Posted: | January 25, 2017 11:31 AM |
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From: | Representative Ryan E. Mackenzie |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Tax Collection Fraud Prevention Legislation |
In the near future I will be reintroducing language contained in House Bill 160 from last session to amend the Local Tax Collection Act. This legislation will specifically prohibit checks that are collected by a Tax Collector from being made payable in the name of an individual. Many times when we hear stories about a Tax Collector committing fraud, is it the result of the Tax Collector depositing public monies into their personal bank account. My legislation will require checks to be made payable to the name of the office, title, or position and be deposited into a separate bank account only used for tax money. Currently, Tax Collectors are required to send out notices to tax payers informing them how much they owe and when the money is due. This legislation would require that these tax notices reflect the name of the Tax Collector account, and would specifically prohibit notices from directing taxpayers to make checks payable in only the name of the Tax Collector. By changing how checks from taxpayers are made out and the creation of a separate bank account, I believe this legislation will give municipalities and taxpayers an added layer of protection by ensuring their tax dollars go where they are intended. Here are several examples of Pennsylvania Tax Collectors charged with theft as a result of their role in fraudulently collecting tax dollars:
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Introduced as HB16