Hesse in property tax chaos: What citizens need to know now!

Hesse in property tax chaos: What citizens need to know now!

On January 1, 2025, the property tax reform comes into force in Hesse, which brings far -reaching changes for around 2.7 million properties. The measurement amounts, the basis for the property tax calculation, are adjusted and the assessment of the size and location of the real estate is carried out in a new way. This is intended to replace the outdated calculation data that has been used for East Germany since 1935 and in 1964 for West Germany after the Federal Constitutional Court declared the old calculation to be unconstitutional. FR.DE reports of these basic changes.

A decisive aspect of the reform is the adjustment of the lifting rates by the municipalities. In Hesse, many cities have already determined their new rates, whereby the recommendations of the Hessian Ministry of Finance play a central role. The basis for these recommendations was a comparison of tax measurements according to the old and new law. In particular, increase in increases are planned for large cities, while rural areas are asked to reduce them if necessary. kündteam.hessen.de lists the details.

shipping of the notices

The municipalities are responsible for sending the new property tax notices, whereby the appointments differ. Kassel started shipping on January 6, 2025, while Wiesbaden is planning the notices for January 22, 2025. Offenbach, on the other hand, is faced with delays and is expected to be able to send new notices until April 2025. The first property tax payment is due for February 15, 2025, but can be made afterwards.

The recommendations of the Hessian Ministry of Finance state that 344 municipalities should reduce their rate, while 72 have been recommended to increase the current sentence. An example of illustrative: An increase in the volume of tax measurement amounts for property tax B requires adjustment of the rate to keep the income stable.

digitization facilitates the process

A digital process was also established for taxpayers in Hesse to simplify the submission of tax returns. The system, known as Elster (electronic tax return), enables the digital submission of tax returns, which minimizes transmission errors. Users can register once and use the service for various tax returns without having to re -enter data. Further information on the registration and use of Elster are on elster.de available.

Overall, the property tax reform aims to ensure the municipalities' neutrality, while at the same time the necessary adjustments are made to correctly evaluate land. In 2023, the income from property tax for the Hessian municipalities was around 1.36 billion euros that were used to finance kindergartens and infrastructure.