Tax inequity suit in federal court | TuscaloosaNews.com | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL

Tax inequity suit in federal court | TuscaloosaNews.com | The Tuscaloosa News | Tuscaloosa, AL: "MONTGOMERY | A federal lawsuit challenging Alabama’s property tax system as unconstitutional because the system allegedly denies blacks their right to an adequate education would increase state taxes on property nine times if the suit is successful."

The lawsuit was filed last year in federal court in Huntsville for public school students in Lawrence and Sumter counties. It alleges Alabama’s property tax system is unconstitutional because it was allegedly designed by whites after the Civil War to underfund schools and deny blacks adequate education.

The lawsuit challenges provisions of Alabama’s constitution and seeks an end to the state’s property taxation system, class-action status and attorney fees.

Among the challenged tax provisions are the lid bill, current use and the 10 percent valuation tax method on homes. If successful, the state ad valorem tax would increase on homes, timberland and farms, said plaintiff attorney Jim Blacksher, a civil rights lawyer in Birmingham.