Treasurer Pappas debuts 'Latino Houses Matter' radio show to help property owners obtain tax refunds

CHICAGO, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is launching a new radio show, "Latino Houses Matter," to help property owners get tax refunds they may be owed for overpayments or missed exemptions.

"Latino Houses Matter" is set to air from noon to 12:30 p.m. Mondays beginning Oct. 23 on WRLL-AM 1450. WRLL is a Spanish-language sister station of WVON-AM 1690, which since 2020 has aired Pappas' popular "Black Houses Matter" radio show from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Mondays.

Property owners may call in to "Latino Houses Matter" on WRLL-AM 1450 at 312-705-5857. They can give their address to representatives of the Treasurer's Office, who can tell them whether they are eligible for refunds. Pappas will be joined by Treasurer's Office staff members Joe Pavon and Belen Sandoval to assist in multilingual outreach.

Pappas will talk with "Latino Houses Matter" guests about how the Treasurer's Office helped them find and receive money owed to them. Since 2020 the Treasurer's Office has connected people living in Latino communities in Chicago and the suburbs with more than $123 million in refunds.

"We still have another $107 million in refunds to give back," Pappas said.

Pappas is a leader in providing multilingual services for Cook County taxpayers. Brochures explaining the property tax system are available in English and in 27 other languages. Videos describing how taxpayers can find out if they are owed refunds are available in English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Cantonese and Mandarin at cookcountytreasurer.com.

The videos explain how to visit the website and explore the purple box labeled, "Your Property Tax Overview" on the home page. When homeowners enter their address or Property Index Number (PIN), a picture of their home should appear. Instructions direct taxpayers how to determine whether they are owed money for overpayments going back 20 years or missed exemptions going back four years.

Exemptions can reduce tax bills by thousands of dollars per year. Types of exemptions include homeowner, senior citizen, senior citizen freeze, veterans, persons with disabilities and disabled veterans.

Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to learn more.

SOURCE Cook County Treasurer's Office