Benton, Franklin counties should delay property taxes because of coronavirus | Editorial

If at all possible, Benton and Franklin counties should provide some form of property tax relief to those suffering financial hardship because of the coronavirus.

Of the state’s 39 counties, several have delayed the first collection due date for residents who pay their taxes themselves, and at least two other counties appear to be working on a case-by-case basis to help those who suddenly have found themselves in economic distress.

Money from property taxes is needed for public health care, law enforcement, fire districts, schools, county services and many other critical needs in the community. It is important that Benton and Franklin county residents who can pay their property taxes by the April 30 deadline do so.

But in this current state of emergency — when businesses have closed, people are out of work or are barely working — local tax relief would buy many county residents much needed time as they struggle to make ends meet.

King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Pacific, and other counties have pushed back the spring collection due date to June 1 for people who pay their taxes directly to the county.

Spokane County has made a similar change, but moved the deadline to June 15. Payments made through a financial institution must still be paid to those counties by April 30.

The concern about people not being able to pay their taxes on time came up at the March 31 Franklin County Commission meeting, and County Administrator Keith Johnson said they are watching finances carefully because the county needs the cash flow to cover expenses.

We understand that the budget is tight, but they should find a way to help struggling taxpayers. Other counties are getting creative.

For example, Whitman County and Walla Walla County are offering payment plans.

In Skagit County, Treasurer Jackie Brunson is working on a program to forgive penalties and interest for those experiencing financial difficulties because of Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order. She said on the Skagit County website that these cases will be reviewed on an individual basis.

In Clark County, Treasurer Alishia Topper is reaching out to small business owners and will work with them on developing a payment plan with no penalties or collection fees. She is also ceasing delinquent collections, said the website.

Tax relief is desperately needed.

Despite all the statewide measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus, cases continue to climb and that means social distancing restrictions must continue to stay in place. There is no way to be certain when this crisis will end, and many people fear they will not be able to recover financially.

Real estate agents are struggling to sell homes, restaurants are trying to make it on serving just take-out orders, and fitness centers and hair salons are closed. The lack of income is distressing many people.

Add a looming, property tax bill to the burden and their financial difficulties will be even worse.

And yet, we must do what we can to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As of this writing, there are 167 cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-City area, and there have been six deaths. As a community, we must continue to follow the stay-at-home order, no matter how difficult.

To help with that challenge, Inslee’s emergency declaration offers county treasurers flexibility in extending due dates for property taxes. They are allowed to make that decision as “the treasurer deems proper,” according to the state law.

On a national level, the U.S Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service moved the federal income tax filing date to July 15, giving citizens three more months to pay. The same reasoning that justified that decision also applies at the county level.

We realize county offices are closed and officials are working from home, and this means making significant policy changes might be a challenge.

But it would be better to offer some flexibility to distressed taxpayers now, rather than deal with tax liens later and lose more revenue in the long-term.

Our Benton and Franklin County treasurers should look at how their counterparts in other parts of the state are responding to this unprecedented crisis. Then they should find a way to help alleviate the anxiety and financial burdens of Tri-City taxpayers if they can.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 4:00 AM.