http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/12/383608/nearly-16000-late-payers-make.html

Quote :

" Wake County's tax liens decreased 2.5 percent in 2009 from 2008, but there are still nearly 16,000 late tax bills. Each late property owner is listed in advertising sections of today's News & Observer. The advertising was purchased by Wake County, as required by state law. Marcus Kinrade, the Wake revenue director, said the law was written in 1939, so he doesn't know whether it was intended to embarrass those in arrears. Those listed have received several late notices before their names appear in public, Kinrade said. Quantcast In 2008, Kinrade said, the county saw the most tax liens ever, with 16,071 late tax notices. This year, there are 15,695, he said. Half the late taxpayers have already set up payment plans, Kinrade said. Most of those included in today's section are builders who have been hurt by the real estate downturn, Kinrade said. State Auditor Beth Wood also appears on the list. County records show that Wood paid her delinquent property tax bill a week after the cutoff date for the list published in The News & Observer. Wood had previously explained that her bill was unpaid because she was trying to pay down other debt left over from her campaign. "I work from a budget," Wood said this week. "It is a choice that I made to pay the taxes late and pay the interest charge that goes with it." Wake County records show that Wood paid a total of $33 in interest to Raleigh and Wake County. ]The section cost Wake County $45,001.50 to print in the newspaper, Kinrade said."

I am glad we are spending money to harass and publicly name late tax payers in the print newspaper to the tune of $45k in the age of the internet.

a) no one reads the print newspaper

b) the people that read the print newspaper do not care about the list

c) with 16,000 people on the list, including a government official, there is not much of an embarrassment factor about being on the list

3/12/2010 8:36:05 AM

This was supposed to go in TSB

3/12/2010 8:36:53 AM

Was about to say, "chit chat is not soap box"

3/12/2010 8:37:50 AM

Quote :

"no one reads the print newspaper"

I do.

Quote :

"the people that read the print newspaper do not care about the list"

I do in that schadenfreude way.

3/12/2010 9:38:39 AM

Quote :

"The section cost Wake County $45,001.50 to print in the newspaper"

Our lawbooks need an enema.

3/12/2010 9:51:21 AM

Str8BacardiL, how do you propose the county collect property taxes from 16,000 deadbeats?

3/12/2010 10:29:39 AM

nc state student posse, of course.

3/12/2010 10:32:38 AM

If you think that $45,001.50 wasted is bad I hope you never find out how much they really waste. That 45 is just a drop in the bucket.

3/12/2010 11:16:45 AM

Not by spending $45,000 on an ineffective newspaper ad ^4

3/12/2010 11:16:54 AM

yeah, i fail to see how that helps anyone but the newspaper.

3/12/2010 11:44:03 AM

^ Perhaps that's who lobbied for the law to begin with.

3/12/2010 11:45:59 AM

Quote :

"Marcus Kinrade, the Wake revenue director, said the law was written in 1939, so he doesn't know whether it was intended to embarrass those in arrears."

3/12/2010 11:49:54 AM

this was actually a very effective way to shame people into paying the money they owe the city back when papers were much more heavily circulated. unfortunately people don't read papers. also, lots of people have no sense of shame anymore... just look at myspace.

for every honor system there's always someone trying to cheat it

[Edited on March 12, 2010 at 4:41 PM. Reason : .]

3/12/2010 4:39:08 PM

Quote :

"cost Wake County $45,001.50 to print in the newspaper"

this is the crap that makes me want to vomit. or cry. or both.

3/12/2010 5:56:01 PM

I think it is a lot more effective in small towns. This was a huge deal in the town I grew up in (Taylorsville, NC) and although I haven't seen actual statistics about it, I'm sure that its a very effective tool.

3/12/2010 6:01:36 PM

I haven't read the whole thread, but publishing names to get people to pay their taxes is a standard tactic to raising the tax collection rate so as to avoid raising the tax rate itself.

3/12/2010 6:05:56 PM