$6 tax bill costs widow her home

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

$6 tax bill costs widow her home

dracula.jpg

Unhappy at its near-namesake’s monopoly as the home of horror stories, Battisti’s plight shows Pennsylvania is playing catch-up

While Transylvania is the legendary home of Count Dracula, it is the US state of Pennsylvania that has thrown up a new horror story. A Pennsylvania judge has ruled against a woman who lost her home because of an outstanding $6.30 interest charge for the late payment of school taxes.

Eileen Battisti, a widow from Pennsylvania, told the Associated Press that she will appeal the decision.

"I paid everything, and didn't know about the $6.30," she said. "For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy."

The dispute is centred on the payment of 2008 school district taxes (plus penalties and interest). Battisti submitted those payments six days late, in early May 2009, incurring a $6.30 interest penalty as a result. Battisti claimed she was never informed of the penalty amount.

Battisti is seeking to appeal the decision on the grounds that she has struggled to assume responsibility for financial matters that were handled by her husband up until his death in 2004. She also cited "physical and emotional challenges" as extenuating circumstances that have caused her to "be tardy in paying taxes", including serious physical injuries that befell the family and the murder of her son's college friend.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

It should be easy for advisers to be transparent about costs, Brown Rudnick partner Matthew Sharp said in response to exclusive ITR in-house data
The sprawling legislation phases out Joe Biden-era green tax incentives for businesses; in other news, the UK will reportedly maintain its DST despite US pressure
New French legislation should create a more consistent legal environment for taxing gains from management packages, say Bruno Knadjian and Sylvain Piémont of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
The South Africa vs SC ruling may embolden the tax authority to take a more aggressive approach to TP assessments, an adviser tells ITR
Indirect tax professionals now rate compliance as a bigger obstacle than technology and automation; in other news, Italy approved a VAT cut on art sales
AI-powered tax agents are likely to be the next big development in tax technology, says Russell Gammon of Tax Systems
FTI Consulting’s EMEA head of employment tax and reward tells ITR about celebrating diversity in the profession, his love of musicals, and what makes tax cool
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump have agreed that the countries will look to conclude a deal by July 21, 2025
The firm’s lack of transparency regarding its tax leaks scandal should see the ban extended beyond June 30, senators Deborah O’Neill and Barbara Pocock tell ITR
Despite posing significant administrative hurdles, digital services taxes remain ‘the best way forward’ for emerging economies, says Neil Kelley, COO of Ascoria
Gift this article