In times of economic insecurity, every last penny counts. And in one Michigan city, that’s true down to seven cents a resident didn’t pay in local taxes. The man said he received a four-paragraph letter from the city treasurer informing him that he was short that a few pennies on his summer taxes.

Included in the letter was a receipt, photocopies of his bill and check, as well as an envelope and stamp to mail that seven cents in to the treasurer, reports CBS 62 in Detroit.

The man said it seems like the treasurer “spent a lot more time than she needed to for seven cents.” Not to mention the postage and envelope are already worth more than that tax shortfall.

But the town treasurer disagrees, saying she was just trying to do the right thing for the man before his tax payment was sent on to the county treasurer. She didn’t want the citizen to get an unexpected tax delinquency notice. Put it in that light, and yeah, it is kind of a nice thing for someone to do. And hey, it really is only seven cents and he did owe that.

Good intentions aside, the county treasurer says his office would only go after taxpayers who are short $1 or more. By the same token — if the man had overpaid by only seven cents, he would’ve gotten his money back.

Let’s all hug this one out. All’s well that ends well, right?

Man Gets 7-Cent Tax Shortfall Notice In Mail [CBS 62 Detroit]

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