Consumer complaint received 2016-10-20
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: GA
Product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on credit report
Sub-issue: Public record

Complaint:
I have a satisfied tax lien from XX/XX/XXXX that continues to appear on my credit report. This despite its being paid, satisfied, and cancelled as of XX/XX/XXXX by the State Revenue Commissioner. It was recorded again as such by the Georgia XXXX County Superior Court Clerk on XX/XX/XXXX. The lien in question resulted from an alleged failure to pay Georgia sales tax on the purchase of a vehicle from a private owner in Texas back in XX/XX/XXXX. The car continued to be registered in the state of Georgia under my name and without incident from that year up until XX/XX/XXXX. Frankly, I suspect the lien should not have been there in the first place ; one can not register and continue to register a car without paying taxes or, at the very lease, being made aware of them. Unfortunately, as the incident took place so long ago, I no longer have any documentation to dispute their original claim. In any case whether it were truly owed or not the point stands that this is a XXXX year old debt. It is quite instructive to see, however, that despite the ample documentation in my possession proving this tax was paid in XX/XX/XXXX, the State of Georgia deducted the amount allegedly due once before and yet again from this year 's tax returns. 
It 's rather concerning that the validity of this debt is substantiated by the the very same organization that claims to be able to miraculously remember not having been paid after five years ( XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX ) what it has demonstrably and flagrantly forgotten having been paid after just one ( XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX ). Those that concern themselves with accuracy would surely question the claim of an agency that asserts an uncertainty due to its lack of proof while denying a fact documented to be fully known to it. 
But I digress. 
It is my wish that Equifax remove this tax lien from my report due to its age ( 13 years when the tax was supposedly unpaid, 7 years and 6 months since the resulting lien was filed, three years after the lien was paid, and 10 months after it was paid for once again ). Moreover, the original lien has more than uncertain validity. I ask also that you consider its lack of usefulness for informing my creditors about my suitability as a debtor. They do not possess the power to levy a tax, and they certainly do n't care to see that I can pay one twice ( if not three times ). In my capacity as a creditor, this information is even more irrelevant especially in regards to my most prominent debtor : the Georgia Department of Revenues. They 've made no habit of consulting my credit report- let alone their own documents before demanding money and I doubt anyone would think to consult my report before lending, or made to lend as was my case, them money. 
Lastly, in the interest of fairness, I ask that you keep the above in mind and consider the degree to which this unfortunate misrepresentation compromises my ability to obtain credit. As unfairly as I am burdened by the misinformation contained on my profile due to this tax lien, there can be little room for doubt as to my motivation for bringing this matter to your attention. It 's my sincere desire to be able to read my report and see that it 's an accurate and fair reflection of the present risk I pose to potential creditors, and that my report is as best a testament to my creditworthiness as it can be. I certainly trust- and hope to be able to trust, that this is a desire I share with Equifax . Certainly I share this desire with the creditors who make use of your reporting services. Indeed it was this shared desire that, once this matter was brought to their attention, led Transunion to act as could only be appropriate. And it is with this desire that I write to you today to ask that you remove this tax lien from my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation