Oklahoma tax delinquents could be posted online
Let the “naming and shaming” begin.
If Gov. Brad Henry has his way, tax delinquents could see their names posted online under a proposal unveiled in the Executive budget yesterday called “Open Taxes”
Governor Henry’s budget proposes joining 15 other states that list delinquent taxpayers on the Internet as a collection tool. This program requires contact of delinquent taxpayer to give them the opportunity to satisfy their tax debt or make payout arrangements within a set time period prior to listing on the Internet. The Governor’s budget includes $1.7 million in additional revenue from this program.
If the Legislature approves, Oklahoma could join states like Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania in listing the names of tax delinquents online.
Of course, there are privacy concerns, noted by a spokesman for the National Taxpayer Union in this USA Today article from 2005. What happens if you are wrongly included in the list?
Details from Henry’s proposal haven’t been released, so it’s unclear if Oklahoma’s program would include all tax delinquents or just the worst offenders.
Paula Ross, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, said the state brought in more than $115 million from its tax amnesty program last year called “Clean Slate.” (That program survived a constitutional challenge from Oklahoma City attorney Jerry Fent.)
Meanwhile, a survey from the Federation of Tax Administrators found that states could bring in between $1 million and $127 million in delinquent taxes by posting the names of offenders online.
–Paul
Written by Paul Monies
Follow @pmonies
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment