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| Proudly Serving the Citizens & Taxpayers of Imperial Polk County, Florida |
TAX COLLECTOR'S OFFICE CLOSED FRIDAY, JULY 3rd
 Tax Collector's Office Closed For Independence Day
The Tax Collector's Office will be closed in observance of Independence Day, on July 3rd. Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, falls on Saturday this year. As such, many county-wide and local governing agencies will be closed on Friday, July 3rd. The Tax Collector's Office will resume regular business hours on Monday, July 6th.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
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ANNOUNCEMENT OF PUBLIC MEETING
 Tax Collector's Office To Conduct Public Budget Review
The Polk County Tax Collector's Office will hold a public meeting on Thursday, July 9, 2009, at 6:00 P.M., or shortly thereafter, in the Second Floor Multi-Purpose Room, located at the Tax Collector's Main Office Building, in Bartow. At such time a presentation of the Tax Collector's proposed budget will be made. The Purpose of this meeting shall be to: Outline the status of the Office of Tax Collector; present the proposed budget for FY 2010; and, obtain the views and comments of citizens concerning the Office of Tax Collector and the proposed budget.
All interested parties may appear at the meeting and be heard. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodation to participate in the Public Meeting should contact the Tax Collector's Office at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the date of the Public Meeting.
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PURCHASE UNSOLD COUNTY HELD TAX CERTIFICATES
Unsold Certificates Available Online
As a way to further enhance tax collections, the Tax Collector's Office is making county held tax certificates, which were not sold in the June 1st regular tax certificate sale, available online. There are 14,254 county held certificates available for purchase. The opening date of this supplemental county held tax certificate sale is Monday, July 20th. Research and bidding will begin July 20th and last until August 3rd, when the batches will close.
After the county held tax certificate supplemental sale is balanced, the Tax Collector's Office will offer any remaining unsold county held tax certificates for sale on a first-come-first-serve basis. Registration, research and analysis for the first-come-first-serve sale will open August 17th with purchasing beginning on August 21, 2009. The sale will stay open until May 2010 for outstanding certificates issued in 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
To begin registration, research, analysis and bidding for July 20 through August 3 County Held Tax Certificate Supplemental Sale, please click here...
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PUBLIC TO SEE DOUBLING OF DMV FEES
 Vehicle Registrations, Titles & Driver Licenses To Cost Much More
On September 1, 2009, vehicle registrations and renewals for all vehicles will more than double. The cost of transferring a car's title is going up 78 percent as well. And if you are buying an additional vehicle, you will be looking at an increase from $100.00 to $225.00, a 125% increase. For more information, click here
Also, the Lake County Section of the Orlando Sentinel previously reported on how taxes and fees administered through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, including those provided by local Tax Collectors, are expected to increase dramatically. Joe Tedder, Polk County Tax Collector, and Bob McKee, Lake County Tax Collector, go on the record to describe what is happening. To see the report, click here
The Ledger reported on this as well, click here to see The Ledger article...
To see a listing of the tax/fee increases, click here
Vehicle owners with registrations that expire no later than November 30, 2009 may save money by renewing their registrations on or before August 31, 2009 and pay the lower fee amounts.
NO INCREASE IN STATE VEHICLE REGISTRATION OR TITLE TAXES ARE BEING USED TO PAY FOR THE ACTUAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE TAX COLLECTOR. STATE COMPENSATION FOR ACTUAL SERVICE COSTS HAVE NOT BEEN ADJUSTED SINCE THE 1980s.
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TAX COLLECTOR'S CHOICE KIDS TAG ART AWARD
 Rochelle Student Recognized For Kids Tag Artwork!
Rochelle School of the Arts student Chase Boutwell was surprised to see his kids tag artwork projected on a large screen in front of an audience of family and fellow students. It was then Boutwell learned that Tax Collector Joe Tedder had named him to be the first recipient of the 2009 Tax Collector Choice Award.
For more on this award presentation, click here...
