Attention property owners! Millions have been paying excess taxes

The Ombudsman Institution (Kamu Denetçiliği Kurumu) has revealed that taxes mistakenly paid by millions of property owners should be refunded. Moreover, you have the right to claim back the money you have paid for up to the last 5 years. The taxes you have paid are being refunded to your account in a lump sum following a decision by the Ombudsman Institution.

Great news for millions of homeowners. If you have been paying taxes every year despite being a single-property owner because you were unaware of the laws, you can get back the money you paid retroactively. This lump-sum refund is of particular interest to retired homeowners, as they are the ones who make this mistake most often.

MANY PEOPLE PAY PROPERTY TAX DESPITE BEING EXEMPT

It has emerged that millions of property owners who are unaware of tax exemptions have been paying taxes. If you are among those who have paid, you have the right to get back the 5 years of taxes you paid in one go. The only condition for getting this money back is that your property must be on the list of exempt properties.

Citizens who own a home are required to pay property tax regularly every year. However, as with many types of taxes, there are tax-exempt situations recognized by the Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı) under the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

When tax exemption is mentioned, it immediately comes to mind that disabled citizens are exempt from many taxes. However, regarding property tax, many people other than disabled citizens are also not required to pay property tax. Yet, those who are unaware that they are exempt from property tax continue to make payments.

MILLIONS ARE ON THE EXEMPTION LIST

You may be one of those who pay property tax even though you are not a taxpayer. If you have fallen into such a situation, do not worry; taking a look at the precedent decision made by the Ombudsman Institution (KDK) will be enough for you to get your money back.

The KDK has decided that in such cases, the citizens' money should be refunded. This decision directly concerns almost all retirees who own a home.

According to the tax law, retirees, housewives, those who own property but are unemployed, spouses and orphans of martyrs, veterans, and the disabled are exempt from property tax. In other words, if you have only one house and have been paying property tax for this house for years, but have continued to pay even after retiring, apply immediately and ask for your money back. People who own only one house do not need to pay property tax after retiring.

WHAT DOES THE 'SINGLE HOUSE' CONDITION MEAN? WHO DOES IT COVER?

However, being a retiree, unemployed, widowed, orphaned, or a veteran does not mean you are exempt from property tax on its own. You must also own only one house. This is called the 'single house' rule. If you have only one house, you are exempt from tax if you have no income other than a pension paid by the state or if you have no income at all.

Another important condition is that the single house you own must not exceed 200 square meters in size. In other words, if your house is larger than 200 square meters, you must continue to pay property tax because it is considered a luxury, even if it is your only house and you meet the other conditions.

News Source: 12punto