Dead Shed Property Tax

The battle over the property value of Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio, rages on between Delaware County and owner Live Nation over 2003-04 property taxes.

The 14-year-old venue, which is being dismantled, hosted its last show in September 2007 with Toby Keith, ending a year that featured nine concerts.

Ohio Supreme Court justices shot down the Delaware County Board of Revision’s argument May 29th that the land, excluding the 20,000-seat shed, was worth $13.7 million – but didn’t agree with the venue’s own appraiser’s assessment of $7.2 million.

The Board of Tax Appeals was ordered to recalculate the property’s value, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

The tax dispute represents tens of thousands of dollars in revenue for local governments in southern Delaware County, particularly for the Olentangy Local School District.

School district officials argued that Live Nation had to consider the value of improvements such as roads and the venue itself when evaulating the value of the land. A justice writing for the court didn’t agree.

An attorney for the Olentangy Local School District said he plans to ask the court to reconsider its ruling, according to the Dispatch.

Live Nation is also challenging tax assessments – for the years 2005 and 2006 – because a 2005 law eliminated taxes on personal property used in business.

The paper noted that the venue owners had tried to classify the shed as personal property.