Businesses may qualify for 2021 real property tax deferral

DAYTON– Columbia County Treasury is now accepting applications for a deferral of real property taxes from eligible business taxpayers.

Under a new state law passed on April 16, businesses that have lost revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic may qualify for a deferral of their 2021 real property taxes. Businesses applying for the program and establishing a payment plan with Columbia County Treasury will not have penalties and interest applied to their taxes due, as long as the business remains compliant with the terms of the payment plan.

The application is available at https://dor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Docs/forms/PropTx/Forms/64-0116.pdf and may emailed or mailed to the Columbia County Treasurer’s Office. Requests for deferral must be made by April 30, 2021 to participate in the program.

To be eligible, the business must meet these criteria:

• The tax account must be for real property used primarily for business purposes. This program is not available for personal property or non-business-related real property accounts. Call the Columbia County Treasurer’s Office for options related to these tax accounts.

-The business must demonstrate a loss of at least 25 percent of revenue attributable to that real property for calendar year 2020 compared to calendar year 2019.

-Applicants who are granted a deferral of 2021 taxes must set up a payment plan by filling out the form and emailing or sending to the Columbia County Treasurer

The owner of real property receiving a deferral must pass on the entire benefit to a tenant or sublessee if the tenant or sublessee is required by the lease or other contract to pay the property tax expense of the owner.

Payment plan features include:

-The frequency of the payments is up to the taxpayer. Payments can be made monthly, quarterly, or in one lump sum.

-The final payment must be received by December 31, 2021. After December 31, any unpaid 2021 taxes will be subject to all applicable interest and penalties.

For more info, call the Treasurer’s office at 509-382-2641 or email [email protected].