Although the March 15 deadline to get a 5 percent discount when paying the 2009 property tax bills is fast approaching, there are still a number of residents who didn’t receive their bills.
An informal and random survey of a handful of St. John property owners didn’t turn up one person who received their St. John bills.
“And my mother didn’t get hers on St. Thomas, but my aunt in Atlanta did,” said St. John resident Lorelei Monsanto.
Monsanto pinned the problem on not enough staff at the Tax Office.
St. John resident Jean Cottrell said that she didn’t receive bills for either her properties or the homeowner’s association where she lives. She and the homeowner’s association have different mailboxes, Cottrell said.
Another St. John resident, Myrtle Barry, also didn’t get her bill for her house.
“They are so discombobulated,” she said of the Tax Office.
One person with two properties on St. Thomas and two on St. John got the St. Thomas bills but not the St. John ones. The property owner didn’t want to be identified, but said all the bills go to the same St. John address.
However, Lieutenant Governor’s Office spokesman Shawna Richards said the bills have gone out. If property owners didn’t receive their bills, they can make a payment at the Tax Assessor’s Office without the bill.
“Not having a bill shouldn’t deter them,” Richards said, and they don’t need to bring the previous bill.
Cotrell said she wasn’t comfortable with just getting a receipt instead of having the tax bill stamped.
“What if I need a tax clearance letter?” Cottrell said, worrying about a problem that might arise from not having the stamped bill.
Tax payers who miss the March 15 deadline for the 5 percent discount can still receive a 2.5 percent discount if they pay by March 30. Bills become delinquent on May 30, Richards said.
Formal appeals regarding tax assessments must be filed with the Board of Tax Review no later than June 15.
Property taxes can be paid at the Tax Collector’s Offices at Builder’s Emporium building on St. Thomas; at Government House in Christiansted, St. Croix; at the Finance Department in Sunny Isles, St. Croix; at the Lagoon Street Commercial Building Number 1 in Frederiksted, St. Croix; and the Islandia Building on St. John.
Payments can be made in person or by mail. Checks, cash, money orders, ATM, debit and credit cards (Visa and Mastercard only) are accepted. Persons submitting their payments by mail are advised not to send cash.
For more information about the 2009 property tax bills, contact the Tax Assessor’s Office on each island: 776-8505 on St. Thomas; 773-6459 in Christiansted or 772-3115 in Frederiksted on St. Croix; and 776-6737 on St. John.
Questions regarding delinquencies should be addressed to the Tax Collector’s office at 776-8505 on St. Thomas; 776-6737 on St. John; 773-1105 in Christiansted or 772-0120 at the Frederiksted Office on St. Croix.
