Real estate tax becomes a test for both taxpayers and tax authorities every year. After all, it is the State Tax Service that determines the amount to be paid and sends notifications to owners of residential and non-residential properties and land plots.
If the house has an area of less than 120 sq. m, an apartment – up to 60 sq. m, and land – up to 0.2 hectares, the fee is not charged, reminds tax consultant Mykhailo Smokovich.
State Tax Service Errors in Real Estate Tax
Annual reconciliations show a stable trend – inaccuracies occur en masse.
“We noticed an incredible number of errors on the part of the tax service. Some of them arise due to outdated data, others – due to technical errors,” says Smokovich.
Typical situations:
Incorrect share of ownership. The taxpayer owns 50% of the apartment, and the tax comes as if he had 150%.
- Double addresses. After renaming a street, the tax is charged at both the old and new addresses.
- Charges for property that has already been sold. The real owners in the register have changed, and the tax office continues to issue notices to the old one.
- Error in the area of the object. Incorrect meters automatically create an overpayment.
- Unreceived notices. The letter is simply not sent.
- Lack of charge. Such an error does not harm the payer, but indicates systemic problems.
Causes of errors in real estate tax
The workload for inspectors is growing every year. There is a shortage of people in the relevant departments, and inter-registry exchange is still not working effectively.
“Without the introduction of high-quality automation and real data exchange, the situation cannot be improved. Therefore, some processes remain manual, and this inevitably creates a risk of errors,” notes Smokovich.
How to check real estate tax
After receiving a tax notice, it is worth analyzing each item – address, area, share of ownership, period. If something does not match, you need to contact the State Tax Service by phone or by letter for reconciliation.
Documents confirming the change of owner or the real parameters of the property are attached to it.
“You should not leave everything as it is, because next year the calculation will be made with errors. A timely check makes it possible to avoid overpayments and long-term litigation,” warns Smokovich.
As reported, due to the full-scale war, confirming the right to ownership of housing has become particularly acute. Many people who have lost their homes cannot receive proper compensation, since information about their property is missing from the State Register of Property Rights (SRPR).
