By Gib Laite, Esq. of Williams Mullen North Carolina has little sympathy for taxpayers that miss filing deadlines, but a new law eases the potential repercussions for property owners otherwise qualifying for religion-based tax exemptions. Under the new measure, taxpayers can apply for the religious exemption from property taxes going back five years from the law’s adoption date earlier this year. It will be interesting to see whether the General Assembly extends a similar grace period to other exemptions over time. Regardless, the new measure provides welcome relief to a segment of taxpayers and offers a possible model for lawmakers to adjust the regulation of other exemptions down the road, if they choose to do so. And for all taxpayers, the recent change provides a good opportunity to review how North Carolina grants and regulates property tax exemptions. Machinery of Taxation As a rule, North Carolina subjects all real and personal property to property tax unless the General Assembly or the state constitution exempts the property, or it falls into a special class of exempted property. Most exemptions are set out in the Machinery Act, a framework of tax rules within the North Carolina General Statutes. The Machinery Act allows …
