Ruling On Meijer Tax Assessment Could Have Sweeping Impact

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A ruling on how big-box retailers are taxed could have a sweeping effect on Indiana communities.

The Indiana Board of Tax Review ruled in December that an Indianapolis Meijer store should have been assessed at the equivalent of $30 per square foot instead of the $83 per square foot assigned by Marion County.

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1Cgu3XA ) the decision could leave Marion County on the hook for a $2.4 million refund to Meijer and could set the stage for other retailers to pose similar challenges to their tax assessments.

The case has raised questions about how stores are valued.

Fort Wayne attorney Mark GiaQuinta says he hopes counties will pool their resources and take the Marion County case or a similar one to the Indiana Supreme Court.