Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
Commissioner to See if Han
ding of Delinquent Payers
Can Be improved.


tax titles to hundreds of parcels of
property to fall into the hands of a
small group of speculative investors
every year for non-payment of taxes
| With only a meager knowledge of
this situation, Mr.. Taliaferro express
ed the opinion that it probably was
due to an unbusiness-like system in
the tax assessors office which should
be reformed.
Assessor Against System.
| Tax Assessor William p. Richards
also admits that the practice is not
a good one and points out that Con-
gress should provide a method to
remedy 1t. Recently before the Glib.
son committee of the House Mr.. Rich.
ards advocated a plan which would
otter more protection to property
owners.
Delinquent TAXPAYERS under tba
present system have their property
SOLD at public auction, in many cases
without their knowledge, and not until
| ABOUT two years later when the tax
titles are about to pass to one of the
speculative investors are they advised
OF the situation. In the meantime.
however, they might have paid taxes
on the property unaware that one of
the investors had a lien against 1t.
~A~ ~OiANA(AO1 10 QuG the IdlillTe of
the tax assessors office to warn prom.
erty owners that their tax paynants
are IN arrears and the property is
Siateo Tor public auction. After a tax
Dill Is once rendered against a piece of
property no further effort is made to
collect the money. II a TAXPAYER
comes to the tax collectors office and
pays his bill that ends the matter. But
ne should neglect or forget to pay
ne must suffer the consequences
Inc ONCE works on the theory that
tne law makes the property owner the
CUSTODIAN or his property and he must
attend to such matters as keeping the
tax payments up to date.
Example Is Furnished.
here is one good illustration of how
the present system works. Just a Few
DAYS ago property owner Of pron1i.
nence received a notice from the tax
collector that the tax deed to his prop
erty had been sold in March, 1924. to a
speculative investor for non.paynent
or taxes and unless it was redeemed
0y next March 10 the purchaser. nm
der the law, would be entitled to re.
tain It,
This property owner was quite
certain that he had paid his taxes in
1873, the year in which he WAS
charged with being delinquent, as well
as in the subsequent years. So he
searched through his personal files
and FOUND the receipted bills. " Surely
the tax collector must be in error"
he thought
An investigation of the records in
the tax collectors office which fol-
lowed, bore documentary evidence
that the taxes on the property had
been paid and had never been allowed
10 become delinquent. An employe In
the once suggested that perhaps the
oennquency was on q special assess
ment. Another volume of records was
searched. Then it was learned that
the delinquency was on an assessment
Tor water main extension in 1929.
The first installment of this assess
ment, which the property owner was
gwen the option OF paying in three in
stallments, had been paid. He had
overlooked the other two.
$4,000 Put On Sale.
therefore, his property went on the
auction block in March, 1924, He had
not been notified that he had failed
10 pay the last two installments OF
TINS special assessment, nor had he
been warned that the property was to
be sold or had been sold after the
sale. The District, however. continued
10 accept tax payments from this
property owner despite the fact that
speculative investor held the tax
ute. ana had not the notice been
sent 10 this property owner to re-
limit expired next month. he would
still be oblivious of the potential fate
or his real estate holdings.
There were $4,000 paroels ~ ,,,.o,,
erty placed on the auction block last
month by the tax collector fo,. non
payment OF taxes. Approximately
$4,000 were acquired by the snec,,.
latlVe investors. Just how MANY of
the owners OF these properties know
that the TAX certificates to their hold
,ngs are In the hands of the specu-
,s Is a matter for conjecture.
Two years hence, however, unless the
| present system is reformed tha taY
assessor will advise them of the
change. 'o
fortunately for the property oxvne,.
whose case was cited as an illustro
ton, he had not left Washin1to, IT,
redeemed his property immediately NV
paying the tax plus the prescribad
penalty: Had he been out of town
or IN foreign lands, the speculative
| investor undoubtedly would have co,,,o
| into legal possession of the taY titie
and would not surrender II fo Tho
property owner until he had exacta5
commission for his investment.
Business Methods Different
A business firm keeps its creditors
ADVISED from month to month as to
payments ana arrears. The District
government cannot do this under its
| present system. Only in a limited
number OF cases does it have the ad-
dress or the owners Of real properly
The tax bills are made against the
property and the records OF payments
kept in numerical and not alphabeti.
| cal order.
! Moreover, Tax Assessor Richards
| points out that property In the Dis
trict changes hands so often that it
would be exceedingly difficult to keep
an up-to-date record Of the owners.
This is one reason why real estate
| tax bills are not mailed. Only those
sent through the mail are done SO at
| the request or the owners, who keen
| the tax Office advised of any changes
In property holdings. Other property
owners must call at the tax assessors
Office for their tax bills.
| Mr.. Richards plan to correct the
present delinquent tax payment evil
! contemplateS the creation of a. new
and separate department in his office
to be known as the tax arrears d.
vision. This division, he believes,
| should be in charge of a competent
lawyer, who would be authorized to
take delinquent property owners into
court and force them to pay any tax
arrears.
With a dozen additional employees
for this division, the tax assessor is
| confident that a record could be kept
Of all delinquent taxpayers and that
arrangements could be made to notify