Leflore County is in the grips of an “epidemic” when it comes to residents purchasing car tags in other counties, according to Leflore County Tax Collector Sara Kenwright.
“This hasn’t just started,” she said. “This has gone on for years. I’ve been trying to get this stopped for as long as I can remember.”
Kenwright wouldn’t estimate how much tax money the county is missing out on due to car tag fraud, but the six-term tax collector said “it’s substantial.”
According to state law, a vehicle’s tag is to be bought in the county where the owner stays overnight, regardless of property owned elsewhere.
When interviewed last week, elected officials in both county and city government said they have begun efforts to fight the problem.
Chancery Clerk Sam Abraham said the county has already “secured some car tags and we’re going to take the appropriate actions to make sure these people get tags inside the county.”
Abraham referred to people purchasing tags out of state, but other officials believe neighboring Carroll County is the destination-of-choice for Leflore County residents looking to pay less for a car tag.
A tag for a 2009 Toyota Corolla inside Greenwood city limits costs $480. For a Carroll County residents, the same tag costs $190.
Greenwood City Councilmen John Lee and Johnny Jennings have been steadfastly vocal about the problem. In a recent city council meeting, the pair announced that they had collected lists of names of people who appear to be committing tag fraud.
“People need to follow the law,” Ward 2 Councilman Lee said Friday. “When these people don’t pay their share of taxes, we all suffer. People want to complain about the shape of the city’s roads, well this is part of the problem.
“We’re having budget problem as it is.”
When they began budget work sessions roughly one month ago, city leaders were faced with a $1.2 million shortfall. They are scheduled to approve a finalized budget Monday at 10 a.m.
Apparently, elected officials aren’t the only ones monitoring the problem. Kenwright said she often gets private citizens calling her anonymously with lists of people living in Leflore County with out-of-county tags.
“When they call, they’re irate,” she said. “You take someone driving a Ford Ranger who lives in Greenwood and buys his tag in Leflore County, and here his neighbors have four cars in their driveway with Carroll County tags. Sure they’re upset.”
Kenwright said she turns over the lists of names to the Greenwood Police Department.
Acting Police Chief Henry Purnell said he is aware of the problem. He said his department is currently in the process of compiling names of people believed to be committing tag fraud within Greenwood city limits.
“They’ll be getting notices in the mail informing them they have 15 days before we start issuing citations,” Purnell said, saying the mailouts should begin in early October. “Hopefully, they will go ahead and begin complying with the law.”
