34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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Online city tax payment system to be up and running this week
Top Headlines The new system is scheduled to go online today and will be up and running when about 15,000 property owners get their second quarter tax bills on Saturday, Tax Collector Deb Marcoccio said. The system creates a little more work for the collector's office because it involves a second bank and a second set of books, but it benefits a growing number of taxpayers who pay all their bills online, she said. "We did it because so many people wanted it," Marcoccio said. "A lot of people don't want to write checks anymore." But of course, checks and cash are still accepted, she said. Benefits for the taxpayer include an ability to literally wait until the last minute of the due date to pay a bill. Any bill paid online by 11:59 p.m. on the day it's due is deemed to be on time and eliminates the need to rush to city hall or the post office, Marcoccio said. Taxpayers also save on postage and check expenses. The system didn't cost the city any extra money to implement, Marcoccio said. Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can pay bills for real estate taxes, personal property taxes, utilities or motor vehicle excise taxes from their checking account or by credit card. Online payments can be made by going to the city's Web site at www.cityofattleboro.us and clicking on the "Online Bill Payment" icon. There are no fees when paying from a checking account, but if a credit card is used, payers are responsible for the credit card company's fee. Otherwise, fellow taxpayers would get stuck with that expense, Marcoccio said. The credit card fees are listed on the site and are added automatically to the bills. Master and Discover cards are accepted, but Visa is not, she said. Visa does not allow its card to be used for municipal payments, she said. When paying through a checking account, the owner's account number and routing number are needed. Both appear on checks. Payers should make sure the bill they are paying is their own. If they type in an incorrect bill number, another person's bill, which is a public record, will pop up, Marcoccio said. Bills sent out before Sept. 26 can't be paid online, Marcoccio said. Partial payments can be made for any bill except a motor vehicle excise tax bill. "I think this is going to be a very good thing," Marcoccio said. "It's been around for awhile, so a lot of the bugs have been worked out.
Post Your Comments kevin h. wrote on Sep 26, 2008 5:25 PM: " "The system didn't cost the city any extra money to implement, Marcoccio said." "The system creates a little more work for the collector's office because it involves a second bank and a second set of books,..." Somehow these two statements don't coincide. I guess the extra work is being done for free, or they have free paid time in which they are just doing nothing. I wonder which it is. " getreal wrote on Sep 26, 2008 12:44 PM: " This has to be a joke. A mis-typed bill number will bring up someone else's account?....and this is a system that's "been around awhile so the bugs have been worked out?". The city takes higher security measures making sure that the "pay as you throw" trash laws are followed, but would allow you to "accidentally" pay your neighbor's tax bills. Ever hear of a security code or password? " markus wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:39 AM: " Make a mistake and type in the wrong # and up pop's someone else's account. Doesn't sound like there's any security in the system. What could a hacker do with that information. " skeptic wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:20 AM: " Just click on the little tin-cup in the corner of the screen to make an extra contribution to the ARA. " or
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