Merck Seeks To Lower Its Real Estate Tax Bill -- On Upper Gwynedd, PA... [Again?]

If memory serves, the company last appealed its Upper Gwynedd facility real estate tax bill in 2009, and then sought and obtained some TARP/ARRA/ bail-out money (for solar retrofitting), from Mr. Obama's programs to help the nation recover from the Cheney/Bush43 engineered 2008 meltdown in banking, real estate and general financings. This was after Merck had said it might close the facility as it acquired Schering-Plough's by then foundering operations.

The good news for the local communities, then is that Mr. Davis waited almost 16 years, during which time both real estate values, and thus taxes rose steadily -- before appealing, anew.

We will have to wait about a year to see if the company gets a reduction. . . and here's the latest -- from local outlets:

. . .County property records indicate the last appraised value of Merck’s property at 351 Sumneytown Pike as just under $108 million and estimated annual taxes of $3.4 million to the district, just under $590,000 to the county and just over $288,000 to the municipality each year, and their campus at 770 Sumneytown Pike as just over 315 acres last appraised at $398 million, with estimated tax bills of $12.8 million to the district, $2.1 million to the county and $1 million to the township. . . .

“As with any assessment appeal, we have engaged Merck in discussions in an attempt to resolve the matter in a way that honors our decades long community partnership. Thus far, they have indicated to both the school district and the township that they intend to maintain this mutually beneficial relationship,” [a spokesperson] said. . . .

Now you know. Onward.

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