Property Tax Collection Rates Soar; Help is Available for Delinquent Taxpayers
The collection rate for secured property taxes for FY 2013-14 is at 97.9%–marking the highest collection rate in the last 20 years, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari L. Freidenrich, CPA, announced. Incoming receipts are $190 million or 3.9% higher than at the same time last year. Electronic payments represent more than 53% of all incoming payments, up from 44% just four years ago. Steps taken to streamline the payment process also has reduced long wait times, as taxpayers generally waited less than 10 minutes if they paid in person.
Treasurer Freidenrich said her office has mailed more than 38,000 delinquent notices to taxpayers who did not pay their property taxes fully for the FY 2013-14 tax year, down almost 10% from the delinquent notices mailed in the prior year. Delinquent taxes from FY 2013-14 will be considered defaulted if full payment is not received or postmarked on or before Monday, June 30, 2014. After that date, the Treasurer adds a $15 administrative cost and a penalty of 1.5% per month (18% per year) to the amount due until the tax bill is fully paid. After going five years unpaid, the Treasurer-Tax Collector will sell the parcel at an annual property tax auction sale. Continue reading
