Contact: Glenn Wyman, 240-777-8929
For Immediate Release: July 2, 2001

PROCESSING OF ANNUAL
TAX BILLS COMPLETED

Montgomery County property taxpayers will be able to view and pay this year’s tax bill online. Approximately 290,000 tax bills will be mailed to all taxpayers by July 15. The property tax web site can be accessed at eMontgomery.org. Tax bills are due September 30, 2001. Due dates under the semi-annual payment program are September 30, 2001 and December 31, 2001.

“This is the first year that the tax bills have been available to the citizens on July1,” said Finance Director Tim Firestine. “We were able to accomplish this important milestone with the assistance of many participating agencies, including the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, local municipalities and the County’s offices of Solid Waste Services, Information Systems and Telecommunications and the Treasury Division.”

Several improvements were made to the tax bills this year, including the mailing of one annual tax bill with two remittance coupons for the first and second installments, and improved access to tax information on the eMontgomery web site. Through this site, taxpayers can acquire tax information, view tax bills, and securely make direct debit and credit card payments. Information on the web site will be updated weekly with plans to eventually provide daily updates.

Other changes to this year’s tax bill relate to the assessment amount. In an effort to simplify property tax bills, the General Assembly changed the law this year to require that real property tax rates be based on a full cash value assessment rather than the historic 40 percent value. To offset the increase in assessed value, Maryland counties will reduce real property tax rates proportionately. This change will not affect tax liability.

As in past years, the tax bill will indicate whether or not a mortgage company received a copy of the bill. If a mortgagee is indicated on the tax bill and the company is correct, the property owner need not pay the bill, as it will be paid by the mortgagee. If the mortgage information is incorrect or does not appear on the tax bill, the taxpayer should contact the mortgagee. It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to forward the original bill to the correct mortgage company.

For more information, call the County’s Treasury Division at 240-777-8930.