Telecommunications companies sue Napa County for more than $1.1 million in property tax refunds

Five telecommunication companies are suing Napa County over property taxes they say were collected in violation of the California Constitution.

The companies — Pacific Bell, AT&T, Sprint Spectrum, T-Mobile and CenturyLink — seek combined tax refunds of more than $1.1 million. The suit, in which the telecommunication companies are represented by law firms in Sacramento and San Francisco, also seeks attorneys fees, litigation costs and a court judgment stating the tax rates the county applied to the companies’ property is unconstitutional.

At the heart of the lawsuit is an allegation Napa County taxed the companies at rates nearly double the average county property tax for local properties. The suit also names the California Board of Equalization, the state board charged with assessing telephone companies as a defendant. The companies are arguing that state law dictates that utility property must be assessed at a rate as other locally assessed properties.

Scan Sep 28, 2023.pdf

Reached by phone Thursday, Napa County Counsel Sheryl Bratton said she had not yet seen a copy of the complaint, which the companies filed in court Sept. 27. Attorneys at the two law firms representing the companies did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the lawsuit, the companies sought refunds of their property taxes through normal administrative channels for challenging a tax assessment. Napa County rejected those refund requests in March.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88