If you get notices, don’t ignore them. Hard to believe he didn’t know he owed $8.41 on his delinquent property tax notice.
Something is fishy or he’s totally ignorant
He only told us and his mom about it after it was a done deal. I'm not sure if he was too embarrassed or what. His mom and us told him we would pay the back taxes so he could keep it. “Oh - it's too late for that anyway. I'll just get a small apartment and rent.”
We implored him to talk to a lawyer, etc. But he didn't want to be bothered with it. I can't imagine walking away from his home that he owned.
But like they say - don't pay your property taxes and see who really owns your house.
The article explains that the man rented the house out and moved to Israel. The taxing authority probably sent the notices to the house and the tenants never forwarded them to the owner. In some jurisdictions, property tax rates are higher for non owner occupied residential properties and the owners lie to the taxing authorities claiming owner occupancy to save on taxes.
“pay taxes for 2012, 2013 and part of 2014, but the unpaid $8.41 led the Oakland County Treasurer’s Office to foreclose on the house in February 2014 “
Wouldn’t the unpaid taxes for 2011 be added to 2012 (also 2013/4)? It would be piss poor accounting if not.
The country sent the bill to the wrong address, even though they had the correct one.
Regardless, this is disgusting that the country would do this to an old man.
No doubt democRATS run the joint and stealing people's money out of their wallets is their pastime.
Some taxpayer advocacy group needs to step up and take the county to court and make this situation right for the man.
The country profited $24,000 from the sale of the house, even though it was worth $128,000. That's essentially how much they stole from this gentleman over a debt of $8.41.
If a guy is over 80, and he owes less than $10.00 through a fluke, there should be a form of forgiveness for he debt.
Just how badly would it hurt this city of even 500 old people defaulted on an $8.00 and change mistaken underpayment.
The city should hang it’s head, reimburse the buyer and reverse this situation post haste.
This is subhuman behavior on the city’s part.
I’ll bet there are 10,000 people in that city that would gladly have paid this guy’s bill plus penalties and interest.
I sure would have.
Thug government.
This seems like Elder Abuse.
Before snatching his home away they should give him the chance to acknowledge and settle the debt.
That’s a terrible amount of stress to put an 80 something person through when there are other ways.
Before I go (damage) a Michigan tax office, I’ll do some checking on what the REAL TRUTH is, rather than what the media is trying to make me believe.
Is the tenor of this thread that he should have lost his house based on eight bucks? I wouldn’t be surprised since freepers wanted a Cracker Barrel employee fired when he gave a stale muffin to a homeless guy.
In 2011, Uri Rafaeli’s business—Rafaeli, LLC—purchased a modest rental property in Southfield, Michigan for $60,000. Rafaeli inadvertently underpaid the property’s 2011 taxes. He paid his 2012, 2013 taxes in full. After learning he owed money for 2011, Rafaeli tried to pay the full 2011 tax debt in January, 2013. But he mistakenly did not factor in interest growing on the debt, and underpaid by $8.41. The County foreclosed on the property, sold it for $24,500, and pocket the massive windfall at Rafaeli’s expense.
Similarly, Andre Ohanessian owed $6,000 in taxes, penalties, interest, and fees when the County foreclosed and sold his property for $82,000. As with Rafaeli, the County kept all profits from the sale, rather than reimbursing Ohanessian.
https://pacificlegal.org/case/rafaeli-llc-v-oakland-county/
the county should have turned over all but $8.41 from the sale to the owner, since that is all they are entitled to. IF they kept all of it, they stole from him.
But there auta be a law that delinquent prop taxes can only be collected a) upon sale to another party as part of escrow, or b) from the estate of the deceased. And then we wouldn’t have this problem that shouldn’t be a problem.
80% of the $8.41 goes to dirtbag teachers as pension, while the old man is homeless.
It is happening across America.
The 83-year-old went on to pay taxes for 2012, 2013 and part of 2014, but the unpaid $8.41 led the Oakland County Treasurer's Office to foreclose on the house in February 2014 and auction it to a buyer for $24,500. Attorneys representing the county said in court documents that they had mailed pending foreclosure notices to Rafaeli well beforehand.
Paging Carl Drega on the white courtesy phone.
It’s always been my thought that in case of a tax sale, the taxing authority should receive only the back taxes owed & the remaining money from sale of the property should go to the owner who was taxed out of the property.
It’s always been my thought that in case of a tax sale, the taxing authority should receive only the back taxes owed & the remaining money from sale of the property should go to the owner who was taxed out of the property.
I think the county should keep only the taxes owed, and anything they get above that held in an escrow account for the owner the property was taken from. Yes “taken” from.
Another legal alternative is for (a) the county being required by law to take their case to court, and (b) required to track down the owner by every means possible, and (c) when the “culprit” comes to court, the case may be ended by simple payment of the back taxes, but (c) if that is financially impossible, then the court can allow the propery to be auctioned by the county, but (d) again they should only get the back taxes from the auction, with any balance going to the owner that lost the property.
Getting the back taxes has become aaother way, like “civil forfeitures” where local jurisdictions use “legal penalties” as ways to extort extra revenue for themselves.
Ann the wonderful world of voting “D”! Your livelihood is worthless to them. Until we rise up and make their lives less than worthless, tyranny will never end!