Duncan Proposes Lifting Surcharge On Semi-annual Property Tax Payments

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Contact: David Weaver, 240-777-6530
For Immediate Release: February 7, 2000

Duncan Proposes Lifting Surcharge
On Semi-annual Property Tax Payments

County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today announced that he will propose waiving the surcharge levied on persons who pay their property taxes semi-annually.

The Maryland General Assembly last year passed legislation -- sponsored by Delegate Peter Franchot -- requiring that property tax payments be made semi-annually, while allowing homeowners the option of paying on an annual basis. Also under the legislation, local governments may charge a service fee for processing the semiannual payments.

Under Duncan's proposal, which will be presented formally in March as part of his recommended FY 2001 Operating Budget, homeowners in Montgomery County would save an estimated $20 a year. Waiving the surcharge would cost the County approximately $3 million per year.

Announcing his proposal to eliminate the fee, Duncan said, "The legislature made it more affordable to buy a home in Maryland, and we, at the local level, shouldn't undermine that effort with service charges."

Franchot said, "I would like to applaud the leadership of Doug Duncan in recognizing that these fees were a tax on a tax and therefore unacceptable.

"Some 220,000 Montgomery County homeowners are going to benefit from the County Executive's actions," according to Franchot.

"Delegate Franchot deserves credit for pushing this legislation last year, and for keeping us focused on the surchage issue this year," Duncan said.

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