How can my property taxes go up if my property values go down?
During a 2005 session the Legislatures provided for a partial abatement of taxes by limiting or “capping” the amount a tax bill can increase from year to year. The increase is limited to 3% for an owner occupied primary residence (single family home, townhouse, condominium, or manufactured home) and certain qualified rental properties. Tax bills for all other properties (residences that are not owner occupied, land, commercial buildings, business personal property, aircraft, etc.) are limited to a percentage not to exceed 8%.
• If the property is your primary residence within the State of Nevada, the abatement equals the amount of taxes that exceed last year’s tax bill plus 3%.
• If the property contains rental unit(s) and the rent on all units within the property area at or below the fair market rent for the county in which the dwelling is located, as most recently published by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the abatement equals the amount of taxes which exceed last year’s tax bill plus 3%.
• Most other properties (rental units where the rent exceeds the HUD guidelines, commercial, industrial, vacant land, mixed use, etc.), except as noted below, are subject to an abatement at a higher level which is calculated by comparing.
• (1) The greater of: (a) The average percentage of change in the assessment valuation of all the taxable property in the county, as determined by the Department, over the fiscal year in which the levy is made and the 9 immediately preceding fiscal years; (b) Twice the percentage of increase in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average(All Items) for the immediately preceding calendar year; or (c) Zero; or (2) Eight percent, whichever is less.
Because the current year tax bill is calculated based on the prior year tax bill, changes in assessed value do not have as much impact on a tax bill (up or down) as they did prior to the law change.
The abatement is the amount of additional taxes that would have been owed if not for the tax cap. For a property with a 3% tax cap, if the 2008 tax bill was $1,000 the 2009 tax bill could be no more than $1,030 even if the calculated taxes (assessed value x tax rate) were $1,050.
In the example above the $20 difference between the actual tax bill of $1,030 and the calculated tax bill of $1,050 is the abatement.
NRS 361.4722 through NRS 361.4733

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1. What is "real property" or "real estate"?
2. How does the Assessor determine taxable value of real property?
3. How can my property taxes go up if my property values go down?
4. What is the appraisal methodology according to Nevada Law?
5. Why did my abatement go away?
6. Property tax exemptions:
7. What if you disagree with the value the Assessor places on your property?