Although many Richmonders are outraged and dreading the Mayor’s increased property tax rate proposal, at least one Oregon Hill family is not sweating it because of another income source. Will, who lives with his wife Katie and son Ben in a modest 2-story row house on Pine Street, says he is pleasantly surprised by the checks he is receiving from the government these days.
They come from a public fund set up by the Consumer Protection Act, a law that addresses robocalling, Do Not Call Registry, email spam, and solicitation violations. With last year’s addendum that includes fines for unsolicited direct marketing mailings, the fund as well as its payments have grown considerably.
“Sometimes they are only a few dollars, but they really add up when we need the extra money. Sometimes we just wait to deposit them all at the end of the month and use them to knock down our mortgage and tax debt.”
Will added that while he opposes any increases in property taxes, he expects all the reparations for the “we-want-to-buy-your-home” text and postcard violators to more than make up for tax burdens. He says the beginning of this year has been especially heavy with these solicitations.
“Every time I look at my phone or go to the mailbox, I am hearing from more and more entities who say they want to buy our house. I think they will be very surprised when the government fines start catching up with them.”
He was surprised to learn that more Richmond residents are not taking advantage of the program.
“I just had to call my local government representative’s office to make sure my household was properly signed up with the program, and then the checks started rolling in.”
