Are Your Fines paid?

[blake]

<span style='font-size: 14pt'>Unpaid fines could jeopardize Iowans' jobs</span>

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

If the State of Iowa gets its $30 million, everybody gets to keep their jobs.

But if 4,562 taxpayers statewide don't pony up their overdue fines and tax debt, there could be trouble.

A new Iowa law allows state officials to revoke the professional licenses, <u>as well as fishing and hunting licenses</u>, of anybody who has significant outstanding court fines, tax debt or fines levied by the Department of Natural Resources.

The law applies to professional license holders from accountants to veterinarians, and the Department of Revenue is taking it seriously, said spokeswoman Renee Mulvey.

"We shouldn't have to have a collection tool like this," she said.

The money owed to the state could come from fines as wide-ranging as a traffic ticket or unpaid income tax, but it must total $1,000 before the state will revoke a professional license, Mulvey said.

License holders with overdue fines will be notified by mail beginning in February. They will have 20 days to contact the Department of Revenue to arrange payment. The department will develop a payment plan for those who are unable to pay immediately.

Those who do not contact the Department of Revenue will face the revocation of their professional, hunting or fishing licenses.

Several states around the country, including Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin, have similar programs. Nebraska officials have no such recourse, said Glen White, director of compliance for the Nebraska Department of Revenue.

Nebraska can revoke the sales tax license of a business that does not pay sales tax or does not comply with sales tax laws.

"That's the tool of last resort," White said.

If Nebraska officials want the authority to revoke licenses for unpaid fines or tax debt, that will require an act by the Legislature. White did not know how much tax debt is owed to the state by holders of professional licenses in Nebraska.

Collecting the missing money would be a boon for the State of Iowa, which is facing a projected $600 million budget shortfall.

The Iowa law went into effect July 1, but it has taken officials a while to identify the 4,562 license holders who together owe more than $30.66 million. Those with overdue fines and tax debt comprise just 1 percent of the state's professional license holders.

"The vast majority are doing the right thing," Mulvey said.

The list includes accountants, architects, attorneys, barbers, chiropractors, cosmetologists, dentists, electricians, investigators, massage therapists, medical doctors, podiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, security guards, teachers and veterinarians.

PM
Ron Wyllie
Southwest Iowa IBA Area Representative
rwyllie@iowawhitetail.com

 

[shellie]

this sort of tax collection should have been in place along time ago!start taking away professional licences, and (or) start repoing, seems like a no brainer to the state to me. if they want their money back,take that times every state ,( in the United States) that just might cut a chunk in the deficit.are the law makers going to try to tell the middle class , that these so called professionals cant pay their fines?i got an idea, post all those professionals names in the paper who refuse to pay their overdue fines and see how much the middle class patronizes them. if the average human being makes a mistake, and they are expected to pay the fines, they should also, what, are these people exempt because their Drs, Lawyers, ect?The state needs to print up big fat yellow stickers of the professionals who are not paying their back fines and place them on these peoples doors,( and their Buisnesses) that might get them scrambling for their check book!not saying these people are bad individuals, but are they dodging the fee because of the postion their in, if this will help trim the million, im all for it.