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OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release No. 037-22 June 8, 2022 For More Information Contact: Shayla Solomon, Special Assistant for Public Affairs shayla.solomon@lgo.vi.gov Facebook: Office of the Lieutenant Governor – US Virgin Islands OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR ADDRESSES PROPERTY TAX ISSUES FOLLOWING 2022 BILL DISTRIBUTION The Office of the Lieutenant Governor’s (OLG) Real Property Tax Division advises the public that the distribution of the 2022 property tax bills has begun. The bills are being generated by a new billing and collections system implemented during the month of May. Since issuing the bills, the Office has fielded a number of inquiries from property owners regarding increases in their tax bill amounts and other concerns. The majority of the inquiries made to the Office fall into one of the following categories: Increases in Property Tax Due • Some properties have been reassessed based on improvements to the property over the period 2018-2022, verified through OLG field inspections, and on sales data reflecting the value of property sales in their area. Any reassessment would result in an increase in the assessed value of a property. The new system is capturing this assessment data that may not have been factored into a prior year billing. Government Entities Receiving Tax Bills • In some instances, government agencies may have never received a property tax bill before but are also seeing tax bills that show amounts owed to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. This is attributed to the fact that while these government properties do not pay property taxes, they are still responsible for sewer fees. Some entities may not have received bills for sewer fees in the past, which now result in past due sewer fee amounts for previous years on the issued tax bills. Condo Owners • Condo owners may have been taxed at the incorrect millage rate, resulting in increases of double or more over the prior year. The Real Property Tax Division has made those corrections in the internal operating system and those affected property owners will be sent a supplemental tax bill that accurately reflects taxes due. Amnesty Payments • During the final two weeks of the amnesty period, the Real Property Tax Division’s online portal was being converted to the new billing and collection system. Bills issued may not reflect PR037-22, Issues Following 2022 Property Tax Bill Distribution June 8, 2022 NO. 1105 KING STREET, CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX, USVI 00820 ♦♦ Tel: 340.773.6449 ♦♦ Fax: 340.773.0330 NO. 18 KONGENS GADE, CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS, USVI 00802 ♦♦ Tel: 340.774.2991 ♦♦ Fax: 340.774.6953 www.ltg.gov.vi amnesty payments. The system is being updated to reflect those payments. Property owners who took advantage of the property tax amnesty and made payments during the designated amnesty period will receive supplemental bills showing only amounts currently due. Homestead Tax Credits • Property owners who previously qualified for and received Homestead Tax credits, may have received tax bills wherein the credit is not shown or applied to the bill amount. This error has also been corrected in the internal system by the Real Property Tax Division and supplemental bills will be issued indicating the applied credit amount. “What we are witnessing with the new system is basically growing pains, but this new system will result in the overall improvement of the collection system and increased revenues to our government. We are asking taxpayers to bear with us as we work through the kinks and rectify their issues one by one. I sincerely apologize for the inconveniences,” said Lieutenant Governor Roach. Property owners, upon review of their 2022 property tax bill who believe that they may have an issue with their tax bill or may have received a tax bill with an incorrect amount in error, are asked to contact the Office of the Tax Assessor via email at propertytaxreview@lgo.vi.gov or by utilizing the following telephone numbers and designated prompt options: • St. Thomas - (340)774-2991, option 2 or option 5. • St. John - (340) 774-2992, option 6. • St. Croix (Christiansted) - (340) 773-6449, option 5 or option 8. • St. Croix (Frederiksted) - (340) 773-6449, option 6. Property owners who have not received their 2022 tax bill are asked to contact the Office of the Tax Assessor to verify their mailing address. It is important to note that the 4-digit postal code following the zip code for addresses is needed when providing the address to the Office. “The newly converted billing and collection system is now capturing and utilizing data in accordance with industry standards. The system will include new features that will enhance the ability to perform searches, get comparable sales data, make payments, and perform other related property services,” said Lieutenant Governor Roach. The Citizen Access Portal is available by visiting: https://propertytax.vi.gov. The Division looks forward to continuing to serve the Virgin Islands public as it onboards the new system for the benefit of property owners. ###