As of October 2, 2009
MECKLENBURG COUNTY ELIMINATES FEE FOR USE OF eCHECK TO PAY TAXES ONLINE
Charlotte, N.C. - The Mecklenburg County Tax Collector's Office has eliminated the cost to taxpayers associated with making eCheck property and vehicle tax payments online.
The County's eCheck payment option originally cost residents $2 - a fee that went directly to the County's online payment vendor. Now, the County has negotiated a lower fee with the vendor, making it possible for the County to absorb the cost on behalf of taxpayers. Convenience fees for credit card transactions continue to be charged to taxpayers.
This change benefits both residents and the County on multiple levels. It encourages higher use of the eCheck option by making it more convenient and affordable. Payments made online also reduce nonsufficient fund (NSF) transactions and promotes payments of taxes before they reach delinquency. Online payments reduce the need for manual payment processing by County employees, thereby increasing tax office efficiency.
The County receives more than 1 million paper checks for payment of taxes each year. For each paper check, staff members must:
- Find the bill in the tax system
- Post the payment
- Image the check
- Endorse the check
- Deposit the check
The eCheck system eliminates these steps. For an eCheck, the County receives an electronic file that posts automatically.
Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA), Park & Recreation, Geospatial Information Services (GIS), Register of Deeds and the Health Department's vital records counter are either already absorbing credit card and/or eCheck transaction costs or are finalizing plans to do so.
The broader movement toward no-fee online payments marks a distinct response to residents' desire for free Web transactions. It also acknowledges that government can be made more efficient by automating payment functions, eliminating human errors by residents and employees, making tax payments quicker - and more secure.
For more information, go to http://paytax.charmeck.org.
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As of September 2, 2009
SOME COUNTY MORTGAGE LETTERS LIST TAX SERVICE COMPANIES; ALL ARE CORRECT
Charlotte, N.C. ¨C In late August, the Mecklenburg County Tax Office mailed 170,471 property tax notifications to taxpayers who have their local real estate taxes paid by a mortgage company. The notice informs the taxpayer of how much their bill is, and which mortgage company has requested the bill.
In some instances, the taxpayer's tax service company ¨C rather than the mortgage company ¨C was listed on the form. Tax service companies are contract vendors of the mortgage companies, and they work with hundreds of tax offices for the purpose of obtaining the bills for the mortgage companies so they can pay taxes from mortgage escrow accounts. The exact number of mortgage letters listing tax service companies rather than a mortgage company is not known.
"It is important to note that the tax data, including the value, tax amount due, and other critical information on these notices correctly reflect the tax records," said Neal Dixon, Mecklenburg County Tax Office director. "There was no error in calculating the tax bill itself."
The tax service companies in question were listed on the mortgage because they sent their electronic files requests in an incorrect format, Dixon said.
Many mortgage company customers don't know the name of their tax service. Because of this, some taxpayers are concerned that their bills will not be paid from their escrow accounts. Although the tax service company was listed instead of the mortgage company, the tax bills will be supplied to the requesting mortgage company for payment.
Taxpayers are encouraged to contact their mortgage companies to ensure they have the tax information needed to pay their tax bills. In the meantime, the County is working to update the tax records to reflect the mortgage companies rather than the tax service companies that are employed by the mortgage companies.
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As of March 19, 2009
MARCH 31 DEADLINE TO PAY COUNTY TAXES
BEFORE PUBLICATION IN THE NEWSPAPER
Charlotte, N.C. ¨C More than 38,000 Mecklenburg County property owners who have not paid their 2008 real or personal property tax bills will have their names and the amount they owe published in The Charlotte Observer if payment is not received by Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
The list of delinquent taxpayers whose payment is not received by March 31 will be published in the Observer in April. Each tax bill published will be charged an additional fee for the cost of the advertisement. That fee is in addition to interest charged for late payment. Any 2008 real estate and personal property tax bill paid after January 5, 2009, is charged 2 percent interest for the month of January and 0.75 percent interest for each month thereafter until the bill is paid.
Delinquent taxpayers run the risk of having their North Carolina state income tax refund seized to pay off their County property taxes. Mecklenburg County participates in the N.C. Debt Setoff Program. This program authorizes the Tax Collector to submit the delinquent tax amounts of taxpayers to the State. The State distributes income tax refund money to the County to satisfy the tax debt. The Tax Collector is also empowered to garnish funds, levy (seize and sell) personal property, and foreclose on real property to satisfy unpaid taxes. These actions are taken after the delinquent date and are not contingent on the advertisement of delinquent taxes.
There are several ways to pay your tax bill:
Online: Visit http://paytax.charmeck.org and use your credit card, debit card or eCheck.*
By phone: Call 1-877-533-0072 and use your credit/debit card.*
By mail: Mail your check using the return envelope in your tax bill.*
In person: Pay in person between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.:
- Robert L. "Bob" Walton Plaza, 700 E. Stonewall St.
- West Service Center, 4150 Wilkinson Blvd.
* Make checks payable to the Mecklenburg County Tax Collector. A convenience fee is assessed when using the credit/debit/eCheck option. Credit/debit/eCheck payments are not accepted when paying in person.
Taxpayers with questions about their bills, property listings or real estate valuations can call CharMeck 311. Taxpayers calling from outside Mecklenburg County should dial 704-336-4600. More information is also available at http://tax.charmeck.org.
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