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D.C. Tax Refunds Subject To Garnishment For Fines

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Speeders won't be able to avoid paying fines for long — they'll soon come straight out of their tax returns.
Kipp Baker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrpixure/3135421163/
Speeders won't be able to avoid paying fines for long — they'll soon come straight out of their tax returns.

The D.C. government has come up with a new way to get residents to pay their parking tickets.

Forget to pay a ticket and, beginning this tax season, the city government says it will start the taking money owed out of peoples' tax refunds. This includes, parking tickets, red lights camera violations and other unpaid traffic penalties.

The city already garnishes tax refunds for certain debts, such as unpaid child support.

The city says any "offsets" to a resident's refund will be explained in a letter from the office of tax and revenue, but if you want to challenge the penalty, you must contact the agency that issued the fine.

The new tax policy will not affect drivers from Maryland or Virginia who owe D.C. tens of millions of dollars in unpaid parking tickets.

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