SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister reminded local property owners today to pay property taxes on time or face a hefty penalty.
The first installment of the 2018-2019 secured property tax bill was due on Nov. 1 and will become delinquent after Dec. 10.
``So far, we have had 41 percent of taxpayers send us $1.3 billion in first installment payments,'' McAllister said. ``But we're coming up on the deadline, and we don't want anyone to have to pay a 10 percent penalty for being even a minute late.''
Online payments will be accepted until midnight on Dec. 10. Taxpayers should log on to sdtcc.com early and give themselves plenty of time to complete an e-check payment before the automatic midnight cutoff, according to McAllister. Payments can also be made by phone at (855) 829-3773; in person by visiting any of the five branch offices; or by mail, in which case payments must be postmarked Dec. 10 to be considered on time.
The Treasurer-Tax Collector's office expects to collect $6.49 billion in property taxes from the nearly one million bills it sent to county residents in September.
According to the county, San Diego Gas & Electric owes the most money in property taxes -- $138 million.
During fiscal year 2017-18, the county used 45.6 percent of the nearly $5 billion collected to fund local schools and 13.2 percent on county services. Property tax funds also help pay for libraries and resources offered by city and county governments. Residents can visit sdttc.com/content/ttc/en/tax-collection.html for a breakdown of how the county uses property tax revenue.
``We recently redesigned our website in hopes that people will be able to easily find the information they need and pay on time,'' McAllister said. ``More than 60 percent of taxpayers now pay electronically because it is secure, fast and easy. I encourage everyone to skip the lines at our branches and go online.''
