I was convinced they were wrong. I was also convinced that they were incompetent.
In the past year, I have called the city tax office five or six times. Everything made sense to me. I moved to Baton Rouge in May 2010. Thus, I paid taxes in 2010 for a partial year. In 2011, I refinanced. My mortgage company paid a portion of my taxes at the loan closing. Thus at the end of 2011 I paid the difference. I had my HUD statements and even a cancelled check from my mortgage company to prove all of this.
But the city tax office kept telling me that I owed $800. No matter how many times and how many people I explained things to, the answer was the same, “Mr. Foster, your property tax balance is $800.”
I was irritated. Frustrated. Opinionated. “Can’t they hire anyone with half a brain down there? This is pathetic.”
But to their credit, even though those city workers were downright inept, they were still friendly.
“Mr. Steve, I will have Ms. Louanna look at it. She is the best at figuring out all these things.”
“Great,” I thought, “My best chances for resolution lie in the lap of some woman named after a cooking oil.”
But I didn’t say that. In fact, for the most part, I kept my composure. I am a pastor after all. And I believe that, in the end, persistence pays more dividends than rudeness. So I kept calling and collecting data to support my cause.
But then it hit me. While I was on hold with some obscure company in PA that handles loan closings, a dimmed out light in my brain suddenly flickered on.
“Wait a second. When I bought the house in 2010, the seller did not pay a partial portion of my 2010 taxes, they credited me that amount so that I could pay the full amount. And when I refinanced my loan, the mortgage company didn’t pay a portion of my 2011 taxes, they paid the taxes I still owed from 2010!”
I hung up the phone.
Those inept city workers were actually the ones who understood. I was the clueless one.
At first I laughed. Then I cried. I really did owe $800. And it would be more if I didn’t pay it by the end of the week.
The next day I took a trip downtown to make sure my taxes were paid before any additional penalties kicked in. After standing in line for twenty minutes…and fighting back the temptation to complain about the lack of quick service…I finally got to the counter with the worker who seemed to be taking the longest with her customers. She was the friendliest one…but she wasn’t Louanna.
As I paid my bill, I explained my story and apologized if she happened to be one of the workers that I talked to on the phone at some point in the past year. She understood my confusion and laughed with me as I talked about my boneheadedness. Then she began to look more in-depth at my tax bill.
“Mr. Foster, you do owe the $800 but it doesn’t look like you have claimed the homestead exemption the past two years.”
“The what?”
“The homestead exemption.”
“How do you qualify for that?”
“Do you live in the home?”
“Yes.”
“Then you qualify.”
She proceeded to explain how the homestead exemption works and how it would save me roughly $800 per year. Then she explained the process for applying for it.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?”
“Well usually your mortgage company explains this but sometimes they don’t know or simply fail to let the buyer know.”
I guess mine was one of those companies.
By the end of the day I had applied for the homestead exemption and was assured that I would receive a refund not only for 2011 but also for 2010. What looked like an $800 bill turned out to be an $800 blessing.
I praised God.
And I appraised myself.
It is so easy to convince ourselves that we have it all figured out, that we have a handle on the facts and everyone else who disagrees with us is either stupid or incompetent. It is hard to be humble, teachable, willing to be corrected, ready to acknowledge our mistakes.
But we must.
One of the most repeated truths in the Bible is a simple one: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5, Ps 138:6, Prov 3:34, 29:23, Matt 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14).
And sometimes with the grace comes a homestead exemption.
Isn’t it great how we can be wrong and right at the same time. Glad you kept your composure until you figured it out and really glad that you were humble enough to tell the lady and find out about the homestead exemption. Also, don’t forget to apply for your rebate on what you paid Citizen’s Insurance (You do this on your Income Tax).
Steve, this is too funny and I completely identify with your confusion and frustration. Thanks for sharing this great story.
Jan
Thanks, Gary. I just read about that rebate in the Baton Rouge Advocate a week ago. I sent in a form to get back some money from 2010 and will definitely deduct it on my 2011 taxes.
Boy, did I see myself in that post (only not always keeping my composure). If I had $1 for every time I just KNEW the other person/company was wrong I could have paid your tax bill and had plenty left over. Great post!
Thanks, Kathy!
Good story Steven, I don’t work for the tax collector, but we run into the same problems taking utility bills, it is always our fault they used too much electricity and water, has to be misread or the meter is broke, because no way they used that much, why it hasn’t even be cold (or Hot)! But I can tell you 9 out of 10 times, they end up finding out they were wrong, not many are nice about it, but occasionally some one will apologize, glad you did, and you gave and got a blessing in return. Love you, son!
Steve, very good story. Good job keeping your composure. We recently visited a niece in Texas, who is married with a young daughter. Her husband doesn’t like church, but they recently visited one with music (modern) and atmosphere (casual) that he liked. Unfortunately, he subsequently encountered the pastor at the business where he worked and the pastor was very difficult and discourteous. So it’s back to square one for the niece and her family.