The Baltimore Sun: City says ‘forged or altered’ document resulted in $2 million tax break for condos
As a result, two dozen condo owners face higher property tax bills of roughly $10,000 a year.
By Luke Broadwater
December 12, 2014
Baltimore’s planning department was tricked into awarding $2.1 million in historic tax credits to a Little Italy condominium project based on a “forged or altered” document, a city review panel says in a new report.As a result, two dozen condo owners face higher property tax bills of roughly $10,000 a year.City officials are investigating how a document was allegedly changed to look as though 25 new condominiums at the Canal Street Malt House project were eligible for a credit reserved for the renovation of historic buildings. But Baltimore Solicitor George Nilson said it’s clear the city or state didn’t do it.”It was the fault of private parties, not the government,” Nilson said. “We think the government was a victim, not a perpetrator.”
Newly constructed units in the project “never should have had a tax credit at all,” Nilson said. Read more: