From Our Local Leader
Revenue Commissioner
Barry Willingham
I
t’s often said there are too many things in life
that are intimidating and hard to understand.
Property tax is usually considered to be one
of those things, but the truth is understanding
property taxes doesn’t have to be intimidating at all.
One of Revenue Commissioner Barry
Willingham’s goals for his office is to ensure
taxpayers—especially taxpayers who are age
65 or older—understand the taxes collected
on their motor vehicles and properties while
benefitting from any and all exemptions
available to them. This philosophy is in perfect
alignment with the department’s mission “to
fairly and impartially administer Alabama’s
revenue laws in an equitable, courteous,
professional manner and to provide for fair and
equitable treatment to all taxpayers.”
“When I took office,” Willingham noted, “one
of the first things I did was to encourage all my
mapping, appraisal, assessing and collection
staff to treat our guests like we’d want our own
moms and dads or grandmas and grandpas to
be treated. We want all customers who call or
4 | SPRING 2020
Barry Willingham with former Property Tax Di-
rector for the Alabama Department of Revenue,
Bill Bass.
visit any Revenue Office to go away confident
that we welcome them every time they come
in. This attitude is in sharp contrast with the
way guests expect to be treated in a tax office,
and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished
for customer service, especially to our seniors.”
In Alabama, all property is subject to
taxation. Taxable property includes cars (and
any road-approved motorized vehicle), trailers,
houses, manufactured homes, land, businesses
and the property associated with conducting
those businesses (called “business personal
property”). Because the use of properties
dictate how it’s taxed, it’s important for all
taxpayers to work with their local revenue
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE