Highway Hijackers Video Extra
May 19, 2009 7:44 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: New Law Helps With Paying Property Taxes
MIAMI (CBS4 I-TEAM) ―
These days many people are financially strapped and find that paying their property taxes can be a huge worry.
And under Florida law you either had to pay it all or pay not at all.
But no longer.
The
CBS4 I-Team has discovered a new law that helps property owners pay their taxes on time.
Now for the first time in Florida, property owners won't have to pay their entire tax bill at once.
CBS 4 I-Team investigator
Stephen Stock tells us how it works.
Records show 22,302 Broward County taxpayers have failed to pay $124,423,755.01 in property taxes on time during the last two years.
In Miami-Dade about 32,291 property owners are delinquent on a total of $198,817,889.08 in property taxes.
But the I-Team has learned not paying your property taxes has little effect on the day to day workings of most local governments.
"The fiscal impact is not as great as it may seem," said Miami-Dade Tax Collector Manager Gerardo "Jerry" Gomez. "We're able to recoup those funds through the sale of tax certificates (tax bills sold to speculators.)"
In other words selling tax certificates to speculators who pay the tax they get to charge delinquent taxpayers interest for 2 to 3 years in return. Remember, if you don't eventually pay the tax the speculator can move a court to auction off your property to pay the unpaid tax.
And you heard right. Every county finance official we talked to here in Florida told us that not paying your property taxes on time isn't so bad. It's an option that struggling property owners should consider as an economic option.
CBS4 I-Team investigator
Stephen Stock asked "So you believe that not paying your property taxes is not such a bad thing?"
"Yes. I do," said "Jerry" Gomez. "I believe, in these tough times, if you're going to make a choice and it's between keeping a roof over your head putting food on your table and not paying your taxes know that this is out there absolutely."
And for struggling property owners, or even ones who aren't struggle but want to put off their tax obligation, it keeps on getting easier.
"What I am telling them is if you cannot come and you cannot pay out once I'll help you," said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who came up with the idea of a change in state law to help local property taxpayers.
That's why Commissioner Sosa this year pushed through the state legislature in Tallahassee a new state law that will allow partial payments of property taxes. That option was something which was prohibited by law until now.
"You want people to pay their taxes?" asked
I-Team investigator Stephen Stock.
"Yes. I'm not telling the people that they are not going to pay their taxes," said Sosa. "Because (paying) taxes is a responsibility in this country."
Again, up until now, property owners could not give a partial payment to county tax collectors without setting up an elaborate payment plan ahead of time.
Even if the property owner had a little bit of money, state law prevented tax collectors from accepting the money if it was a partial payment.
Now with this new law, those who have trouble with finances and want to pay a little bit of their taxes at a time can do so with no hassle.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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