When we lived in Arlington County, residents there often referred to the local government as the “Peoples’ Republic of Arlington.” Arlington’s government is, if nothing else, aggressive when it comes to collecting taxes.
So aggressive, in fact, that they try to collect taxes you don’t owe for years after you leave the county.
Last year, we received a letter from Arlington County demanding payment of personal property taxes on our three cars for 2005, which was odd since we lived in Floyd County fulltime in 2005 and paid taxes on our cars to our home county government.
It took multiple letters, several phone calls and the intervention of Floyd County treasurer Dorinda Thomas to finally convince the Arlington County Commissioner of Revenue that we did not owe personal property taxes on cars registered in another county and they cleared the claim. Four months later, we received tax refunds from the county for taxes paid in 2004 because the Treasurer’s office in Floyd discovered we had paid taxes in both counties in 2004 and provided the proof to Arlington County.
I thought the matter was closed until recently when the Commonwealth of Virginia sent us a notice saying we couldn’t renew the license registration on one of our cars because of a hold placed by – you guessed it – Arlington County.
After multiple phone calls – again – to Arlington, I discovered the hold stemmed business taxes on a business that doesn’t exist and for years I haven’t lived in Arlington County.
Shortly before deciding to leave Arlington and move fulltime to Floyd, I registered a DBA for a new business enterprise. However, the decision to move changed our plans and the business never opened. I returned the DBA registration to Arlington just before we moved.
That however, didn’t stop Arlington from, in our absence, levying taxes on the non-existent business for 2005 and 2006 – the years that we have lived and operated businesses in Floyd.
I’ve sent letters and documentation to Arlington showing we neither lived in the county nor operated the business in question. So far, no answer. Meanwhile, the registration on one of our cars comes due at the end of next month.
On Monday, I sent a registered letter (return receipt required) along with an email (again with a return receipt) with a PDF file of my letter attached.
Let’s see if that gets the attention of the People’s Republic of Arlington.
It almost sounds as if someone is using your name and infor…like identity theft.
Jeepers! Isn’t it always fun and exciting trying to deal with braindead bureaucracy?
(Insert here a copious amount of livid profanity.)
Doug,
Sympathize with ya. A few weeks ago I received, via the mail, a warrant for an unpaid parking ticket issued in Austin, Texas. The ticket was issued to a car that I haven’t owned for 7 years (Sold January 2000). I don’t live in Austin, but do go in several times a month.
I called the Austin Municipal Court Clerk and explained my situation. She said, “Sorry sir, but the burden of proof is your responsibility.” I asked how I go about proving that I didn’t own the car when the citation was issued (October 2005) She told me to call the Texas Department of Public Safety and request a form to be filled out, which is an Affidavit.
I called the Texas Department of Public Safety who said the clerk didn’t know what she was talking about. I was then referred to the Texas Department of Transportation. There I was told that I would have to go to the nearest local Tax Assessor’s office to fill out the form and sign it in front of one of the clerks.
I drove 30 miles to the Tax Office. The clerk to me that whoever I spoke with was entirely misinformed. She instructed me to go directly to the Texas Department of Transportation and pick up the form there. That would be another 80 miles of driving to do that.
My mind is reeling by this time with obsentities. From the County Tax Assessor’s Office I called the Texas Department of Transportation once again. Of course I spoke with someone different than my first call. This person said, “I do apologize for all of the confusion and inconveniences, but all you have to do is go to our website and download the form…fill it out, no witness or notary necessary, mail it in to the Austin Municipal Court.
Well, much to my dismay, a few days ago my form was returned along with a letter stating that I had to furnish the Court with the owner’s name and address.
I called the Texas Department of Transportation one more time and explained what the letter said. This person said, “Im sorry sir, but under the Privacy Act, we’re not allow to give out that information as the current owner requested that the registration information remain private.
Oh Man! So now I have to prove that I have a legal necessity in order to obtain private information.
I think I’ll just call the Austin Municipal Court Clerk and say, “Arrest Me.” I had rather spend the night in jail than go jump through more invisible hoops.