Beating the clock

The final rush of 2007 is on at the Lenoir County Tax Administration Office as Lenoir County real property owners try to beat the deadline for paying their real property taxes.

Tax Administrator Darrell Parrish said Friday his office has seen an increase in business during December and expects it to stay busy through the Jan. 7, 2008 deadline. For those who don’t meet the deadline, a 2 percent interest penalty fee will be added to the total bill for the first month, Parrish said. After the first month beyond the deadline, the penalty for each month a bill is not paid will be a .75 percent interest fee.

For the first time, Lenoir County real property owners can use a new Web site to pay their taxes online and access payment history. The link is located on the county’s Web site and integrates the PayPal secure Internet payment system.

Parrish said Friday 26 people have used the new Web site to pay their real property tax bills. Online real property tax payments made so far total $10, 600, Parrish said.

Lenoir County property taxes billed for 2007 were $28 million, Parrish said. He expects to collect 99 percent of the total during the next three years.

Parrish said he will report the collection results to the Lenoir County Commissioners next summer. “We plan to collect through June 30, 2008,” he said.

The 2008 income tax filing season will start on Jan. 11. The only taxpayers who will experience delays are those who claim credits for education, residential energy, child and dependent care expenses, and mortgage interest, according to Liberty Tax Service. The Internal Revenue Service is currently updating the five forms involving the credits so those taxpayers can file their returns starting Feb. 11.

“Because of quick readiness steps on the part of the IRS, the inconveniences will be minimal for early filers and all taxpayers,” Liberty Tax Service CEO John Hewitt said in a written statement.

Chris Lavender can be reached at (252) 559-1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.