Did you know you could miss one tax payment and your local government may take your home?
Tawanda Hall was slightly behind on her property taxes. She was on a payment plan, but short $900. So the government took her whole $308,000 home. Hall says she tried to pay, but, “They didn’t want our money… They wanted our house.” Now they’ve got it, and the town won’t give her the $286,000 difference back. That’s just wrong. Hall’s attorney, Christina Martin of the Pacific Legal Foundation, says the government can’t take more than it’s owed. But that’s exactly what’s happening in eleven states. “This is unjust and it is unconstitutional.” She’s gotten three states to stop doing these confiscations.
But it’s kind of crazy to find out how common this is. In 11 states, if you’re behind on your taxes, local governments can grab your home and keep much more than what you owed.