At a time of fiscal crisis for governments everywhere, Adam has sort of an unusual problem. He wants his state government to take his money. He says that he paid his taxes on time, back in April, and they’ve come after him for penalties and interest because they seem to keep losing the checks that he sent them. Yes, checks, multiple.

I’ve been getting frustrated with the PA dept. of Revenue. I sent my state income taxes in for an amount owed of $696 back in early April of 2012. By June the check had not been cashed and I received a tax assessment with penalties because I did not pay the tax. I called and they stated that they had all my paperwork and that they must have lost the check. I re-sent a check with a written explanation. I was also told to appeal the penalties to the Board of Appeals because it’s not fair that I pay a penalty if the PA dept. of Revenue lost the check.

It is now mid-October and my new check (or original one) has not been cashed. The Board of Appeals stated that because I had not paid my taxes for this past year that I was not eligible to have the penalties + interest waived. However that is the problem! I’ve sent two checks and numerous phone calls to try and clear this up and get them to cash a check. So they denied me for them losing and not cashing my checks.

I cannot get ahold of anyone at the PA dept. of Revenue. The phone seems to go to a single person and they never pick up. I’ve called several times this year and only once gotten ahold of someone or gotten a call back when I leave a message. So now I have to face penalties and interest and I cannot even get information.

Can someone please, please, please just cash my check before the next tax year? I’ve had this money sitting in my checking account just waiting for my state government to get it, for over six months!

And unless it’s an interest-bearing checking account, Adam isn’t even earning anything on the money while it just sits there. Taunting him.

Dealing with the government is never easy. One idea is for Adam to contact the office of his state representative. He can find out who his senator and representative are at this site, and contact their office for help. Legislators, like members of Congress on the federal level, can help ordinary people cut through the crap when dealing with the government. Better still if one of his local representatives serves on the committee on state government, or whichever committee oversees the Department of Revenue.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.