Allow citizens to pay by credit card

Regarding the Sept. 29 article, “‘Very modest’ cut in property tax proposed”:

As a Snohomish County property taxpayer for the past 27 years, I think Aaron Reardon could do much better.

Twice a year for the past 10 years, when I’ve paid my property taxes, I have inquired as to whether the county will accept a credit card for payment. Every single time, I am told: “No, that’s not available yet, but we’re working on it”, and the only disclaimer I’ve heard is that, “Well, you know there would be fees, and that makes it difficult.” Pleeeeze!

There are a very many, possibly hundreds, of counties in the United States that accept credit card payment for property taxes. In this difficult time when family budgets are tight, I believe a lot of folks might appreciate the ability to manage this type of expenditure without having it show up in the “cash advance interest rate” portion of their statement. And for the fatter cats, there’s those airline miles.

Would some folks abuse that credit opportunity? Absolutely, but that’s the crux of a very different argument. So, Mr. Reardon, won’t you (or somebody a lot like you) throw us a real bone?

Mark Hibbert

Marysville

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