Dispute over property tax in Tübingen: City sues 'Haus und Grund'

Dispute over property tax in Tübingen: City sues 'Haus und Grund'

Tübingen is currently on its head: the university town is getting into a heated dispute with the property owners' association “Haus und Grund Tübingen”. The background is a controversial increase in property tax B. The mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, has applied to the district court for an interim injunction to prevent the spread of the claim that the statutes for the tax increase were poor and not published properly. This reports gea.de.

An uncomfortable topic: The city received almost 400 objections to this increase at the beginning of October. “Haus und Grund” had encouraged its members to submit objections because they considered the publication of the statute resolution to be unlawful. A legal opinion available to the association classifies the retroactive increase in property tax B as invalid. The report calls into question whether the statutes were actually presented properly. This could result in the tax assessments being illegal. Palmer, on the other hand, clearly rejects these claims and speaks of “unfounded” contradictions that place an unnecessary burden on the administration.

A powerful conflict

Tübingen has seen an increase in contradictions in recent months. The city administration responded to a total of 650 objections received after asking “Haus und Grund” to cease and desist on October 9th, but without the desired reaction. The Tübingen legal department is now preparing the lawsuit against the club, while Palmer urges the administration not to be unsettled by the unfounded contradictions.

Property tax B was increased retroactively to January 1st, making Tübingen the city with the highest property tax burden in Baden-Württemberg. Over 100 owners have already withdrawn their objections, while of the total registered objections, 570 were submitted on time and around 120 were not submitted on time. This highlights the uncertainty among owners, causing many to wonder whether they even have the opportunity to successfully challenge their decisions haufe.de explained.

Legal gray areas

Property tax reform is not just a hot topic in Tübingen. It affects many cities in Germany and has become significantly more relevant following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2018. At that time, it was decided that using outdated standard values ​​to calculate property taxes was no longer acceptable. This has led to the revaluation of almost 36 million properties - a mammoth project that has largely been completed. However, there remains uncertainty on the part of taxpayers because the new regulation allows for objections, but these do not have a suspensive effect.

Ultimately the question arises: What happens next in Tübingen? The oral hearing before the Tübingen district court is scheduled for mid-November. It remains to be seen whether the city can win the protracted dispute with “Haus und Grund”. Boris Palmer remains optimistic because he believes that everything happened correctly and the club's claims cannot stand up to reality. Meanwhile, the mood among the owners remains tense and it is hoped that clarity on this complex matter will soon be achieved.