Property tax
Special assessment
A charge on benefited properties for a specific public improvement
Levied on the properties that gain from a new pavement, sewer line or street lighting, usually in proportion to frontage or area rather than to value. It creates a specific, involuntary lien and is generally payable over a number of years.
How the exam asks about it
Contrast with the general ad valorem tax: special assessments are specific, limited in time, and tied to an improvement rather than to a budget.
Related terms
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