: The fees or charges are imposed at a like rate against all property in the taxing jurisdiction; The funds collected aren’t earmarked; instead, they are commingled with general revenue funds; and Funds used to maintain or improve services aren’t limited to or determined by the amount of these fees or charges collected. Transfer taxes (or stamp taxes). Transfer taxes and similar taxes and charges on the sale of a personal home aren’t deductible. If they are paid by the seller, they are expenses of the sale and reduce the amount realized on the sale. If paid by the buyer, they are included in the cost basis of the property. Rent increase due to higher real estate taxes. If your landlord increases your rent in the form of a tax surcharge because of increased real estate taxes, you can’t deduct the increase as taxes. Homeowners' association charges. These charges aren’t deductible because they are imposed by the homeowners' association, rather than the state or local government. Personal Property Taxes Personal property tax is deductible if it is a state or local tax that is: Charged on personal property; Based only on the value of the personal property; and Charged on a yearly basis, even if it is collected more or less than once a year. A tax that meets the above requirements can be considered charged on personal property even if it is for the exercise of a privilege. For example, a yearly tax based on value qualifies as a personal property tax even if it is called a registration fee and is for the privilege of registering motor vehicles or using them on the highways. If the tax is partly based on value and partly based on other criteria, it may qualify in part. Example. Your state charges a yearly motor vehicle registration tax of 1% of value plus 50 cents per hundredweight. You paid $32 based on the value ($1,500) and weight (3,400 lbs.) of your car. You can deduct $15 (1% × $1,500) as a personal property tax because it is based on the value. The remaining $17 ($0.50 × 34), based on the weight, isn’t deductible. Taxes and Fees Yo