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Mountain Home News

State error means extra tax bill

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The city is going to pick you pocket for some extra taxes you owe -- but didn't know you owed -- due to a mistake in the levy set by the county caused by a state tax commission error.

A mistake made by the Idaho State Tax Commission is going to cost Mountain Home taxpayers an extra $116 per $100,000 of taxable assessed valuation, with the bill due by June 20.

The state discovered the error late Tuesday afternoon last week and by Wednesday morning had notified Elmore County.

Friday, Alan Dornfest, property tax policy supervisor in the state tax commission's county support division, and Steve Fiscus, administrator of the county support division, met with the Elmore County Commissioners, county Assessor Jo Gridley, county Treasurer Rose Plympton and Mountain Home Mayor Tom Rist, to explain how the error was made and what would have to be done to correct it.

Dornfest made no bones about the fact that the mistake belonged to his office. "My department discovered the error and was responsible for it," he told the commissioners.

For more information, see this week's edition of the Mountain Home News.

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  • So, we have an "error." When a regular Joe makes an "error" on their taxes, we pay a penalty, etc. How did the state make such a huge error? Are there no checks and balances that raise a red flag? Certainly those numbers looked a bit off when someone got to the bottom line!

    So now, it hits those that pay taxes. What happens to the group that made the error in the first place? What happens to the people who will not be able to pay this? You only make what you make. If they made an "error" then there should be a penalty against the state...NOT THE PEOPLE!!!

    -- Posted by OpinionMissy on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 9:47 AM

  • Here Here OpinionMissy I sooo agree. We pay our taxes in good faith that they are correct and get hit with this news. The ones who made this mistake should be the ones to pay NOT US THE TAXPAYERS who paid like I said in good faith.

    -- Posted by transplanted on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 10:31 AM

  • Gotta make up that short fall some how

    -- Posted by efphgmrcamdm on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 11:49 AM

  • This is outrageous! So the state makes a mistake and we in Mountain Home have to correct it by paying. I'm sorry for the problem but people don't have that kind of money in their pockets or purses anymore. Do what they do in Washington when an "official" fails to pay his taxes. Just say "oh well" that's o.k. and let him hold his position anyway. I am all for supporting our schools with money but this missed tax is terrible. Maybe we need a tea party!!!!!!

    -- Posted by jctas on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 1:13 PM

  • ok, they made a mistake so fix it so we don't pay for it! My God,how much are these people paid?

    -- Posted by Moanah on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 2:10 PM
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    I would like this individual or individuals to resign! This is beyond a simple mistake, this is on par with me walking my troops into a mine field and me being the only one to make it out with out injury. And then the military taking full blame and nothing happening to me. Great you accepted responsibility, very comendable, but I and Im sure all other home owners in MH would have prefered you caught it at the begining. And yes, there are checks and balances in place, so this isnt one persons mistake, this is a whole office not paying attention. I will pay my taxes, just as I denfend our flag, but I dont agree with those responsible not being held accountable. And at this level, resignation, or termination if needed, should be the only recourse.

    -- Posted by scoutin on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 5:24 PM

  • Was it a part of our taxes that would have been levied if the mistake hadn't been made? If so, we would have had to pay it anyway. Granted, a mistake was made, but if we're not being taxed anything extra, I don't see where all the fuss is coming from. If it is an extra tax that we just have to suck up from the mistake, that is a different story. I'd like to hear the answer to that.

    There isn't one person that comments in this forum that hasn't made a mistake at their place of work. Just my thoughts...

    -- Posted by MrMister on Wed, Feb 3, 2010, at 7:18 PM

  • $116.00 per $100,000.00 is a pretty big mistake.. does only one person looks at this and also what part of the taxes was left out.. you say the tax is due in june so what happened in the taxes due in dec. 2009. i paid my total tax bill in dec so can i expect another bill?

    -- Posted by goodllama2 on Thu, Feb 4, 2010, at 4:40 PM
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