THE TAX MAN COMETH; TODAY IS LAST DAY TO PAY TAXES ON TIME

JACKSON -- Procrastinators take note: Today is the last day to pay your real estate and personal property tax bills on time.

The Cape Girardeau County collector's offices in Jackson and Cape Girardeau will be open until 4:30 p.m. for those like to wait until the last minute to give the tax man his due.

However, County Collector Harold Kuehle warns those who have unpaid tax bills that are in some way incorrect not to wait until 4:29 p.m. to show up at his office.

The office of the county assessor, like most other county offices, will close at 2 p.m. for New Year's Eve. Only the assessor or his staff can make changes to tax bills.

Kuehle said taxpayers who do not get incorrect bills fixed before the assessor's office closes will either have to pay the incorrect amount and work out discrepancies later or pay late. The latter course of action will result in a late fee.

Mistakes in assessment usually result when people buy new property or sell old property and do not notify the assessor's office.

Those who don't have problems with their bills and wish to avoid long lines can mail their payments. Late fees will not be charged as long as payments are postmarked by today.

However, considering the large volume of mail the collector's staff will have to process, people who mail their bills today will not get their receipts until mid- to late January.

"Anyone who needs their tax bill early in January should come pay in person," Kuehle advised.

At the Jackson office Monday, traffic was heavy, with the line at times at times filling the top floor the County Administration Building. Staff at the collector's office said business is much brisker this year than last.

Bill Unger of Jackson paid his taxes Monday and didn't mind the 15-minute wait in line.

"I just had the time," Unger said. "If I didn't I would have just dropped it in the mail."

The flow of people was neither as heavy nor as steady over at the collector's Cape Girardeau office in the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex.

Clara Morrison, a worker in the Cape Girardeau office, said during the morning they were somewhat busy but by early afternoon traffic had slowed to a trickle.

"It ebbs and flows," she said. "Right now there is hardly anyone but come back in half an hour and it could be busy again."

Cape Girardeau County residents are expected to pay $5.93 million in personal property taxes and $16.54 million in real estate taxes for 1996.

As of Monday afternoon, only payments processed through Thursday had been tabulated. Those figures show the county had collected $1.83 million in personal property taxes and $5.16 million in real estate taxes.

Only 11,000 of the 30,000 bills mailed out to taxpayers had been paid through Thursday.

Kuehle said that is normal and the majority of the total balance due will flow in on time.

"The big dollar checks will come in during the last couple days. Big corporate checks are always mailed out close to the deadline," Kuehle said. "Shortly we'll be processing those checks and they will add up pretty quickly."

Although in the past about two-thirds of tax bills were paid in person at the two offices and the remaining third by mail, Kuehle said now about 65 percent of bills are mailed.

"We are a fast and mobile society now and people don't want to wait in line," Kuehle said.

On-time collection in Cape Girardeau County fluctuates between 94 and 97 percent, depending on the state of the economy.

"If we only get 94 percent pay on time, that's not alarming," Kuehle said. "We are a good pay county, much better than some others."

By February he expects 98 percent of bills will be paid. Kuehle said many people are in the habit of not paying their property taxes until they need their receipt to renew their license plates, despite late fees.

Those who pay late, whatever the reason, are assessed a penalty of 5 percent of their bills. An additional 2 percent for interest is added for each month the payment is late.