Duke Energy tried to receive an appeal on their public utility property tax this summer. If the appeal is approved, Duke Energy will see a decrease in their taxes and a subsequent domino effect on local entities.
"A public utility property tax is a tax on a business' utilities, equipment and machinery," said Mike McKinney, media representative for the Ohio Department of Taxation.
According to McKinney, Duke Energy is a taxpayer just like everybody else.
Pat Hoffmann, communications manager for Duke Energy, agreed with McKinney and explained the company is more than willing to do its part.
"We are happy to pay our fair share of taxes like everyone else, but we don't want to pay more than what we owe," McKinney said.
Additionally, Hoffmann said a good way for people to look at the situation is to compare it to their own personal lives. She said if the value of your house has increased, then you would expect to get more money in return. Typically, people would see a decrease in the amount of taxes they owe. Duke is trying to do the same thing.
"We are asking the taxation board to take another look at our tangible personal property," Hoffmann said. "It is not a tax on our land, but on our equipment such as poles, wires and other machinery. We believe that it is extremely (over valued) and are hoping the taxation board will grant us this audit."
If Duke Energy wins the appeal, school districts stand to be affected.
"Duke pays taxes to the county and then the county distributes that money towards entities including school districts," Hoffmann said. "We support schools and volunteer a lot, but we don't want to pay more than our fair share. The economy is bad for everyone right now."
According to McKinney, it is not the schools that are affected, but the school districts as a whole. Either way, a decrease on Duke's taxes will trigger a domino effect that would leave less money for surrounding counties.
Furthermore, he said if there is a refund from personal tax, that money will be debited from those who received revenue from those services.
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Ultimately, if Duke were to pay less on their taxes, Butler County would have to allot less money to local entities.
Erica Norman, a Miami University junior, said a tough fiscal environment has forced many businesses to make changes in order to stay afloat.
"Everyone else is cutting back because the economy is in a rough place, so it makes sense that Duke Energy is doing the same," Norman said. "We shouldn't make them the bad guys for doing what the rest of the country is doing."
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