Friday, November 1, 2002
|
Friday, November 1, 2002 |
|
Taxes are due Dec. 20
The 2002 property tax bills are in the mail, according to Coweta County Tax Commissioner Tommy Ferrell. The taxes are due Dec. 20. If a property value is under appeal with the Tax Assessors' Office for 2002 or if there is a carry over appeal from the reappraisal year of 2001 that has not been settled; Georgia law requires the property owner to receive a temporary tax bill based on 85 percent of the county's proposed value. After the appeal is settled, and depending on the final property value settled upon, there will either be a balance due or a partial refund issued. Temporary tax bills are also due Dec. 20. There will be a statement on the bill to let the property owner know if the bill has been calculated at the 85 percent rate. Any questions regarding the status of a pending appeal should be directed to the Tax Assessor's Office. If you are not already receiving benefit of having claimed homestead exemption on your home it is too late to do so for the 2002 tax year. Applications for homestead exemptions can only be filed from Jan. 1-June 1 of each year with the Tax Commissioner's Office. Senior homeowners should note that the new school tax exemption which was voted on and passed earlier this year does not take effect until the 2003 tax year and therefore does not apply to current tax bills. Details on the application procedure for filing for the new exemption for 2003 will be issued around the first of the year. The 2002 Georgia Legislature again funded the Governor's Homestead Relief Act. This tax credit only applies to homestead property and is reflected in the calculation of the tax bill. This is the first year the tax credit applies to municipal taxes on city properties that carry a county homestead exemption. The dollar amount of the credit is shown on the tax notice. Taxpayers are urged to mail in their payments or may drop them off after hours at the overnight payment drop box located at the Perry Street entrance to the Tax Commissioner's Office. Taxpayers should remember that tax bills are mailed to the owner of record as of Jan. 1 each year according to Georgia law. Those who have purchased property since Jan. 1 more than likely became responsible for payment of the 2002 taxes at closing. In those cases, the property owner should contact the Jan. 1 owner if they wish the original tax bill or may call the Tax Commissioner's Office with the Jan. 1 owner's name for a statement of taxes due. Late charges are added to tax bills after the due date regardless of whether a tax bill is actually received in the mail. The Tax Commissioner's Office is located on the first floor of the County Administration Building on the comer of East Broad and Perry Streets. Office hours are 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
|
||