When you see an envelope with Arizona Department of Revenue ATTN: Collections Division in the return address, it can have a slightly terrifying effect. I know it struck terror in my heart when I saw it. I try so darned hard to do the right thing, and sometimes still get dinged.
It arrived in Thursday’s mail. It was addressed to Mr. A’s businesses.
I know I’m up to date on all his Transaction Privilege Tax reports. I am scheduling to do them the second weekend of each month and mail the check the next week, so I was certain everything was okay. But you never know with my memory. I might have thought I sent them, but didn’t. Maybe I made a mistake in my accounting.
So I take a deep breath, and open the envelope.
Inside is the “Accounts Receivable Demand Notice” and the following note, “Below is a summary of your current account balance. You balance is $.00. Further collection activity can be avoided by paying the amount due by 8/16/2009. If you do not understand this statement of need to arrange payments, please see the information on the back of this page. You failed to pay the fees required to register your business with the State of Arizona. This bill is for the balance of the fees owed. Your interest is calculated on a daily basis.”
I am so tempted to write a check from each company, for ZERO DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS and submit to them.
On the other hand, I’m a little bit peeved since it just so happens that my state is broke and hasn’t yet been able to agree to a budget for the current fiscal year. This is wreaking havoc with state funds being administered to agencies which depend on state government support.
And yet they can spend 33 cents sending me a collections notice which states that I owe exactly nothing. Not to mention the envelope, the paper and the ink, the wear and tear on the printer. I wonder how many thousands of letters they sent out where the recipient owed nothing.
I called yesterday, just to be sure all was well, but of course I was put on hold. After six minutes, I got tired of waiting and hung up. I will try calling back next week.
Yours Truly,
For heaven’s sake. Talk about your heart in your throat!!!
Thirty-three cents is less than the half of it. In addition to the stationery and the printer ink, there’s also the paid time and benefits of the ninny who churned this thing out and of the mail room employee who ran it through the stamp machine and delivered it to the postal carrier.
LOL! It remains me of my first experience with state employment. They gave me an assistant, whom I put in charge of managing our mailing list. No joke: this woman had a talent for finding new addresses for the deceased! She kept doing it–not once or twice, but over and over. Every time I’d spot-check stuff that came back to us when we did a return-requested, I’d discover that she’d found another new address for someone who’d passed through the veil a year or so before.
Is there any question why our state government is busted, disgusted, and can’t be trusted?
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Mrs. Accountability Reply:
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
You’re right. The postage and envelope and paper was just a drop in the hat, compared to all the other things you pointed out. Goodness! Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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Wow, hope you get that straightened out quickly! If it helps, I haven’t gotten one of those (*knocks on wood*) so at least they didn’t go out to everyone…
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Mrs. Accountability Reply:
August 11th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Since we owe nothing, I’m not too worried about it. I believe the reason we got this letter is because we signed up for a new city TPT and they make you send in a whole new application, with all the same information except for the TPT city information. It apparently confuses the computers, causing them to shoot out an essentially “blank” collection letter. Just for fun I should sign up for another city and see if we get another one. It’s just stupidity on the part of our state – in fact I wonder if anyone realizes it’s happening? You would think they would put a stop to it, if they knew. Hey I worked for the state once upon a time, I know how it can be… thanks for visiting and commenting!
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