Success!

Sometimes bugging your congressman does work! I had an issue with Fairfax County late last year regarding my personal property taxes (which are b.s. taxes anyway, but I digress). I didn't pay 2007 (oops, my mistake) and instead of letting me know, they applied my on-time 2008 taxes the open tax year of 2007, essentially making me "late" for two years. That means two years of interest, penalties, and administrative fees for what was really only one late year. Nuh-uh.

I pled my case with them over and over again, through email and through snail mail letters. I sent a check for my 2007 taxes, plus penalties and interest, apologizing and taking responsibility for being late for 2007 but explaining how unfair it was to apply my 2008 without letting me know. I reasoned with them, which was naive on my part. Fairfax County use reason? Pshaw. All I got for my efforts was a bill for the difference between what I thought I owed them and what they thought I owed them. And this bill, finally, threatened me with a collection agency and a hold on my DMV records. Took them long enough.

So, I pulled a bitch move and complained to my congressman. I spelled it out for him, just like I did for the county. And I guess it worked, because I got a check today from the county for "overpayment of personal property taxes." It is not as much as it should be, by my reasoning, but I'm not even complaining!

I still want to leave this God-awful county, though.

Thanks Congressman Wolf!