Tel Aviv residents warned on property tax bills

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Residents of Tel Aviv are being warned to check their property tax bills carefully after a glitch in the city's new computer system caused numerous residents to be over-charged recently, reports www.mynet.co.il. The problem, which began to emerge on the eve of the Pessah holiday last month, has particularly affected those who pay their bills by standing order (hora'at keva). According to the report, several problems have arisen in the four months since the city's new computer system came into operation. City councilor and scrutiny committee head Yoav Goldring said there had been "not a few" complaints from residents that they had been over-charged, and it was "a disgrace if residents have to pay excessive sums for no reason." A municipal spokesman said there had been a "mishap" in the automatic bank deductions for the March-April billing period, and in some cases old, unrelated debts had been added to the property tax deduction. The spokesman said the computer's problem had been "identified and treated," and most account holders had been notified by telephone immediately. He said the extra deductions have been or were being returned to the accounts. "We apologize to the account owners for the mishap," he said.