I bought vacant land in 2015 and paid county taxes at the closing. Can i deduct these as property taxes?

jon-metzger — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 05:34:05 GMT

If the "county taxes" that you paid were part of what you...

ChelsiE2 — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 05:34:06 GMT

If the "county taxes" that you paid were part of what you would typically pay for your annual real estate taxes related to this property, then yes these are deductible. If the country taxes were for something else, then no they are not deductible as real estate taxes.

If you are unsure what this amount relates to, you should call your realtor or county assessor's office and ask them.

Here's what the IRS says:

"You can deduct taxes (state, local, or foreign) you paid on real estate you own that wasn't used for business, but only if the taxes are assessed uniformly at a like rate on all real property throughout the community, and the proceeds are used for general community or governmental purposes.

Don't include the following:

Itemized charges for services to specific property or persons (for example, a $20 monthly charge per house for trash collection, a $5 charge for every 1,000 gallons of water consumed, or a flat charge for mowing a lawn that had grown higher than permitted under a local ordinance).
Charges for improvements that tend to increase the value of your property (for example, an assessment to build a new sidewalk). The cost of a property improvement is added to the basis of the property. However, a charge is deductible if it is used only to maintain an existing public facility in service (for example, a charge to repair an existing sidewalk, and any interest included in that charge)."

(From: IRS Schedule A Instructions)

topic I bought vacant land in 2015 and paid county taxes at the closing. Can i deduct these as property taxes? in Deductions & credits

I bought vacant land in 2015 and paid county taxes at the closing. Can i deduct these as property taxes?

If the "county taxes" that you paid were part of what you...