chelco bills

Hey..... we are being charged! Thanks Carmen!!

This is something I just found out about today but maybe everyone on the board has known about. If you look at your Chelco bill at the line /charge for Gross Receipts tax - that is a charge for your home only if you run a business or rent your home. If you live in your house full time and don't run a business there, you should not be charged this. You can call Chelco, they will send you a form to fill out to stop this charge, and possibly reimburse you for a few years back. Mine was 8.39 this month but a friend of mine said hers was $43. Hope this helps some of you buy a few more cups of coffee every month.

I just talked to CHELCO and the the charge is the line State Sales Tax NOT Gross Receipts tax. It can be stopped, however, if you are a resident and not renting your home or condo unit. Betty and I are going down to the CHELCO office today to sign the form and I'll let you know what they have to say about reimburement of past State Sales Tax charges.

Yes, please report. Obviously, the person I spoke to yesterday told me it was the gross receipts tax.

I'm looking at my bill now. I don't see a State sales tax, but i do have a gross receipts tax of 5.90. ANYTHING i can do to get my bill lowered, I will do....

Thanks for the info!!

I just talked to CHELCO and the the charge is the line State Sales Tax NOT Gross Receipts tax. It can be stopped, however, if you are a resident and not renting your home or condo unit. Betty and I are going down to the CHELCO office today to sign the form and I'll let you know what they have to say about reimburement of past State Sales Tax charges.

You may want to call the DOR office in Panama City and see how far back the State will let you be reimbursed. It may be much more than Chelco says. If so, someone over there can probably help you get those dollars. I know on audits they are going back 5 years to recoup the tax when it is not charged properly.

wrobert, thanks very much for the information. What is the DOR office? I am not familiar with it.
We just returned from CHELCO and we did sign the form. They could not tell us if there was any reimburement by the state or not. It really gripes me that we have been paying an unnecessary tax since 2003 but it is my fault. My suggestion to CHELCO was that once every six months, at least, they include this fact in their newsletter as a reminder to residents.

wrobert, thanks very much for the information. What is the DOR office? I am not familiar with it.
We just returned from CHELCO and we did sign the form. They could not tell us if there was any reimburement by the state or not. It really gripes me that we have been paying an unnecessary tax since 2003 but it is my fault. My suggestion to CHELCO was that once every six months, at least, they include this fact in their newsletter as a reminder to residents.

So is CHELCO doing any sort of reimbursement for any past time period (or just removing it from here going forward)?
Thanks for posting.

So is CHELCO doing any sort of reimbursement for any past time period (or just removing it from here going forward)?
Thanks for posting.

They better be reimbursing. They have been charging us the fee too!

they have charged me too; at least for the last two years. I will check the other 10 years' of bills when I can dig them out of storage.
I went to the SoWal Chelco office this morning and inquired about why it was being charged and was told that when I originally applied for service, I should have checked a form saying it was residential.
since I did not, the tax is charged.

I asked to see a copy of the application since I did not remember filling one out; I remember calling up and applying for service over the phone and not having to pay a deposit since I had such a long history of electrical service in Florida...but, it was 12 years ago, so I won't trust my memory. Anyway, the lady could not find my original application in the computer.

Then, I asked about the form to stop the sales tax; and they did not have a copy of the form; and their computer was not working, so they could not print one for me. The lady was going to email me one when her computer was working properly, but I do not have a form yet.

Anyone else get to see the copy of the original application you filled out?

My question is when I was applying for residential service, why would they have given me any other kind of application?
:idontno:

Something is rotten in the state of wal.

Methinks Chelco needs to be cutting many checks.

Meagrees with you.

.

It appears Chelco is only digging themselves a into a deeper hole.



.

I talked to both CHELCO and the Fla. Dept. of Revenue today as well as the property appraiser's office in Walton County.
I was told by CHELCO that I would be reimbursed by the state for 3 years of sales tax. Upon calling the Dept. of Revenue, I was told that three years is the statute of limitations and what CHELCO had told me was correct. I then called the property appraiser's office to suggest that when people apply for Homestead Exemption they inform them of this charge on their electric bill in case they have been renting. They were unaware of such charge. My remaining question is, are other utilities such as cable, gas and telephone also subject to this charge? Anybody have an answer. And THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Carmen, for bring this to our attention.

If you have satellite television for your primary or auxiliary residence, the state mandates that you pay a pretty significant tax on that. It got passed in one of those 'it's not a tax; it's a user fee' state budget processes.

Andy, were they able to provide you a copy (or perhaps you have one already?) of the application where you did not(according to Chelco) mark that your house is "residential?".

I did not see it, but CHELCO had a copy of my original application where the unit was on a rental program. I have received no argument from anyone regarding the unit now being a primary residence but then, I have received no money yet, either.😀

I really appreciate this thread.

I really appreciate this thread.

Thank Carmen. If it wasn't for her creating this thread, I'd still be paying the sales tax. As it is, I figure I'll get about $600 in either cash or credit. I'm most appreciative and so will be my charities that receive a donation.

Thank Carmen. If it wasn't for her creating this thread, I'd still be paying the sales tax. As it is, I figure I'll get about $600 in either cash or credit. I'm most appreciative and so will be my charities that receive a donation.

I did... gave my first rep ever! I also appreciate you, Glenda, and everyone else who has added their response updates as a community service :wave: