School Tax Bill: Taxpayer Suggests Partial Payments Be Allowed
Clarkstown: Only full payments accepted.
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It seems every year I bring up the topic of partial payment of school taxes and it is never resolved.
Once again this Fall school taxes will be due. I have been told as a courtesy to the school district the Clarkstown Receiver of Taxes collects them.
Unfortunately this collection comes with certain stipulations and these taxes are collected in a different manner than the January town and county taxes.
The school tax must be paid in it's entirety. Partial payments will not be accepted.
The payments must be entirely of cash, check, or credit card. Different methods of payment cannot be combined.
These rules make absolutely no sense to be.
For me, at the end of a summer of paying for the recreational activities for four teenagers it is a scramble to come up with my $9,000 tax bill. Why can't I pay a part of it in any combination of means which I choose and be charged the standard percentage penalty for the remainder?
Why is this such a difficult concept for the town and school district to achieve?
I would like someone to come up with a solution to this situation.
I do not want to hear any answers such as, "Why don't you just have an escrow account with your mortgage" or " If you don't pay it then it will be rolled over with the town and country taxes and you can make quarterly payments."
Also another issue is when someone pays their taxes late why is the unpaid amount never corrected on the town's website?
This really is not fair to the taxpayers.
Matthew Brennan is a Clarkstown school district resident. He read this statement at the Clarkstown Town Board meeting Tuesday in New City.
Loretta Raimone, Clarkstown Receiver of Taxes, has replied to Mr. Brennan that Clarkstown has previously discussed the issue of partial tax payments with the school district, but the idea was rejected by the district.
fame22171
3:57 pm on Sunday, August 29, 2010
The introductory statement is incomplete. What Mr. Brennan means is that it is never resolved TO HIS SATISFACTION.
He has, repeatedly, expressed his point of view. His point of view has, repeatedly, been patiently listened to and rejected by the Town Board and the school district. If Mr. Brennan's inability to budget his school taxes against the recreational activities for his children was a pervasive problem in Clarkstown, then perhaps he would not be the only one making a case for his cause.
I don't know any homeowner in our town who doesn't roll their taxes into escrow. That is one of the easiest and safest ways to ensure that our annual tax bills are NOT an issue to pay. It isn't that the inability to make partial payments is not fair to taxpayers, it just doesn't seem fair to Mr. Brennan.
Matthew Brennan
8:35 pm on Monday, August 30, 2010
Sorry but you are missing the point and I am sorry that you only know people that escrow their taxes.
The town's position is that the school district has not approved a part payment option for their taxes and if such was approved software upgrades to accommodate such a payment method would be significant.
Another special software update would be necessary to make a payment in part credit card and part cash or check.
The costs involved in this upgrade would not be cost effective.
Sorry but I have to disagree with all of it.
I am looking to pay 75% of a $9k bill.
I really cannot understand this all or nothing philosophy regarding the school taxes which is completely different from the January collection of town and county taxes.
The school board is most likely unaware of the fact they have to approve partial payments.
It would be nice if they could approve this during the next meeting.
I believe the focus of tax collecting has been lost when it is too technologically advanced to offer partial payment options.
If anyone had ever explored the software upgrades they would already have a price tag.
When the combined town and school board budgets are in the neighborhood of $300 million to say it is not cost effective shows a lack of consideration to the taxpayers.
To say making a payment in part credit card and part cash or check would require another special software update really puts Clarkstown into the realm of the technologically challenged.