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Friday, February 27, 1998 [Go to Tax Division Page]
Background
Questions -- and answers -- about parish taxes
Who is responsible for the collection of taxes?
In Caddo Parish, the Sheriff is not only concerned with enforcing the law, but has the additional duty as Ex-Officio Tax Collector and is responsible for collecting parish taxes. Any property which has an outstanding balance of base tax, interest or other penalties or costs, is subject to being sold at the annual Tax Sale.
Whom should I contact to make a change of address?
The Caddo Parish Tax Assessor's Office should be contacted at (318) 226-6701 for all change of address information.
If I live in Shreveport, does my Tax Notice statement from the Parish include city taxes?
No. The City of Shreveport collects city taxes. The Sheriff only collects parish taxes.
How are my taxes calculated?
The amount collected is based on an assessment that has been done by the Tax Assessor, which is another entity entirely separate from the sheriff's office. The assessment is used in calculations which include the amount of millage a particular property is subject to paying.
What is Homestead Exemption and how are my taxes computed?
In the state of Louisiana, homeowners are eligible for homestead exemption of the first $75,000 of the assessed value of the home considered their permanent residence. A person can have homestead on only one home. To file for Homestead Exemption, contact the Tax Assessor's Office at (318) 226-6701.
Ten percent of the assessed value of your residential property is multiplied by the current year's millage rate to arrive at the total tax shown on the tax notice. Some property will have additional amounts for fire district and water district service fees or parcel fees. Here is a rough example how to calculate parish taxes (not city taxes):
Assessed value $75,000 or less = no parish taxes
Assessed value $125,000
$125,000 less $75,000 homestead exemption = $50,000.
10 % of assessed value over $50,000 $ 5,000.
Approximate multiplying factor (excluding special taxes)= .15278
.15278 times $5,000= Approximate Parish taxes due = $763.90
When is the deadline to pay my taxes?
Current year's taxes become delinquent on December 31st of that year. After this date, the taxes become delinquent and are assessed at a rate of one percent interest per month, or any part thereof.
What happens if I do not pay my taxes?
Any delinquent account - that is an account reflecting any amount of money due - is subject to be sold at the annual Tax Sale in May. The 1998 Tax Sale is currently scheduled to be held on May 13, 14 & 15, 1998.
Come on now, does anyone really fail to pay their taxes?
The approximate number of delinquent accounts and the amount of potential tax revenue represented as of March 1, 1998, is as follows:
Real Estate: 9,000 accounts ($5,912,871)
This number represents only the 1997 Real Estate accounts which are currently considered as delinquent for the 1998 Tax Sale in May.
Oil & Gas: 1,000 accounts ($935,609)
This number represents 1995, 1996 and 1997 accounts.
Personal Property: 1,900 accounts ($5,588,702)
This number represents 1995, 1996 and 1997 accounts.
How can I find out if my account has any outstanding balance?
Fortunately, most accounts are paid in a timely fashion. However, many times an account is unpaid because of an honest mistake or lack of knowledge as to "how the system works" - and here is a for instance:
Let's say Buyer "B" buys a house from Buyer "A" on January 5, 1998. Well "A's" name was on the tax roll for January 1, 1998, so the tax notice which is sent out in November of 1998, goes to "A" - not "B." "B" will not receive a tax notice on the property until November, 1999.
One thing we do to help the taxpayers is send a New Owner Notice to any account which shows any amount due. This year, those (about 335) were sent out in the third week of February. This gives those new owners an opportunity to find out that taxes are due and are accruing interest.
On or about February 27, 1998, we sent out Certified Notices to all accounts which still showed a balance greater than $0. This will affect the sheriff's office in that many people will come in and pay their accounts which will also include 1% interest per month and a $4.00 certified mail charge.
On or about April 1, 1998, advertising will be printed in The (Shreveport) Times. This listing will show all accounts which have not been paid and the certified mailers were returned as undeliverable.
On or about April 8, 1998, advertising will be printed in The (Shreveport) Times. This listing will show all accounts which have delinquent balances for 1997.
On or about May 6, 1998, two advertising files will be printed in The (Shreveport) Times. One will be a listing of certified non-deliverable mailers. The second will show all accounts with a delinquent balance.
Note: All listings will be sorted alphabetically and will include the name as it appeared on the Tax Roll for the delinquent year.
Tell me a little about the Tax Sale.
The Tax Sale will be held in Room G18 at the Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas Street, Shreveport, LA 71101. The first day of the Tax Sale, May 13, 1998, all the unsettled properties that appeared in the May 6th, 1998, advertising will be read aloud. People in the room are considered Tax Buyers. These buyers have pre-registered with the sheriff's office (Tax Buyer registration occurs beginning May 11, 1998, and anyone can register up to the start and during the sale.)
After the reading of a property, Buyers will bid for a portion of ownership on the property. By law, the sheriff continues accepting bids until the lowest percentage is bid -- which gives the Buyer who bid that amount the right to purchase it.
What happens if a property is not sold at the Tax Sale (Adjudicated)?
Any unsold property will be adjudicated to Caddo Parish. The Parish then becomes owner of the property.
What if my property is bought by a Buyer and I want to get it back?
The original owner has up to three years from the date the deed is filed in the Clerk of Court's office to redeem the property. A redemption is calculated by the Tax Collector. The amount of redemption will include a redemption fee, tax sale fee, interest due the tax buyer, the base taxes and monthly interest accrued on the account after December 31st of the delinquent year.
Why do I have to pay Fire District fees?
Fire District fees help fund fire and emergency services in your area. They are determined by your fire district and are voted on by the citizens in that district.
Note: Please read if you live in areas served by Caddo Fire Districts 2, 3, 5 or 6.
If you live in the Lakeview Subdivision, Greenwood, Keithville or Ellerbe Road areas, your account may have a delinquent fire tax from 1989, 1990 or 1991.
Due to legal reasons, these amounts were not placed on the Collection Roll by the Tax Assessor until 1995. If you owned the property in any of those three years, you may owe taxes. You may call the Tax Department at (318) 677-6638 to find out if you owe any money.