Official: You can’t prepay 2018 property tax to avoid new law

Hundreds of Orange County residents worried about the new tax law have called the tax collector’s office asking if they can pay their 2018 property taxes in advance to claim the full deduction.

The answer they get? Not in Florida.

“Unfortunately, we have to tell people [that] under current law people don’t have that ability to prepay their taxes,” said spokesman Eddie Ayala. Other county tax collectors have reported a similar floods of inquiries, too.

Orange Tax Collector Scott Randolph said the bill signed by President Donald Trump last week will have a sweeping impact on people’s property tax bills beginning next year and in 2019, when next year’s federal income taxes are filed.

The standard deduction will double, he said, “but doing the standard deduction doesn’t really get you anywhere. In the very next line, the tax bill gets rid of most personal exemptions.”

Next year, tax deductions for property taxes as well as any state and local taxes will be capped at $10,000 — a key reason why people were hoping to double up on payments this year.

But Randolph said Florida law doesn’t allow prepayment of property taxes. Assessment of properties begins Jan. 1 and takes much of the year.

“The law says taxes aren’t even owed by you until Jan. 1,” he said. “[Next year] you may not even own the property.”

Property taxes also are not technically due until November, Randolph said, and owners can’t deduct anything until then.

Ayala and Randolph said that although some governors, such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were taking steps to allow pre-payments, there has been no such movement from Gov. Rick Scott.