property tax rush
Problems with the “Elster” tax platform
The “Elster” control platform is currently apparently overloaded. Photo: Robert Günther/dpa-tmn/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
By the end of October at the latest, millions of landowners have to submit a kind of second tax return. The platform provided for this is obviously overloaded in view of the many entrances.
A large rush as a result of the property tax reform has led to difficulties with the “Elster” tax platform. “Due to the enormous interest in the forms for the property tax reform, there are currently restrictions on availability,” said the website on Sunday evening. «We are already working intensively on being able to provide you with the usual quality as quickly as possible.» Citizens can use “Elster” to submit their tax returns electronically.
The property tax must be recalculated after a judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court. Millions of house, apartment and property owners have therefore had to submit a kind of second tax return since July by the end of October at the latest, usually electronically via “Elster” – with data such as the hall number, year of construction, living space and standard land value. Depending on the federal state, sometimes more or less information may be required because the states use different calculation models.
For apartment owners, it is usually a few hundred euros a year, for owners of larger apartment buildings it can also be four-digit amounts. The owners will probably not find out how much is due in the end until 2025, because the property tax value to be calculated from their data is only one component in the calculation of the property tax – and the municipalities can adjust their assessment rates and thus determine how much they have to pay .