Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to the Ministry of Finance, 55,000 property tax returns have been submitted in Thuringia so far. This is four percent of the expected 1.5 million declarations, the ministry announced on Friday. "There is still room for improvement," Finance Minister Heike Taubert (SPD) was quoted as saying in a statement. With a view to the submission period, which is limited to October 31, she advised property owners to quickly familiarize themselves with the subject and submit the declarations. If the submission deadlines are missed, there is a risk of late surcharges or coercive measures from the tax authorities.
According to the observations of the "Haus und Grund" association, among others, the declaration required because of the property tax reform overwhelms many property owners, especially older people and people who are not very familiar with computers and the Internet. The service telephone number set up by the Ministry of Finance is heavily used and often unavailable. The declaration must be submitted online via the "Elster" tax portal. Taubert pointed out that the ministry's website provides instructions on how to fill out the forms.
The declaration must state, among other things, the year of construction, living space and standard land values. Based on this data, the property tax is recalculated. Property owners will then have to pay the new property tax at the beginning of 2025.
