Disappointing News For Some Taxpayers

berriencountyadministration

Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski is sending out a message to all property owners. He says you can’t pay next year’s property taxes right now in order to get a deduction that’s about to go away. Witkowski tells WSJM News his office and others have been hearing from folks trying to pay their taxes early. It has to do with a new cap of $10,000 on property tax deductions soon to take effect.

“The southern part of our county is getting flooded with calls from people trying to pre-pay their 2018 taxes in 2017, and the IRS came out with a notice yesterday saying you can’t do that,” Witkowski said. “If there’s no bill created, which in Michigan there’s not, you cannot deduct those off our 2017 income taxes.”

Witkowski says the vast majority of the calls are coming from property owners in the southern half of Berrien County, where most of the vacation homes are. Witkowski has told township offices they have to return property tax checks they receive right now. Paying the taxes early will not get you that higher deduction next year unless your taxes for next year have already been assessed.