The Council Will Meet Tuesday, December 26 at 10:00 a.m. Regarding Prepayment of Property Taxes

The County Council will meet in special session on Tuesday, December 26 at 10:00 a.m. to take up legislation enabling the prepayment of property taxes. Here's the full press release:

Montgomery County Council to hold special legislative session to enable residents to prepay their County property taxes, on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 10 a.m.

Introduction, public hearing, and vote is scheduled for Expedited Bill 42-17, Property Tax – Advance Payment – Authorized

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 23, 2017—On Tuesday, Dec. 26 at 10 a.m. the Council will hold a special legislative session to enable residents to prepay their County property taxes. Expedited Bill 42-17, Property Tax – Advance Payment – Authorized, would authorize the advance payment of County property taxes. A public hearing will follow the introduction of Bill 42-17. A vote is scheduled immediately after the public hearing.

Maryland tax law authorizes the governing body of a county to enact a law permitting taxpayers to make an advance payment of county property tax. The advance payment is "calculated by applying the current county property tax rate to the assessment of the taxpayer’s property for the prior year."

Bill 42-17 would require Montgomery County to refund any amount paid that is greater than the property tax owed and would permit the County to bill the property owner for any amount of the advance payment that is less than the real property tax finally determined.

"This bill is a response to the just-enacted federal tax reform act," said Council President Hans Riemer. "One of the act’s many problematic features is to limit the deductibility of state and local taxes on federal returns to $10,000 starting in 2018. While some other jurisdictions permit prepayment of property taxes, current Montgomery County law does not.

"Earlier this week the Council concluded that the prepayment option raised many serious questions," said Riemer. "Tax advisors are divided on whether prepayments would actually be deductible in 2017.

"Nevertheless, we must act," said Riemer. "This problem was created by the federal government’s reckless tax bill. These are not ordinary times. Like other jurisdictions, we must do what we can to ease the burden on our residents. Only they can determine whether prepayment is the right decision for them, but we should ensure that they have the opportunity to make that decision."

On Dec. 22 President Trump signed the Tax Reform Act into law. The act will limit the deduction for state and local income, sales, and property tax to $10,000 beginning in 2018. The advance payment of 2018 property tax before the end of 2017 may be deductible for some taxpayers on their 2017 income tax.

Information about how residents can prepay their property taxes will be provided by Executive Branch staff at the Council meeting on Tuesday and through additional communications.

The public hearing on Expedited Bill 42-17, Property Tax – Advance Payment – Authorized, will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building, which is located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM) on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon. It also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8

Individuals who want to testify at the public hearing on Expedited Bill 42-17 should email Councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov. The deadline to submit a request to testify is Dec. 26 at 7 a.m. Sending a request to testify does not guarantee a slot on the Council’s speakers list. Speakers for the public hearing will receive email confirmation notifications by no later than 9 a.m. on Dec. 26.

The Council is also accepting written testimony. Individuals should submit written testimony to County.Council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

A copy of Expedited Bill 42-17 and the Council staff report is attached or can be obtained by calling 240-777-7910. Council President Riemer’s full statement on Expedited Bill 42-17 is also attached.