COURTLAND—Keep your eyes on the mail. Otherwise, it might cost you.

Nearly 12,000 personal property tax returns have been sent out by the treasurer’s and revenue commissioner’s offices and taxpayers are expected to return those by March 16.

“I would like to let everyone know to pay close attention and make sure they got a form,” said Southampton County Commissioner of the Revenue Amy Carr. “If they don’t receive one, that does not excuse the late filing penalty that will be attached to their personal property bill.”

The tax forms are for all tangible personal property, including mobile homes and recreational vehicles, cars and trucks, boats and trailers, farm and forestry equipment and livestock and store inventory. Real estate is excluded.

A blank form may also be found on the Southampton County Web site at www.southamptoncounty.org by clicking on the Commissioner of Revenue link.

Also included in the mailing are auto decal registration forms that are being sent for the treasurer’s office. The decal forms, along with fee, are due back by Feb. 15.

The forms are designed to give the commissioner’s office notice of changes to a county resident’s personal property inventory. If a resident buys a car, a boat, a trailer or a recreational vehicle, for example, that purchase must be noted on the tax return.

The forms must be returned to the commissioner’s office, postmarked by March 16, in order to avoid a late filing fee of 10 percent or $10, whichever is greater.

Carr said her department was also working on business license applications, and she estimated that more than 650 were mailed to county businesses.

Carr warned that depreciation schedules must be attached to business accounts.

Licenses must be renewed annually, and business owners must pay a fee that is based upon gross receipts, Carr said.