Burress Tax Lawyers

Burress Tax Lawyers is a Waterbury-based practice focused exclusively on tax disputes. The firm works with property owners, business operators, and investors who believe the government, whether state, federal, or local, has gotten the numbers wrong. Property tax appeals are a core part of the practice, alongside income tax disputes and business tax matters. The firm's approach is detail-oriented and direct. Before recommending an appeal, attorneys review the assessor's methodology and the underlying property record to identify where the valuation went wrong. That diagnostic work shapes the argument, whether it's a comparables issue, an incorrect property classification, or a physical characteristic the assessor recorded in error. Clients get a clear picture of their case before any fees are committed.

Burress Tax Lawyers handles the full range of property tax appeal services for Connecticut property owners. For residential clients, this includes reviewing assessment notices, pulling comparable sales data, checking property record cards for errors, and filing appeals before the municipal Board of Assessment Appeals. Commercial clients receive a more detailed analysis that may include income-approach modeling and coordination with independent appraisers. The firm also handles cases where the dispute is about property classification rather than value. Misclassified properties, incorrectly coded acreage, and errors in square footage recording are common sources of inflated assessments that aren't always obvious to the property owner. Beyond local property tax, the firm represents clients in Connecticut Department of Revenue Services disputes involving business property taxes, real estate conveyance tax issues, and transfer tax matters. If you've received an audit notice or a determination letter from a state tax agency, the firm can assess whether the position is defensible and handle the response. The practice doesn't do income tax preparation, but it handles disputes that arise from assessments, audits, and enforcement actions at both the state and local level.

Burress Tax Lawyers starts every engagement with a property review that doesn't cost you anything. The attorneys pull the assessor's property record card, check it against the physical description of your property, and compare the assessed value against recent sales of comparable properties. If there's a viable case, they'll tell you what the argument is and what outcome is realistic. Filing the appeal comes next. Connecticut municipalities have firm deadlines, and the firm tracks them carefully to make sure nothing gets missed. The submission to the Board of Assessment Appeals includes a written statement, a comparable sales analysis, and any supporting documentation relevant to your property type. If the board hearing doesn't produce a fair result, the firm evaluates whether Superior Court is worth pursuing based on the gap between the current and target assessment. That conversation is always honest. Not every case warrants litigation, and the firm won't push you toward it if the economics don't make sense. If it does make sense, the firm is prepared to take it all the way.

The firm serves property owners throughout greater Waterbury and the surrounding region, including Naugatuck, Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Oxford. Cases from elsewhere in New Haven County and from Litchfield County are accepted. The firm also handles statewide matters involving Connecticut Department of Revenue Services disputes, so geography is less of a constraint for non-local tax issues.