Audit urges procedures for Homestead tax credit

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A Maryland audit says the State Department of Assessments and Taxation has not created a formal and comprehensive compliance program to administer the Homestead Property Tax Credit.  
 

The audit by the Department of Legislative Services was released on Wednesday.
 
The audit says the assessments department has not established written procedures for processing Homestead tax credit applications.
 
The audit also says the department needs to create a plan to investigate the propriety of Homestead tax credits received in prior years on properties that will be removed from eligibility because an application was not submitted by the Dec. 31 deadline or was not approved.
 
The department says it will develop a manual for specific procedures, after it finishes processing 175,000 applications received in the last four months of last year.