2014 Property Tax Bills Delayed Until Early 2015

Property owners across the territory won’t see their 2014 property tax bills this year because the bills will be issued in 2015, according to the Office of the Lt. Governor.

In an email to VI Consortium on Tuesday, Shawna Richards, director of communications, said the 2014 bills are being delayed because of unresolved  issues with the 2013 bills.

“The Tax Assessor’s Office delayed the 2014 bills in order to resolve various appeals associated with the 2013 bills,” she explained. “This approach supports the Office’s overall objective of issuing accurate tax bills to Virgin Islands property owners.”

When asked how much money the Virgin Islands Government is expecting to recover from the 2014-2015 property taxes, Richards said the tax bills are expected to generate $100 million for government coffers in fiscal year 2015.

Richards went on to say that property owners have the right to appeal the assessment of their properties if they deem the information collected to be insufficient or incorrect. According to previously published reports, 458 taxpayers on St. Thomas, 402 on St. Croix, and 505 on St. John have asked for informal appeals of their property assessments.

“Any person who disagrees with their assessment has the right to informally appeal this with the Tax Assessor’s Office,” she said. “The property owner can visit our office and file a document stating the nature of their concern. If necessary, staff will conduct a field visit to the property.”

While Richards did not give a specific date as to when 2014 bills will be mailed to property owners, she would only say that “the Tax Assessor’s Office expects to issue the bills early next year.”

Virgin Islands property valuation and rates had a significant overhaul in 2008 through Act 6991, Richards pointed out.

“By statute, properties are now revaluated every five years,” she explained, adding that “2013 was a revaluation year and similar values would be reflected in the 2014 bills, unless there were market shifts.” The next revaluation will be conducted in 2018.

For more information and FAQs on Virgin Islands property tax, go here.