Tax offices in Hesse are still waiting for thousands of property tax returns - is there a risk of an estimate?

Tax offices in Hesse are still waiting for thousands of property tax returns - is there a risk of an estimate?

According to a report by www.hessenschau.de, the tax offices in Hesse continue to struggle with outstanding property tax returns, more than a year after the end of the deadline. According to a spokeswoman for the Oberfinanzdirektion (OFD) in Frankfurt, more than 60,000 declarations are still missing, although almost 2.7 million have already been received. In the event of non-fulfillment, there is a risk of an assessment by the tax administration, which is naturally associated with uncertainty.

The property tax reform affects a total of around three million properties and agricultural and forestry businesses in Hesse. The resulting redistribution of the tax burden could mean that some property owners have to pay more or less taxes from 2025. In addition, landlords can pass on the property tax to their tenants via additional costs.

However, the changeover in Hesse is still on schedule, with more than 2.3 million notices having already been sent. Municipalities must also prepare for adjustments to the assessment rates, as the reform is likely to lead to changes. Different calculation methods used by the federal states could cause additional difficulties, as not all of them use the criticized federal model. This could lead to further uncertainty and challenges in the real estate market.