Speak Out 10/3/12

Stop city tax

harassment

I understand that your city collector, Mark Massingham, is still intimidating and harassing people into paying city taxes that were paid years ago. They harassed me by phone and the mail for years saying I owed several hundred dollars in taxes from 25 years ago, and that penalties I owed were more than the taxes. I pay my taxes, but they said if I couldn't prove to them I paid, as far as they were concerned I still owed them the money. Now keep in mind, the I. R. S. only requires you to keep tax records for seven years. Your city collector demanded I produce records from 25 years ago. They said if I didn't sent them the approximately $600 dollars that they would put a lien on my property, and that if I ever moved back into the city limits or were annexed in, the city would not allow me to be on city utilities, cable, or internet. (That really made me want to be a Poplar Bluffian again) to get to the point, the city collector's office is not only being arrogant, rude and obnoxious, but they are acting illegally. Through my attorney, I learned that the city collector can go back legally only three years to collect back taxes, not 20 or 25 years! Mark Massingham knows he is acting illegally, but continues to do so anyway.

If this continues, I believe a class action lawsuit is in order to get back the illegally collected overpaid taxes, plus interest, and to stop Massingham's office from demanding that we show proof we paid city taxes up to 25 years ago.

If you continue to be harassed by the Poplar Bluff City Collector's office, call the city attorney, Wally Duncan at 573-785-0699.