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PAY WITH VISA ONLINE; BUT NOT IN TAX OFFICES
Visa Everywhere Except In The Tax Collector's Office
Effective May 1, 2009, VISA will no longer be accepted at the counter in Tax Collector's Office branches. VISA has ordered government agencies, including the Polk County Tax Collector's Office, to stop conducting lawful counter service payment transactions for tax payments, such as vehicle registration and business taxes. VISA is requiring government agencies, including the Tax Collector's Office, to sign merchant agreements that would force them to pass on VISA's charges to all customers, not just those who are using their credit cards at the counter.
MasterCard, American Express & Discover continue to be accepted by the Tax Collector's Office at the counter, through the mail, by way of automated telephone and online at www.PolkTaxes.com. Because of VISA's order, the Tax Collector's Office is limited to accepting VISA by way of mail, automated telephone and online transactions. For more information, click here...
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TOURIST DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION
Tourist Tax Distribution Reports
The Tax Collector's Office accepts tourist development tax remittances and distributes those funds to the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC). To learn more about the Tax Collector's Office Tourist Development Tax reports and/or to access available TDT reports online click here...
TDA Bulletins See the TDA June 2009 Bullentin!
The Tax Collector's Office publishes Tourist Development Academy Bulletins to provide specialized information to accommodation providers here in Polk County. To review these bulletins, click here...
 TDA Vacation Rental Homeowner Guide
The Tax Collector's Tourist Development Academy has published a guide to help vacation rental homeowners, who rent or lease their vacation homes in the "Four Corners" area of Central Florida, better understand tax compliance issues that affect their rental home. To get this guide, click here...
Seal Of Compliance
The Tax Collector's Office has established a voluntary program, whereby managers of vacation homes (short-term rental properties) who have met or exceeded industry specific criteria can obtain a Seal of Compliance. To see a list of managers that currently hold the designation or for more information on the program click here...
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TRY OUR PROPERTY TAX TRACKING FEATURE
 TaxTrack Helps Manage Multiple Property Tax Accounts
TaxTrack is a useful online service provided at no charge by the Tax Collector's Office which allows for the management of multiple property tax accounts in an easy to use interface. With TaxTrack you can add multiple property tax accounts to your profile and manage them as a group, or export all the information from your accounts to other formats. To start using TaxTrack or for more information,
click here...
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KIDS TAG ART WINNING DESIGNS
 Tag Art Now on Sale to the Public
Last fall, 144 students' tag art designs were selected from a field of over 4000 fifth graders, to become part of the 2008-09 Kids Tag Art display, a mobile collage of license tag art which will travel around the county over the next year. On Saturday, February 21, 2009, these gifted art students from all over Polk County will be honored in an awards ceremony recognizing their accomplishments at the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland. Following the ceremony, the Tag Art Exhibit will travel to the Haines City Tax Collector's Office, 74 Maxcy Plaza Circle in Haines City. The exhibit is open to the public and is free of charge. Representatives from Central Florida Eurocars, Polk County School Board, Polk Museum of Art, Ridge Art Association, Junior Women's Association, and Polk County Tax Collector's Office will be there to honor the students. Each fifth grader will be presented with an Award of Distinction certificate by Joe G. Tedder, Tax Collector for Polk County.
Tags may still be purchased by clicking here...
To date, the project has raised over $45,000, all of which goes for supplementary classroom art supplies.
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SCAM: DISABLED PARKING PLACARDS
 Don't Pay For Permanent Disabled Parking Placards
Joe G. Tedder, Tax Collector for Polk County, recently sent a letter to The Ledger's editor to make sure the public is aware that there is no cost to obtain a permanent disabled parking placard. Some scam artists are fooling people into paying for this free service. To view the letter, click here...
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 Tax Collector TV
Check Out This Public Service Announcement
Take a look at the latest Protect Our Reefs PSA.
It features Dr. Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist & Undersea Explorer.
This PSA promotes the protection of Florida's reefs!
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