After a hearing before the state Board of Tax Appeals was delayed until 2021, Whatcom County is considering legal action for an estimated $10 million in back taxes, penalties and fees that County Assessor Rebecca Xczar alleges the Petrogas owes. | Stock photo
After a hearing before the state Board of Tax Appeals was delayed until 2021, Whatcom County is considering legal action for an estimated $10 million in back taxes, penalties and fees that County Assessor Rebecca Xczar alleges the Petrogas owes. | Stock photo
Whatcom County may be going to court in an attempt to retrieve an estimated $10 million in back taxes, penalties and interest that the county alleges are owed for the Petrogas properties at Cherry Point, the Bellingham Herald reported.
The dispute over the value of the properties has Calgary-based crude oil and natural gas distribution company continuing to contest the county’s assessment.
The case had been scheduled to go before the state Board of Tax Appeals in July, but that hearing has since been delayed until next year, according to the Bellingham Herald.
Under Washington state law, Petrogas is permitted to pay the portion of local property taxes that they believe are legitimate, and appeal any additional tax directly to the state, the Bellingham Herald reported that County Assessor Rebecca Xczar told the County Council.
“The value contested is greater than one-quarter of 1% of all property in Whatcom County,” Xczar told the Bellingham Herald. “Because the (tax) burden has been shifted to other taxpayers in the county, getting this settled is important. It’s important that companies pay their fair share, just like the rest of us.”
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