Sacramento property taxes due Friday to avoid penalties. Only four counties OK’d payment delay
The feds are giving you until July 15 to pay your income taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Same with the state of California.
But property taxes are due Friday, thank you, and if you miss the deadline you could face a 10 percent penalty.
Sacramento County and other counties in the state are sticking with the traditional April 10 deadline because they say they need the money for essential services like public health and schools. The California Association of Counties said last week that county tax collectors plan to cancel the penalties “on a case-by-case basis” for those facing hardships due to COVID-19.
That isn’t good enough for the California Business Properties Association, which said counties should waive the penalties for anyone, no questions asked, as business and residential property owners scramble to cope with the shutdown of much of the economy.
So far only four counties have agreed to automatically waive the penalties — San Francisco, San Mateo, Kern and Imperial — said Rex Hime, the association’s chief executive. Sacramento County will consider waiving penalties for those who have a hardship caused by COVID-19.
“It’s not like we’re saying don’t collect the taxes,” Hime said. “All we’re saying is forego the penalty.” He said he’d like to see a reprieve until June 30, the date when an additional 1.5 percent penalty kicks on for nonpayment.
Hime said it’s ridiculous for property owners to have to prove a coronavirus hardship to county assessors.
“If the Placer County assessor gets 5,000 requests (for delays), how long do you think it will take to process that? And they’re not equipped to do that,” Hime said.
Sacramento County is establishing a process for requesting a waiver of penalties. The procedure will be posted on the county’s website next week, said county spokeswoman Laurie Slothower.
Newsom didn’t want to overpromise
Last week Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’s been talking to county officials about some form of property tax relief, but he wasn’t optimistic about getting major changes implemented.
“We’re seeing if there are ways to soften this… We’re going to see what our options are to help in this moment, but I don’t want to overpromise,” he said.
In a letter to Newsom last month, the counties’ association, along with the League of California Cities and other groups representing local governments, pleaded with Newsom to keep the April 10 deadline intact.
They said school districts, public health agencies and other departments get $140 billion a year in property tax payments, practically all of it in two shots: at the Dec. 10 and April 10 deadlines.
“Local agencies are on the front lines responding to the pandemic,” they wrote. “Delaying such a large infusion of general funds for two to three months would have a serious impact on their ability to provide these services.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Sacramento property taxes due Friday to avoid penalties. Only four counties OK’d payment delay."