Property renditions should be filed by next Monday

Local business owners will have to come up with more money if they don’t file renditions by mid-April, according to Shackelford County chief appraiser Clayton Snyder.

Taxpayers have until Monday, April 15 to file personal property renditions.

Anyone who in the past has paid taxes on personal property in Shackelford County should have received a rendition form and reminder letter earlier this year.

Anyone who didn’t receive a form or who has misplaced theirs can contact the local tax office or download a form by clicking on the forms tab on the CAD website, shackelfordcad.com. There are separate forms for real property and business personal property.

Until about 10 years ago, there were no consequences if business owners didn’t fill out rendition forms, said Snyder. Once the Texas Legislature amended the Texas Property Tax Code to include serious penalties, several local taxpayers have found themselves owing more than expected.

The penalty on a property that is rendered late or not rendered at all is 10 percent of the annual taxes on that specific property.

Snyder commented that completing a rendition has several benefits.

“If a taxpayer renders, the burden of proof is on the tax office,” he said. “If you don’t render, the burden of proof is on you.”

Also, another change in the tax law six years ago requires the chief appraiser to send a written notice by first class mail informing a property owner when a penalty has been imposed for failure to file a timely rendition. The mailed notice has to be sent by May 31 or as soon thereafter as possible, said Snyder.

“Before 2012, the first notification of a penalty was on the tax bill in October,” he explained. “Now, if you wait until you get your actual tax bill, it will be too late to protest the penalty.”

Procedures for protesting will be outlined in the notification letter.

At the urging of the local tax appraisal office personnel, most business owners have filed renditions the last several years, but a number of penalties have been applied in spite of the reminders, said Snyder.

He added that the deadline for a business personal property rendition can be extended by written request to May 15, if there is “good cause.” The request must be made in writing, he emphasized.

Snyder also explained that if a written extension request is received by April 15, the period is automatically extended 15 days, even without “good cause.”

“This might save some taypayers money if they are in a bind for time,” he said.

Email is considered a written request.

“And we don’t have any choice about the 10 percent penalty,” Snyder continued. “The tax code requires that the penalty be enforced.”

He added that his office has copies of last year’s renditions if needed.

Leased or consigned equipment needs to be listed on the reverse side of the form. 

“Otherwise, we have no way of knowing that equipment doesn’t belong to your business, and you could be assessed taxes,” he said.

There is also a 50 percent penalty if a court determines that a false statement is made on the rendition with the intention of evading taxes.

A rendition is a report filed by a business personal property owner each year, listing taxable property he owns or manages as of Jan. 1.

Snyder noted that taxpayers can be granted an exemption on one business vehicle by filling out a special form.

Texas law does not require a property owner to render a home or other real property, but Snyder pointed out that home-owners who do render are in a better position to exercise their rights as taxpayers.

By filing a rendition, property owners ensure that the correct address will be on their value notices, tax bills, and notices or hearings, which may be scheduled if property owners protest the appraisal of their property.

A rendition is also an opportunity for a property owner to record an opinion of the prop-erty’s value.

If a taxpayer sends in an opinion of the property’s worth, the central appraisal office is required by law to send a notice before placing a higher value on the property, thus giving the owner additional time to back his claim that the proposed value is too high.

Otherwise, a notice of appraised value isn’t normally sent unless the market value on a specific property is raised $1,000 or more, or unless ownership has changed.

For more information, contact the Shackelford County Appraisal District office at 762-2207.