To The Editor:
I recently purchased a second home at Sugarbush. When the new tax bill came to our house, it was inadvertently misplaced, resulting in a $445 penalty. The current policy of sending out one tax bill in July with no further reminders until a 9 percent penalty letter is sent immediately after the final due date seems like a great way for the town to extract a lot of extra revenue from its already over-taxed homeowners. If the town is truly interested in collecting revenue on time, why not send a friendly reminder note or email before the fact instead of an after-the-fact delinquency letter? The cost to the town for postage would be the same and most taxpayers would be more than glad to pay on time rather than get hit with such a big penalty after the fact. As an out-of-state resident, I understand that we may not be the top priority for the select board to consider, but honestly without us the local economy would be a lot worse off. This seems like an example of "hit up the affluent out-of-state owners...because we can."
Steve DeMenna
Warren
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