The Bourbon County Real Estate Tax Statements are starting to arrive and most people are going to see an increase in property taxes this year because of several mill levy increases. The County Commissioners have noted that if all the taxes due were paid, it is likely that the county wouldn’t have needed to raise the mill levy.
But property taxes aren’t the only form of income from the local government. Here is a list from the Kansas Department of Revenue of warrants for some of the other types of unpaid taxes.
Just in Bourbon County, there are over $600,000 in unpaid taxes. Now not all of this money would go to local governments. For example, the bulk of sales tax goes to the state. However, Kansas sales tax has gone up in recent years to deal with revenue shortfall just like the local government bodies have had to raise property taxes.
One of the biggest concerns from this list is that most of these taxes are either sales taxes or witholding taxes. That means they were actually collected from people–most likely Bourbon County citizens–and not remitted to the government. When the government didn’t get the taxes it needed, it had to raise taxes. So in effect, many locals have had to pay taxes twice. Once when it was collected as sales tax for a local purchase and again when the property taxes and sales taxes went up.
Certain types of taxes being unpaid can lead to prison terms for tax fraud which means that the local citizens may end up paying a third time by taxes that are going to cover keeping someone in prison. The best figures I could find for Kansas seem to estimate that it costs about $24,000 per year to keep someone in prison.
Government works when people follow the rules. Unfortunately when some people don’t follow the rules, the costs are distributed to those who do and it is often very expensive.
| COWBOYS GRILL INC 15 E. HUNTINGTON BLVD FORT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
SALES TAX | $104,963.35 |
| THOMAS DAVIS -2175 927 S HOLBROOK ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
SALES TAX | $73,866.20 |
| HAROLD E SILVERS 22 1/2 N MAIN ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667011435 |
SALES TAX | $44,751.65 |
| MCKENNEY RESTORATION 1110 SCOTT AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 667012704 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $43,613.63 |
| MARK C MCKENNEY -3229 1110 SCOTT AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $43,613.63 |
| GOOD FOOD FORT SCOTT 2503 S MAIN ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667018724 |
SALES TAX | $39,173.48 |
| BRUCE RE 11221 MARTY ST OVERLAND PARK , KS 662102627 |
SALES TAX | $39,173.48 |
| NICHOLS, RE, MEYERS, LLC 11221 MARTY ST OVERLAND PARK , KS 662102627 |
SALES TAX | $39,173.48 |
| COWBOYS GRILL INC 15 E. HUNTINGTON BLVD FORT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $36,796.98 |
| FDBA ONLAR LLC BHUPINDER S DHILLION 101 STATE ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667011531 |
SALES TAX | $31,872.17 |
| TREND ENTERPRISES INC 1804 S NATIONAL AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
SALES TAX | $27,964.88 |
| TREND ENTERPRISES INC 1804 S NATIONAL AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
SALES TAX | $22,608.34 |
| TREND ENTERPRISES INC 1804 S NATIONAL AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
SALES TAX | $22,418.92 |
| FDBA ONKR LLC 101 STATE ST FORT SCOTT , KS 66067 |
TRANSIENT GUEST TAX | $15,895.98 |
| STRUCTURAL FORM INC 1224 S CRAWFORD ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667012604 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $14,404.52 |
| KURT ALLEN 712 S NATIONAL AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $14,404.52 |
| TERRY R PRUITT 1587 205TH ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667018306 |
SALES TAX | $9,797.97 |
| THOMAS DAVIS -2175 927 S HOLBROOK ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $9,309.61 |
| BRUMBACK TOWING 827 MARION FT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
PROPERTY VALUATION AD VALOREM | $9,300.59 |
| STEVE BRUMBACK 827 MARION FT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
PROPERTY VALUATION AD VALOREM | $9,300.59 |
| TREND ENTERPRISES INC 1804 S NATIONAL AVE FORT SCOTT , KS 667013030 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $9,246.38 |
| COWBOYS GRILL INC 15 E. HUNTINGTON BLVD FORT SCOTT , KS 66701 |
SALES TAX | $7,593.78 |
| HAROLD E SILVERS 22 1/2 N MAIN ST FORT SCOTT , KS 667011435 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $3,438.21 |
| BONNIE J HAMMOND 302 BAY ST BRONSON , KS 667163058 |
WITHHOLDING TAX | $3,062.28 |
| BONNIE J HAMMOND 302 BAY ST BRONSON , KS 667163058 |
SALES TAX | $2,934.24 |
Since, the withholding tax and the sales tax never belonged to the business in the first place, it seems like stealing to me! It actually seems worse than not paying the taxes on your house because at least the money you don’t pay the county belongs to you and you did not get it from another person with a certain intent attached as with sales tax and withholding tax.
So, yet another answer to why are we paying so much tax and seeing so little for our money. I know that we are not the highest but to me, you look at what you are getting for what you are paying and it doesn’t amount to much when you look around and constantly hear “We can’t afford it.” Also, I still don’t see how people who don’t fully support the tax system should be working for government entities while shorting them. We need to have a criteria written into the county and city for getting a job that says you must be current and stay current on ALL taxes or face immediate termination and actually enforce it. To me, they are no better than those that take advantage of public assistance – just riding on the backs of those working for a living and having the integrity to do the right thing!
I’m not sure we need yet another job, but I think people should check the tax records before voting!
I think we should ALL stop doing business with everyone on this list. If they are creating a problem that we all end you paying for, why continue to line their pockets??? Let’s spend our money with businesses that DO pay their taxes…..just makes sense to me
I think we should do the same thing with the companies that aren’t paying their property taxes. Of course a lot of those companies are selling things that the average person isn’t going to go out and buy. Still if the legal pressure isn’t getting people to pay, maybe social pressure will help.
So one can use sales, withholding taxes like their own personal piggy bank?
How long can one do this before the state can shut them down?
Well the Cowboys and Taco Tico were both shut down by the state. I’m pretty sure that the last owner of Cowboy’s bought it from the people with the unpaid taxes.
http://www.fstribune.com/story/1601605.html – This was the story on Cowboy’s. And this one includes that Trend: http://www.fstribune.com/story/1601703.html and I thought I heard that one of the individuals is employed by the County? For the cheaters, it does give them an advantage since it gives them that extra capital that the other businesses, doing the right thing, don’t have. You can’t help but wonder at this minute how many are cheating the system.