2019 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 7 - Taxation
Article 38 - Administration and Enforcement of Property Taxes
Section 7-38-38 - Payment of property taxes; installment due dates; refund in cases of overpayments.

A. Unless otherwise provided in the Property Tax Code, property taxes in the amount of ten dollars ($10.00) or over are payable to the county treasurer in two equal installments due on November 10 of the year in which the tax bill was prepared and mailed and on April 10 of the following year. A board of county commissioners may, by ordinance, provide that property taxes under ten dollars ($10.00) are due and payable in a single payment on November 10 of the year in which the tax bill was prepared and mailed. No demand for payment of property taxes is necessary.

B. If a taxpayer remits an amount in payment of his property taxes that exceeds the total property tax liability shown on the property tax bill, together with any applicable penalty and interest computed to the date payment is received by the county treasurer, a refund of the amount in excess shall be made to the taxpayer if either of the following conditions are met:

(1) a written request for the refund is made by the taxpayer and received by the county treasurer within sixty days of the date the excess payment is received by the county treasurer; or

(2) the county treasurer on his own initiative determines by June 30 of the year following the year for which taxes are imposed that an excess payment has been made.

History: 1953 Comp., § 72-31-38, enacted by Laws 1973, ch. 258, § 78; 1975, ch. 121, § 1; 1977, ch. 77, § 1; 1982, ch. 28, § 16; 1983, ch. 216, § 1; 1987, ch. 166, § 2.

Payment of taxes by mortgagee. — Since mortgage contained provision stating that monthly payments were to be applied to taxes before being applied to interest or the mortgage loan, and that mortgagor would pay to mortgagee any amount necessary to make up the deficiency between balance of escrow account for payment of taxes and amount of taxes owed, on or before date when taxes become due, mortgagee who applied entire amount of January monthly payment to taxes due and payable, under 72-5-1, 1953 Comp., on November 1, was not liable for conversion of that payment even though such taxes would not become delinquent under 72-7-3, 1953 Comp., until May 1. Evans v. Mortgage Inv. Co., 1973-NMCA-032, 84 N.M. 732, 507 P.2d 793.

Law reviews. — For article, "Constitutional Limitations on the Exercise of Judicial Functions by Administrative Agencies," see 7 Nat. Resources J. 599 (1967).

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 72 Am. Jur. 2d State and Local Taxation §§ 834, 835, 1074, 1075.

When right to refund of state or local taxes accrues, within statute limiting time for applying for refund, 46 A.L.R.2d 1350.

Mistake: right of property taxpayer to recover back taxes voluntarily but mistakenly paid a second or successive time, 84 A.L.R.2d 1133.

84 C.J.S. Taxation §§ 607, 608, 624, 631, 632.