A Taxing Situation

This a the letter I wrote to Mo Abusaft  concerning efforts to have my tax valuation reduced.

Hello Mo,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me by phone on Friday. As requested, I’m writing to provide the details of my recent experience with the Spartanburg County Auditor's Office regarding the vehicle tax assessment process.

I attempted to challenge the assessed value of my vehicle because I believe the value assigned does not reflect its true market worth. Like many others in the county, I was advised by the Auditors's Office that I could obtain a “fair market appraisal” from any licensed automobile dealer. In practice, however, I contacted several dealerships and was told that they do not provide appraisals unless a vehicle is being traded in or sold.  This effectively makes the suggested process *inaccessible and impractical*, which in turn denies taxpayers a fair opportunity to dispute their assessments.

Given the recent growth in Spartanburg County—including booming housing developments and rising vehicle prices—it seems likely that the county is already seeing a *significant increase in tax revenue*. Yet at the same time, residents are being told to jump through hoops that don’t even exist in practice when they attempt to exercise their right to challenge these rising assessments. That’s not just a broken process—it feels like a due process issue.

I am a 72 year old retiree living on social security so every dollar counts. I think this may be an issue of semantics a dealership may give you a print out of Kelly Blue book or something similar... but they do not look at your vehicle and factor in its condition. I did get a Carmax Cash offer which they refuse to consider.

I have a $1500 deductible on my insurance... I've been involved in two fender benders that were relatively minor but do affect the value of the vehicle. One in which I was side swiped on the right side... one where I was rear ended while stopped at a traffic light and the vehicle was vandalized on the left side in a parking lot either by keying or a significant shopping cart encounter.  So the reality is none of these would be covered by my insurance but the combined damage is significant.

I’m not looking for special treatment—just a fair and accessible process for all taxpayers. If you’re able to look into this or contact the Auditor’s or Assessor’s Office on my behalf, I’d be grateful. I believe this could be an opportunity to make a small change that has a big impact on transparency and fairness for people all across the county.

The attitude of the folks at the auditors office was quite arrogant, dismissive and even ridiculed for questioning their requirements. You get similar treatment at dealerships when asking for an actual value appraisal for property tax purposes.  Let me know if you need more details.


Thanks again for your time and support.