They're spending taxpayer money to get the word out that they're incentivizing paying back taxes right now. The idea is to make money from running the ads, alongside the incentives, by reducing enforcement costs.
It's hard for me to get too upset about this. The tone is off-putting. But, uh, they're right. They do know where you are. They do know how much you owe. They will ding you for not paying. You are better off paying now.
I think they thought this was funny. I get why it isn't. But if I lived in PA, I'd probably overlook that in exchange for amnesty on penalties and half off my interest, which is what the ad is offering.
Imagine for a moment that a private enterprise did something similar. Let's say that AT&T decided it would be funny to run an ad similar to this targeting their delinquent customers. Imagine the (totally appropriate) outrage that would ensue.
It's great that the state is offering penalty amnesty, but this was just a terrible way to do it. Were I a PA resident, I'd be incensed.
There's a huge difference between a commercial creditor in line to collect debts from you for payment of services and your obligation as a citizen to pay taxes.
AT&T in fact does not know where you are (or, at least, has no inherent right to). AT&T in fact cannot force you to pay. AT&T's recourse for nonpayment is to report you to credit agencies so that businesses working in concert with them can stop extending you credit.
It is in fact a crime to evade taxes. The government has significantly more recourse than AT&T does. Whatever a commercial says or doesn't say, whatever you may think about it, if you owe taxes, you're going to end up paying them. If you've never been in tax trouble before, know that the states are much meaner than the IRS --- pay them first.
My point is that Government should follow the same unwritten rules of decency and good taste in their marketing communications. Just because they know where you live and can put you in jail doesn't make it cool to run TV ads telling you so.
You'd think so, but they sent me a threatening letter (actually they sent it to my parents' address) saying that I better pay up, but according to their computer system I owed $0.00 in taxes, $0.00 in interest, and about $12 in penalties. You get amnesty on the penalties, so...
Reminds me of the 1985 film "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam. Which, by the way, if you haven't seen yet you should rent it this weekend.