Deadline for local business renditions is Tuesday, Apr. 15
By Melinda L. Lucas
Local business owners need to file renditions by next Tuesday April 15, according to Shackelford CAD County chief appraiser Richard Petree.
Business taxpayers are required by the state to render by April 15, but Petree explained that he is allowed to grant a 30-day extension to May 15 if those requests are received in writing by April 15, with a possible second 15-day extension.
Email is considered a written request, he added.
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.
There used to be no consequences if business owners didn’t fill out annual rendition forms, but since 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.
Petree 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.”
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 Petree, who stated that the local staff has no choice about enforcing the 10 percent penalty because it is required by the tax code.
He added that the office has copies of last year’s renditions if business owners need them.
Leased or consigned equipment needs to be listed on the reverse side of the form, otherwise the tax office staff has no way of knowing that equipment doesn’t belong to the business, and the business owner could be assessed taxes on it.
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 or she owns or manages as of Jan. 1.
Petree noted that the non-taxable threshold was changed several years ago from less than $500 to less than $2,500.
Texas law does not require a property owner to render a home or other real property, but Petree 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 property’s value.
If a property owner sends in an opinion of the property’s worth, the central appraisal office is required by law to send the owner a notice before placing a higher value on the property, thus giving the property owner additional time to back his claim that the proposed value is too high.
Otherwise, the tax office normally doesn’t send a notice of appraised value 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 325-762-2207.
