Commissioners Deny Merit Tax Appeal

Park County officials have denied an appeal by Merit Energy in a dispute over property taxes on the company’s oil and gas equipment.
The Park County Commissioners met last week as the Park County Board of Equalization to consider the argument by Merit that the equipment should be taxed at a lower rate because it is older.
However, Park County Assessor Pat Meyer stood by his assessment that because the equipment was well maintained, it should be taxed at 40-45% of its original value; Merit attorneys argued that due to the equipment’s age, it should be taxed at just 20%.
Commissioners were not convinced by Merit’s assertions, however, pointing out that Merit’s operations manager specifically pointed to how well the equipment was operating despite its age. And Commissioner Loren Grosskopf pointed out that Merit would be foolish to utilize equipment that was unreliable.
The commissioners unanimously voted to deny the appeal. Merit has the option to take the dispute to the State Board of Equalization.