NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2001 District Makes Last Effort to Confirm Real Property Tax Relief Eligibility (WASHINGTON, DC) The District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) has publicized on the Internet thousands of real properties whose owners have not confirmed their eligibility for Homestead and Senior Citizen tax relief. In a final effort to seek out these owners before canceling this important tax benefit for their properties, all District properties whose owners have not responded to confirmation notices mailed to them are listed on the District's Taxpayer Service Center website. "We have an obligation to the citizens of the District of Columbia, and we must move forward in order to protect city revenue," said Herbert J. Huff, Deputy Chief Financial Officer. The Internet listing is a last attempt to alert property owners of the need to verify their Homestead and Senior Citizen deduction eligibility. Of the 12,000 original confirmation applications sent to property owners, approximately 4,500 have not been returned. If a property is listed yet the owner has already returned the confirmation form, the owner should disregard this notice. Properties will be removed from the list as confirmation forms are received and processed. As part of continuing efforts to combat tax fraud, OTR is verifying taxpayer information in its databases. By matching data on individual income tax accounts with data from real property databases and other District agencies, OTR is ensuring that real property owners receiving the Homestead and Senior Citizen deductions actually live in the District and in fact qualify for these benefits. OTR encourages anyone who has not yet sent in their Homestead and Senior Citizen confirmation application to return this form to the Office of Tax and Revenue, Customer Service Administration, 941 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Property owners may call the Customer Service Administration at (202) 727-4TAX (4829), or drop off their applications at the Customer Service Walk-in Center at 941 North Capitol Street, NE, on the first floor. Homestead and Senior Citizen applications can be requested from Customer Service or downloaded from the above Web site. District residents are encouraged to report any fraudulent Homestead and/or other deductions to the toll-free Tax Fraud Hotline at (800) 380-3495.