USA: Anheuser-Busch Brewery files suit against Solano County

Claiming that Solano County failed to act in a timely matter on a hearing for a reduction in property tax assessments, Fairfield's Anheuser-Busch brewery has filed suit for nearly $3 million in property tax refunds, The Reported posted May 25.

The case, filed in Solano County Superior Court this week, asks for more than $2.8 million in property tax refunds from the county, plus interest, charging that the county incorrectly assessed the valuation of the property in 2000 and failed to respond promptly to Anheuser-Busch's request for a hearing on reduction of the assessment.

In its 2000-01 assessment, the county claimed that the brewery property, improvements, and fixtures were valued at $237,281,923. Anheuser-Busch, however, claimed the property was valued at $118 million "due to the brewery's 24-year age and the relative technical obsolescence of the brewery's equipment, compared with current brewing practices and technology."

Anheuser-Busch requested a hearing by the Solano County Assessment Appeals Board, a procedure which, according to the state Revenue and Taxation Code, is supposed to take place within two years. Although a series of extensions were granted, the brewery claims that the final extension agreement on the two-year rule expired in 2005 and that refunds should now be made on property taxes paid from 2001 to 2003.

The case is scheduled to go before Solano County Superior Court Judge R. Michael Smith for a case management conference at 8:30 a.m. September 19.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .