093_SB0813

 
                                     LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b

 1        AN ACT concerning taxes.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The Property Tax Code is amended by  changing
 5    Sections 9-265, 21-15, 21-20, and 21-25 as follows:

 6        (35 ILCS 200/9-265)
 7        Sec. 9-265.  Omitted property; interest; change in exempt
 8    use  or  ownership.    If  any  property  is  omitted  in the
 9    assessment of any year or years, so that the taxes, for which
10    the property was liable, have not been paid, or if by  reason
11    of defective description or assessment, taxes on any property
12    for any year or years have not been paid, or if any taxes are
13    refunded  under  subsection  (b)  of Section 14-5 because the
14    taxes were assessed in the wrong person's name, the property,
15    when discovered, shall be listed and assessed by the board of
16    review or, in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, by
17    the county assessor either on his or her  own  initiative  or
18    when  so directed by the board of appeals or board of review.
19    For purposes  of  this  Section,  "defective  description  or
20    assessment"  includes a description or assessment which omits
21    all the improvements thereon as a result of which part of the
22    taxes on the total value of the property as  improved  remain
23    unpaid.  In the case of property subject to assessment by the
24    Department, the property shall be listed and assessed by  the
25    Department.   All  such  property  shall  be  placed  on  the
26    assessment  and  tax  books.    Notwithstanding   any   other
27    provision  of  Sections  9-260  through  9-270, if a taxpayer
28    receives a tax bill for any property or portion  of  property
29    that was omitted for 2 or more years from assessment, the tax
30    bill  for  the omitted property must be paid within 16 months
31    after the  date  the  taxpayer  receives  the  tax  bill.  No
 
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 1    interest  may  be  imposed  on  the  tax bill for the omitted
 2    property during that 16-month  period.  Thereafter,  interest
 3    shall be charged as with all other delinquent tax bills.  The
 4    arrearages  of taxes which might have been assessed, with 10%
 5    interest thereon for each year  or  portion  thereof  from  2
 6    years after the time the first correct tax bill ought to have
 7    been  received,  shall be charged against the property by the
 8    county clerk.
 9        When property or  acreage  omitted  by  either  incorrect
10    survey  or other ministerial assessor error is discovered and
11    the owner has paid its tax bills as received for the year  or
12    years of omission of the parcel, then the interest authorized
13    by  this  Section  shall  not  be  chargeable  to  the owner.
14    However, nothing in this Section shall prevent the collection
15    of the principal amount of back taxes due and owing.
16        If any property listed as  exempt  by  the  chief  county
17    assessment officer has a change in use, a change in leasehold
18    estate,  or  a  change  in titleholder of record by purchase,
19    grant, taking or transfer, it shall be the obligation of  the
20    transferee  to  notify the chief county assessment officer in
21    writing within 30 days of the change.  The  notice  shall  be
22    sent  by  certified mail, return receipt requested, and shall
23    include the name and  address  of  the  taxpayer,  the  legal
24    description of the property, and the property index number of
25    the  property  when an index number exists. If the failure to
26    give the  notification  results  in  the  assessing  official
27    continuing  to  list  the  property  as  exempt in subsequent
28    years, the property shall be considered omitted property  for
29    purposes of this Code.
30    (Source:  P.A.  88-455;  89-126,  eff.  7-11-95; 89-671, eff.
31    8-14-96.)

32        (35 ILCS 200/21-15)
33        Sec. 21-15.  General tax due dates; default  by  mortgage
 
                            -3-      LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b
 1    lender.  Except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this Section or
 2    Section 21-40, all property upon which the first  installment
 3    of  taxes  remains  unpaid on June 1 annually shall be deemed
 4    delinquent and shall bear interest after June 1 at  the  rate
 5    of  1 1/2% per month or portion thereof.  Except as otherwise
 6    provided in this Section or Section 21-40, all property  upon
 7    which  the second installment of taxes remains due and unpaid
 8    on September 1, annually,  shall  be  deemed  delinquent  and
 9    shall  bear  interest  after September 1 at the same interest
10    rate. All interest collected shall be paid into  the  general
11    fund  of the county.  Payment received by mail and postmarked
12    on or before the required due date is not delinquent.
13        Property not subject to the interest  charge  in  Section
14    9-265  shall  also  not  be  subject  to  the interest charge
15    imposed by this Section. Property  subject  to  the  interest
16    charge  as  provided  in  Section  9-265  is  subject  to the
17    interest charge under this Section only  after  the  16-month
18    period  has  expired as provided in Section 9-265. until such
19    time as the owner of the property receives actual  notice  of
20    and  is billed for the principal amount of back taxes due and
21    owing.
22        If a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of
23    the United States who has an ownership interest  in  property
24    taxed  under this Act is called to active duty for deployment
25    outside the continental United States and is on  active  duty
26    on  the  due  date of any installment of taxes due under this
27    Act, he or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the  payment
28    of the installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged
29    as  a  penalty  on  the  installment until 30 days after that
30    member returns from active duty.
31        Notwithstanding any other  provision  of  law,  when  any
32    unpaid taxes become delinquent under this Section through the
33    fault of the mortgage lender, (i) the interest assessed under
34    this  Section  for  delinquent taxes shall be charged against
 
                            -4-      LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b
 1    the mortgage lender  and  not  the  mortgagor  and  (ii)  the
 2    mortgage  lender shall pay the taxes, redeem the property and
 3    take all necessary steps to remove any liens accruing against
 4    the property because of the delinquency. In  the  event  that
 5    more  than one entity meets the definition of mortgage lender
 6    with respect to any mortgage, the interest shall be  assessed
 7    against  the  mortgage  lender  responsible for servicing the
 8    mortgage.  Unpaid taxes shall be  deemed  delinquent  through
 9    the  fault  of  the mortgage lender only if: (a) the mortgage
10    lender has received all payments due the mortgage lender  for
11    the  property  being  taxed  under  the  written terms of the
12    mortgage or promissory note secured by the mortgage, (b)  the
13    mortgage  lender  holds funds in escrow to pay the taxes, and
14    (c) the funds are sufficient to pay the taxes after deducting
15    all amounts reasonably anticipated  to  become  due  for  all
16    hazard insurance premiums and mortgage insurance premiums and
17    any  other  assessments  to be paid from the escrow under the
18    terms of the mortgage.  For  purposes  of  this  Section,  an
19    amount  is  reasonably  anticipated  to  become  due if it is
20    payable within 12 months from the  time  of  determining  the
21    sufficiency  of funds held in escrow.  Unpaid taxes shall not
22    be deemed delinquent through the fault of the mortgage lender
23    if the  mortgage  lender  was  directed  in  writing  by  the
24    mortgagor not to pay the property taxes, or if the failure to
25    pay the taxes when due resulted from inadequate or inaccurate
26    parcel  information  provided  by  the  mortgagor, a title or
27    abstract company, or by the  agency  or  unit  of  government
28    assessing the tax.
29    (Source:  P.A.  90-336,  eff.  1-1-98;  90-575, eff. 3-20-98;
30    91-199, eff. 1-1-00; 91-898, eff. 7-6-00.)

31        (35 ILCS 200/21-20)
32        Sec. 21-20.  Due dates; accelerated billing  in  counties
33    of  less  than  3,000,000.  Except  as  otherwise provided in
 
                            -5-      LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b
 1    Section  21-40,  in  counties  with   less   than   3,000,000
 2    inhabitants  in  which  the accelerated method of billing and
 3    paying taxes provided for in Section 21-30 is in effect,  the
 4    estimated  first  installment of unpaid taxes shall be deemed
 5    delinquent and shall bear interest after  a  date  not  later
 6    than  June  1  annually  as  provided for in the ordinance or
 7    resolution of  the  county  board  adopting  the  accelerated
 8    method,  at  the  rate of 1 1/2% per month or portion thereof
 9    until paid or forfeited. The  second  installment  of  unpaid
10    taxes  shall  be  deemed  delinquent  and shall bear interest
11    after August 1 annually at the same interest rate until  paid
12    or  forfeited.  Payment received by mail and postmarked on or
13    before the required due date is not delinquent.
14        Property subject to the interest charge  as  provided  in
15    Section  9-265  is  subject to the interest charge under this
16    Section  only  after  the  16-month  period  has  expired  as
17    provided in Section 9-265.
18        If a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of
19    the United States who has an ownership interest  in  property
20    taxed  under this Act is called to active duty for deployment
21    outside the continental United States and is on  active  duty
22    on  the  due  date of any installment of taxes due under this
23    Act, he or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the  payment
24    of the installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged
25    as  a  penalty  on  the  installment until 30 days after that
26    member returns from active duty.
27    (Source: P.A. 91-199, eff. 1-1-00; 91-898, eff. 7-6-00.)

28        (35 ILCS 200/21-25)
29        Sec. 21-25.  Due dates; accelerated billing  in  counties
30    of  3,000,000 or more.  Except as hereinafter provided and as
31    provided in Section 21-40, in counties with 3,000,000 or more
32    inhabitants in which the accelerated method  of  billing  and
33    paying  taxes provided for in Section 21-30 is in effect, the
 
                            -6-      LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b
 1    estimated first installment of unpaid taxes shall  be  deemed
 2    delinquent  and shall bear interest after March 1 at the rate
 3    of 1  1/2%  per  month  or  portion  thereof  until  paid  or
 4    forfeited.  The  second  installment of unpaid taxes shall be
 5    deemed delinquent and shall  bear  interest  after  August  1
 6    annually at the same interest rate until paid or forfeited.
 7        If  the county board elects by ordinance adopted prior to
 8    July 1 of a levy year to provide for taxes to be  paid  in  4
 9    installments,  each  installment  for that levy year and each
10    subsequent year shall be deemed delinquent and shall begin to
11    bear interest  30  days  after  the  date  specified  by  the
12    ordinance  for mailing bills, at the rate of 1 1/2% per month
13    or portion thereof, until paid or forfeited.
14        Property subject to the interest charge  as  provided  in
15    Section  9-265  is  subject to the interest charge under this
16    Section  only  after  the  16-month  period  has  expired  as
17    provided in Section 9-265.
18        Payment received by mail and postmarked on or before  the
19    required due date is not delinquent.
20        Taxes  levied  on homestead property in which a member of
21    the National Guard or reserves of the  armed  forces  of  the
22    United  States  who  was  called  to  active duty on or after
23    August 1, 1990, and who has an ownership interest, shall  not
24    be  deemed  delinquent  and  no  interest  shall accrue or be
25    charged as a penalty on such taxes due and payable in 1991 or
26    1992 until one year after that  member  returns  to  civilian
27    status.
28        If a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of
29    the  United  States who has an ownership interest in property
30    taxed under this Act is called to active duty for  deployment
31    outside  the  continental United States and is on active duty
32    on the due date of any installment of taxes  due  under  this
33    Act,  he or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the payment
34    of the installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged
 
                            -7-      LRB093 10070 SJM 10321 b
 1    as a penalty on the installment  until  30  days  after  that
 2    member returns to civilian status.
 3    (Source: P.A. 91-199, eff. 1-1-00; 91-898, eff. 7-6-00.)

 4        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 5    becoming law.