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Finnish couple successfully challenges property tax, encourages others to do the same

Tuesday 16th 2024 on 13:56 in  
Finland

Terttu and Seppo Miettinen were shocked when the property tax on their vacation spot, an old farm in Jämsä, Central Finland, almost tripled. Initially, they were expected to pay €821 for their 14 buildings, most of which they felt were not eligible for taxation as they were in disrepair.

After petitioning the city of Jämsä for adjustments to the building database and lodging a complaint about their tax treatment, their tax was nearly halved to €435. “We are satisfied that now we are only taxed for the buildings we use and need,” said Seppo Miettinen.

The new tax applies to the residential house and an adjacent outbuilding used as a garage. The tax authorities have determined the remaining 12 buildings are mostly old, decommissioned farm buildings, which are not subject to tax.

The couple has already applied for demolition permits for the four most dilapidated buildings, which they believe spoil the landscape. These include an old residential house, its chicken coop, and two small log buildings. They must be demolished within three years according to the permit.

The Miettinens hope their story will encourage others to check their property tax proposals. “Taxation has been quite diverse in these cases,” Seppo Miettinen muses. He has been closely following the ongoing property tax valuation reform, which may bring new regulations on how the rural environment should be preserved or how precisely demolition should be carried out.

The money they saved on taxes will be used for renovating the remaining buildings. “We are going to the paint shop this week,” the couple laughs.