SANDOWN — The town has a tax rate, but it will be too late for homeowners to claim their property tax payments on their 2008 tax returns.
That's true for all property owners, except those who paid in advance last week. Selectmen last week decided to let homeowners and businesses make tax payments before bills were sent out so they could claim the payments on their 2008 tax returns, Selectman Nelson Rheaume said. He said about 50 residents took advantage of that offer and made estimated payments the final two days of the year.
Tax bills will be sent out this month and no one else will be able to claim their payments on their 2008 returns. Rheaume said property tax bills will be in the mail within two weeks or so. Residents have 30 days to pay their taxes.
The new tax rate is $19.37 per $1,000 of assessed property value, down from last year's rate of $21.89. The decrease in the tax rate doesn't necessarily mean lower tax bills, however, because the town conducted a reassessment over the summer.
Individual property owners can calculate their new tax payment based on their new property assessment and the new tax rate to see if they are paying more, Rheaume said.
The state Department of Revenue Administration approved the new rate Dec. 23, and selectmen accepted it at a special year-end meeting Dec. 31. The tax rate is usually set in October.
The tax rate was set late largely because of the revaluation. In addition, the town's financial numbers didn't agree with the state's figures, Rheaume said.
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