Owners have until January 31 to submit their property tax returns to the tax office, but so far only half of those affected have done so. According to a survey by Finanztip, most federal states initially want to see mercy before justice for defaulting landowners.
The submission of the property tax return puts some owners under pressure. In about ten days the matter has to be settled and the declaration has to be with the tax office. The deadline ends on January 31st. But so far only around 58 percent of the citizens who are obliged to pay the tax have complied with the tedious duty. Missing the appointment can make things uncomfortable. Then there was the threat of fines, surcharges for delays or an estimate of the tax burden. It is therefore necessary to hurry.
The Finanztip portal asked the tax authorities in all 16 federal states how they intend to deal with defaulting landowners. The result: most federal states initially want to send a reminder letter. In some countries, surcharges for delays can only be determined after these letters. Accordingly, the following federal states want to behave as follows:
"It is striking that no federal state is building up the big threatening backdrop," says tax expert Leine to Finanztip. "There is an appeal for insight and moderate behavior on the part of the tax authorities. According to these statements, fines are more likely to be the exception than the rule. But that expressly does not apply to those who do not hand in at all," said Leine.
However, the matter should not be put off. Because at some point the tax office will resort to the last resort and estimate the property tax value. And this value determines the amount of property tax decisively. Such an estimate can become expensive in the long run.
In addition to a prior late payment surcharge of 25 euros per month and a possible penalty payment of up to 25,000 euros, there is also the threat of an unnecessarily high property tax from 2025. It is therefore advisable to struggle through the property tax return in a timely manner and then submit it as quickly as possible.
