Read the third and final part of the Washington Post's investigative report on the District of Columbia's tax lien program that has caused poor people to lose their homes. Part three discusses how "tax officials have made hundreds of mistakes in recent years by
counting property owners as delinquent even after they paid their
taxes, forcing them to fight for their homes in grueling legal battles
that in some cases persisted for years." Part 1 of the story is here; part 2 is here.
Yesterday, Scott noted that D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray is pushing for emergency legislation to deal with the serious problems uncovered by the Post's report. The Post has this story on public officials' reactions and promises of reforms, which explains that although the mayor and councilmembers have expressed outrage and surprise about the operation of D.C.'s tax lien program they were warned in writing almost a year and a half ago about the program by an advocacy group, the Alliance to Help Owners Maintain Equity.
