Error leads to tax refunds to residents who owe

WASHINGTON - Maybe Benjamin Franklin was wrong when he said, "There are only two certainties in life: Death and Taxes." Or maybe he didn't live in the District.

D.C.'s Office of Tax and Revenue has mistakenly sent refund checks to residents who actually owe taxes. In one case, a resident received a check for $2,886 -- the exact amount he owed.

The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, received the check in early June and returned it with a letter alerting the chief financial officer to the error.

"The amount represents my total tax liability for 2008, which I have paid, not the amount due me in refund."

Natalie Wilson, a spokesperson for the Office of Tax and Revenue, says there was a "processing error" which is now being investigated.

"We don't believe this is widespread."

But D.C. Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large) isn't so sure, considering one of the checks was sent to his home.

"How prevalent could it be except it happened to my own house," Catania said at a recent council hearing. "To my partner, Brian, who owed taxes to the District government, we were surprised to see a check come in the mail in the amount of taxes we owed."

D.C. Councilman Jack Evans (D- Ward 2) who chairs the committee that oversees the tax office, says given the troubled past of the tax office, any mistake is a concern.

"I have spoken directly to the CFO, Nat Gandhi, and they have contacted the appropriate area of the CFO's office to find out why the checks were sent."

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