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Virgin Islanders whose properties have been delinquent from 2015 and before have up to 30 days to arrange a payment plan with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor (OLG) or face losing their properties through auctions held by the OLG.
Additionally, the OLG has made available all delinquent property taxes for the public to view here, as per V.I. Code Title 33 Section 2496, which calls for publication for 30 days.
"All properties, including but not limited to residential, commercial and timeshares, for which property taxes are owed for the years 2015 and prior, will be scheduled for auction sale if payment of property taxes (delinquent taxes, public sewer system user fees, and interest) is not received, or if an installment payment plan is not arranged within 30 days of the publication," stated the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
The OLG said property owners named on the listing who pay their delinquent taxes or enter into installment payment plans will be removed from the delinquency list. Payment plans will remain available to taxpayers even after the property tax delinquency publication is issued. Installment payment plans must be maintained in a current payment status to avoid being included in the auction sale process.
A bill sponsored by Senators Dwayne DeGraff and Franklin Johnson, and co-sponsored by Senators Marvin Blyden, Samuel Carrion and Carla Joseph, amends V.I. Code "to allow the Lt. Governor to collect unpaid property taxes and unpaid public sewer fees from the sale of delinquent taxpayer’s real property." The bill, No. 34-0066 became Act 8466 after being signed into law by Governor Albert Bryan last month.
“The Office of the Lieutenant Governor’s Division of Real Property Tax recognizes the solemn duty to provide fair, efficient and transparent management of the property tax system and continues to work diligently to protect the heritage of real property often passed on to Virgin Islanders through inheritance,” said Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach.
He further stated, “With that focus on fairness and accountability, the Office of the Tax Collector is mindful of the responsibility to enforce the Virgin Islands laws related to property tax delinquency and to maintain fairness to all taxpayers, both on-time and delinquent.”
According to the release, the following initiatives illustrate the steps that the Office of the Lieutenant Governor has taken to assist property owners with tax delinquencies:
- Ensured that full notice of property tax delinquency is provided on each tax bill, delineated by year, to each property owner of record with the issuance of the property bills, and calculated to the date of bill issuance.
- In accordance with Title 33 Virgin Islands Code, Section 2494, Lieutenant Governor Roach directed the Office of the Tax Collector to provide a tax amnesty for a period of 7½ months. This followed the previous amnesty imposed by Act 8271.
- Reduced the deposit amount percentage from 25% to 15% that a taxpayer is required to pay, in order to begin an installment payment plan.
- Offered and continues to offer payment plans to delinquent taxpayers, who were unable to satisfy their property tax obligations during the period that amnesty was made available.
- Provided payment plans to property taxpayers or their agents, without adversely affecting their credit.
Property owners may contact the Office of the Tax Collector if your name appears on the list, but you have paid all delinquent taxes, the OLG said. Additionally, if you have an active installment payment plan that is in current payment status, but your name appears on the list, please contact the Office of the Tax Collector.
Parcel owners owing delinquent taxes for tax years after 2015 are also urged to pay all delinquent taxes or enter into an installment payment plan to avoid being placed on future publications.
Property tax payments may be made online at https://propertytax.vi.gov using your control number and invoice number which may be found in the top right corner of each tax bill.
For additional information, please contact the Office of the Tax Collector St. Croix District at (340)773-6449, located at the Leroy Quinn Finance Building at Sunny Isle or the St. Thomas/St/ John District at (340)774-2991, located at the Nisky Center, lower-level parking lot.
