She almost lost her house over $120 tax bill
A Georgia woman and her young daughter almost lost their home over US$95 ($120) in taxes that went unpaid due to her city’s own mistake.
When Liu Xiu Hua bought her 2-room condo in Norcross, Georgia, back in 2011, she paid for it in cash, reported Georgia media.
Screengrab from WSBTV
Although records show Liu has paid her city and county taxes every year except for that first year she bought the condo, she has a good excuse: the city never actually delivered a notice of unpaid taxes to her home.
City officials themselves never picked up on the problem either, despite the fact that the notices sent to Lui kept being returned to sender, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The problem?
The warnings were mailed without Liu’s name or address posted on the letters.
“No street, no name. How can I receive the letter?” Liu asked local WSBTV, which first reported on the incident.
Liu added that she didn’t even know there was a problem until she received a letter stating the condo was sold at an auction last week. She was shocked to find out that was given until Nov 25 to move out.
Following Western convention, her name appears as Xiu Hua Liu so that the surname appears in the end. Screengrab from WSBTV
“Where are we going to go? I have nowhere. This is my house. Why do I need to move out?” - Liu Xiu Hua, when told she had to move out after her house was auctioned off without her knowledge
Norcross City Manager Rudolph Smith told Atlanta Journal Constitution that the city made mistakes and worked to find a solution to the problem, which was compounded because the condo had been sold to another individual.
Liu was frustrated with the situation, saying she and her daughter have nowhere else to go if they lose their home.
“Someone can rob your house, rob your property? This is not American style, right?” she said.
Today (Oct 22), she finally got the good news.
She just has to pay a US$300 late fee to keep her home.
Source WSB-TV2, Atlanta Journal Constitution
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