Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Co. v. Luzerne County

Citations

• 231 Pa. 481
• 80 A. 1093

Syllabus

<p>Taxation — Coal lands — Foot-acre rule — Assessment—County taxes.</p> <p>Where, in a proceeding to assess the value of coal lands for county taxes, the trial judge finds as facts (a) that the fair market value of an acre of virgin coal in place is $3,000; (b) that the unmined available coal remaining in the properties in question represents eighty per cent of the virgin acreage; and (c) that the average ratio of assessed to fair market value prevailing in the district is eighty per cent, the trial judge commits no error in valuing the lands in question at $1,920 per acre. In such a case the court in banc commits error in disregarding the valuation of the trial judge and adopting the foot-acre rule as a basis of valuation, there being no finding that the conclusions of the trial judge were incorrect or not sustained by the evidence.</p>