Tax penalties waived

Carson City Assessor Dave Dawley says he is waiving all penalties for mobile-home owners who were late paying their tax bills this year.

After delinquent notices went out to more than 500 mobile-home owners a week ago, his office and the Nevada Appeal started getting calls from irate recipients saying they never received the original tax bill and shouldn't have to pay the penalty and interest charges.

Dawley said he and his staff took more than 1,800 of those tax notices to the Post Office themselves July 18 but, apparently, a substantial number were never delivered.

"I've been accused of being a crook, of pocketing the money," he said. "People are saying they want to know what happened. Well, so do I. We followed the law."

Similar accusations were made by several mobile-home owners who called the Appeal.

Dawley said Nevada law makes it clear failure to receive a tax bill doesn't excuse the taxpayer from paying on time. But he said it also allows the assessor to forgive delinquent penalties if something happens that couldn't be anticipated.

He said postal officials opened an investigation but have told him there may be no way at this point to determine what happened to those tax bills.

"Because we don't know what happened, will probably never find out what happened and it's such a huge number, we'll waive them," he said.

Dawley said letters will be mailed to all 540 mobile-home owners on the delinquent list informing them they don't have to pay the interest and penalty charges.

They do, however, have to pay their taxes, Dawley said. The letters will advise people they have until Oct. 13 to pay the taxes or new penalties will be assessed.

Those who already paid penalties and interest, he said, will get a check from the city refunding that amount.

n Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.