It’s official.
On Thursday, April 6, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to request permission from the state to double the discount rate that early payers pay when they send in their property taxes for this year and following years. Every year, the county’s tax bills go out in July and those early birds who send in the total owed by the end of August have been getting a half of a percentage point break on the bill.
Now, going forward – once all of the county’s paperwork is complete – those same early payers will get a full percentage point break on the money they owe.
Going into the Thursday afternoon work session where the commissioners voted, there was a question of how much they would increase the discount – though there was obviously a good deal of agreement on the board to raise it to some extent.
This move by the board puts the discount rate back to where it was about a decade ago, before a previous Board of Commissioners reduced the rate from one percent to a half a percent.
This move puts Guilford County in a unique spot among large peer counties: At the work session, Guilford County Tax Director Ben Chavis told the board that, of the 10 largest counties in the state, Guilford County was the only one offering a discount. Some other smaller counties do offer a discount to early payers.
Commissioner Kay Cashion said that she’d had a lot of people calling her asking for an increase in the discount rate since property taxes had increased due to the revaluation of all property in the county that took place in 2022.
“Although when you look at the amount, it’s not very much at all in terms of reduction, it is a show of good will that we would like to do at least this much,” she said.
Cashion added that she got a tax bill for property she owns in Stokes County and that county was offering a 2 percent discount for early payment.
I agree with Kay Cashion. This is not enough of an incentive for me to pay early especially since I just had an 11% increase last year.
How about doing something really constructive and reduce property taxes.
Should be a minimum of 15% discount since they fleeced Guilford Cty residents last two years! A 0.5% additional discount increase is laughable. My taxes have increased by over $2,000/yr in three years and they are offering what amounts to about $40 to people who pay early. What a joke.
If they can afford to give us a break when we pay our taxes early then they are over charging home owner in the first place.
Damn right.
So let’s see, I am paying $1,190 +/- in additional property tax and they are kindly giving me an additional whopping $22.00+/- for paying it early. Doesn’t their kindness just warm the cockles of your heart?
F$$k skip and his merry band of minions. $20 dollars firs paying early, bite my dirty shorts skip.
Hey Reb, let’s keep it civil, puh-leeze. You might suggest that The Shippity stick it right where the sun don’t shine.