FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              

July 24, 2007

PROPERTY TAX NOTICES MAILED;ERROR IN DATE

            The City and County of Honolulu has mailed real property tax bills for the first installment of taxes due for the 2007-2008 tax year.  The taxes are payable by August 20, 2007.

            The bills were mailed to all property owners or their respective agents on July 20.

            However, the forms on which the bills were printed incorrectly identify the tax year as “2006-2007.”  All other information on the bills is current and correct.  A revised bill, showing the correct year of “2007-2008,” will be mailed shortly.  The only difference between the two bills will be the year.

            City Treasurer Edlyn Taniguchi said, “We were so focused on the tax portion of the bill that we completely missed the typo on the date when we reviewed the proof submitted by our printer.  It’s never happened before, to my knowledge and, believe me, it’ll never happen again.”

            The total cost to reissue the tax bills will be $56,000.  Of this figure, the printer, Electronic Management Support & Services, Inc., has offered to share half the $12,000 production cost.  The City will assume the $44,000 postage cost.

            Taniguchi said, “We thought of less-costly ways to inform the public of the error, but ultimately decided to pursue the safest course of action because many property owners are non-residents and would not be reached by the mass media, and our City ordinances require that tax bills be mailed to property owners.  We don’t want to leave anything open to dispute, and that’s why we’re remailing the bills.”

            Property owners who pay their real property taxes directly, but who have not received their bills, should check immediately through either of these methods:

            Phone:             523-4856

            Website:         http://www.honolulupropertytax.com

            In person:        Real Property Tax Collection Section

                                    Division of Treasury

                                    City Hall, 1^st Floor (corner of King and Punchbowl streets)

                                    Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

                                    Metered parking is available at the Fasi Civic Center parking lot,

                                    with entrances on Alapai and Beretania streets

            Property owners are reminded that failure to pay taxes by the due date because of non-receipt of tax bills will result in a penalty of up to 10 percent, plus interest of 12 percent a year.  Bounced checks incur a penalty of $20.00.  The minimum tax for all property owners for the fiscal year is $100.00.

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Contact:

Edlyn Taniguchi, 527-5673