Now that we are moving into the delinquent property sales phase of our Tax Collections process in compliance with the VI Tax Laws, we want the public to know and be aware of some of the changes that were made under Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis’ tenure, with a goal to collect and increase the much needed revenues that helps to maintain services to the people of the Virgin Islands.  

Francis thanks his staff for their work that ensures the integrity of the revenue collection process.  “The collections team takes their responsibility to collect and account for the revenue of the Government of the Virgin Islands very seriously.  I appreciate their attention to detail and their willingness to share their ideas to further improve our effectiveness, professionalism while providing outstanding customer service,” stated the Lieutenant Governor.

Since taking office, Francis has made improving customer service and overall efficiency key priorities for his staff.  Francis charged his staff with streamlining revenue collections to ensure timely processing and deposit of payments.  Under his administration, the Office now accepts both debit and credit card payments, and has also implemented tele-check readers as a means of reducing uncollectible checks, which was a significant problem in the past. 

Further efforts to improve collections include strengthening internal recordkeeping and notifications to customers through enhanced property tax bill statements. The 2008 property tax bills listed past years’ delinquency balances.  Future bills will list all delinquent years, past due balances and total balance owed by property owners.
                                                                             
As of September 30, 2011, real property tax collections were $86.8 million, of which $10.3 million were delinquent collections. The amount collected is approximately $7 million more than the $81.0 million in collections that was projected for FY 2011. This increase in revenue can be directly attributed to the early payment discounts that were offered to property owners and the enhanced efforts by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to collect delinquent property taxes.

This is a total team effort and Lieutenant Governor Francis encourages the general public to send us their recommendations and suggestions as we continue to improve customer service to all.   

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