US States Name And Shame Tax Debtors

by Leroy Baker, Tax-News.com, New York

29 April 2004

According to reports in the US media, a number of state authorities are resorting to naming and shaming delinquent taxpayers in the most public way possible - over the internet.

Speaking to the Associated Press with regard to the increasingly popular tax collection tactic of public humiliation, spokesman for Georgia's Department of Revenue, Charles Willey explained that:

"We don't have the assets to go out and chase these 420,000 people ourselves." According to the AP, in just two months, Georgia's list of shame has brought in an additional $1.2 million in previously unpaid taxes.

Critics of such initiatives have warned that making lists of tax evaders available in such a public manner could harm the innocent, or those who have previously settled their tax bills.

"There's always the question of what happens if the government is wrong," spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, Pete Sepp told the AP, adding:

"This kind of information can ruin the financial reputations of people for years."

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