Posted on 11/08/2019 5:53:39 PM PST by Tired of Taxes
In Michigan, $8.50 can buy a decadent bar of fudge from Mackinac Island. A similar amount could also cost someone their house.
It was $8.41 to be exact — that was how much former Michigan resident Uri Rafaeli failed to pay on his property tax bill for a house he owned in Southfield, an economically modest town of 73,000 roughly 15 miles north of Detroit. That oversight led the local county treasurer to foreclose on the house in 2014, sell it and pocket the proceeds, according to court documents in a case before the state's supreme court this week.
"It seems pretty outrageous to take an entire home from someone for this," said Rafaeli's lawyer, Christina Martin, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, a legal nonprofit. "I'm optimistic that we're going to get a good decision from the justices."
Rafaeli bought the suburban Detroit house in 2011 for $60,000 and, after the purchase, he underpaid his property tax balance that year, court documents state. Two years later, he tried to pay back the 2011 balance including additional fees. However, he miscalculated the interest that had accrued and his payment was short $8.41.
The 83-year-old went on to pay taxes for 2012, 2013 and part of 2014, but the unpaid $8.41 led the Oakland County Treasurer's Office to foreclose on the house in February 2014 and auction it to a buyer for $24,500. Attorneys representing the county said in court documents that they had mailed pending foreclosure notices to Rafaeli well beforehand.
County blames homeowners for "any harshness"
Rafaeli's case isn't unique, his attorney said.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Exactly.
But they don't give a Mitt - their position is that it's YOUR problem if they sent it to the wrong address.
The article explains that the man rented the house out and moved to Israel. The taxing authority probably sent the notices to the house and the tenants never forwarded them to the owner. In some jurisdictions, property tax rates are higher for non owner occupied residential properties and the owners lie to the taxing authorities claiming owner occupancy to save on taxes.
His lawyer should just tell them he mailed them the check.
“pay taxes for 2012, 2013 and part of 2014, but the unpaid $8.41 led the Oakland County Treasurer’s Office to foreclose on the house in February 2014 “
Wouldn’t the unpaid taxes for 2011 be added to 2012 (also 2013/4)? It would be piss poor accounting if not.
There should be a law that they cannot take your house for taxes
They should only be able to put a lien on the house with interest..
For a period of time..so the owner can pay or sell the house
If they didn’t send it by certified mail it’s as good as not sent.
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Not what my lawyer told me—He said that the court assumes that the mail is delivered.
The country sent the bill to the wrong address, even though they had the correct one.
Regardless, this is disgusting that the country would do this to an old man.
No doubt democRATS run the joint and stealing people's money out of their wallets is their pastime.
Some taxpayer advocacy group needs to step up and take the county to court and make this situation right for the man.
The country profited $24,000 from the sale of the house, even though it was worth $128,000. That's essentially how much they stole from this gentleman over a debt of $8.41.
Or he is totally and terminally “old”.
Don’t know the full story here. It seems the county would have made personal contact before taking his home for such a little amount of money.
If a guy is over 80, and he owes less than $10.00 through a fluke, there should be a form of forgiveness for he debt.
Just how badly would it hurt this city of even 500 old people defaulted on an $8.00 and change mistaken underpayment.
The city should hang it’s head, reimburse the buyer and reverse this situation post haste.
This is subhuman behavior on the city’s part.
I’ll bet there are 10,000 people in that city that would gladly have paid this guy’s bill plus penalties and interest.
I sure would have.
Even if he gave the taxing authorities his correct address in Israel, their attitude is that it's HIS problem if he didn't get the notices.
I'll give you an example of their attitude:
One time, I asked the clerk what would happen if I sent a check for an $800 tax bill that was a nickel short a couple of days before the taxes were due. The clerk told me that she would send the check back, and that I would have to pay the $35 late fee.
My interest piqued, I asked the clerk what would happen if I sent a check for an $800 tax bill that was a nickel OVER, again, a couple of days before the taxes were due. The clerk told me that she would send the check back, and that I would have to pay the $35 late fee.
Nice to hold the whip hand, isn't it?
Since he continued paying, I think the Court might set the foreclosure aside on the grounds he was entitled to have his payments applied to his oldest debt first. If so applied, there would be no basis for the foreclosure.
Think of it as "sharing at gunpoint".
see my post #31 for an example of their attitude.
Thug government.
This seems like Elder Abuse.
Before snatching his home away they should give him the chance to acknowledge and settle the debt.
That’s a terrible amount of stress to put an 80 something person through when there are other ways.
Indeed.
In my county, the coupons and bill total shows just the current year, you have to read the fine print to find out about back taxes (nearly lost my house to this little tidbit.) It pays to go to the county tax assessor's website and look up your parcel number and see what the actual balance is.
In my case, the garbage company tried to double bill a couple years of collection on my property taxes... Got that all cleared up recently, mostly thanks to an unsolicited letter offering to buy my house since 'I was in arrears on taxes.'
Government protofascists come at all levels. Most government “workers” despise Citizens.
Before I go (damage) a Michigan tax office, I’ll do some checking on what the REAL TRUTH is, rather than what the media is trying to make me believe.
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