What a mess the Orangeburg County Tax Assessor’s Office is. I bought some property and a home from a well-known Orangeburg businessman. I received my tax notice for the property late last year, 2008.

I noticed that the taxes were for real estate and not for residential as it should have been since this is my legal address. I went to the county office and was given a form to fill out called the Application for Special Assessment as Legal Residence. I filled the form out and it was stamped received with the county assessor stamp for Dec. 29, 2008. I have a copy.

I was told I would get a new tax bill and not to pay the old one. I kept going back up there month after month and always the same answer: They are behind and I should get the new bill in a couple of weeks.

This process has been going on all year. Then on Sept. 1, a county officer came by and gave me a Orangeburg County Delinquent Tax Sale notice saying that as of Sept. 1 they had seized my property and that on Dec. 7, 2009, my property would be sold to the highest bidder, including all improvements I have made.

I immediately called the county assessor’s office and asked for an explanation. The lady I talked to said she would call me back by 5 p.m. on Sept. I received no call, so I called again on Sept. 2 and spoke to her. She said she hadn’t had time to call me back but she had taken care of everything and I would be receiving a new tax bill, and to call again next week to follow up. I asked her if my name would be put in the paper for delinquent taxes. She told me she didn’t know as she didn’t have anything to do with that office.

My point is, I told those people over and over with the way the economy is, it seems they would get new tax bills out promptly. Always non-caring answers; a couple more weeks and you get the feeling these folks feel like you are bothering them. It is their job to help and not act like they are doing favors so a man can pay his taxes.

This is by far the most inept government office I have ever dealt with. Where do these people get the mindset that everyone is a criminal tax evader? They should be able to look at my taxpaying history and see that I have always paid my taxes promptly, as soon as I get them.

This has been a traumatic, shocking, embarrassing, harassing piece of business for me, I wish now I had not tried to do the right thing and get the taxes classified right as they should have been. It seems to me someone should do an audit of those no-do-gooders at the tax assessor’s office. I can now see how people feel when they are about to lose their homes; it is not nice. I can only hope that the latest words spoken this morning are correct, that my new bill should be coming shortly.

— Oakley Dale Mann, Orangeburg

You must be logged in to comment.