State Of Louisiana Department Of Revenue Put a lien on my credit report without contact, explanation, or forewarning! ripoff Baton Rouge Louisiana

The other day my wife received an email from her credit watch company that a change had been made to her credit report (I don't subscribe to such a service). She checks her credit report and lo and behold, the State of Louisiana Dept. of Revenue put a tax lien on her credit report. Mine as well.

We relocated from Louisiana to Georgia in 1999 and we never owned property in LA, so we had no idea what this could be about. I called them up and they said it was due to them never receiving a 1998 tax return, and we owe them $4K+. I asked them for the specifics to be sent to me. They tell me they will send a "schedule" to me, but they can't tell me when it will go out. "It could be a month to 6 weeks", they said. Within a week I got a bill for the amount due- JUST the amount due. No explanation. The following week I got a bill showing an amount for the tax I owe, and an amount of penalty and/or interest. I don't know where these numbers come from.

Right away we start digging through our files. We find only one page of our Federal return for 1998. No State papers and no W2's. Uh-oh..

1998 was a very tough year for us, so I'm thinkin yeah, it's possible we neglected to file a State return that year, and since we have no paperwork, it seems VERY possible.

PLEASE NOTE: I want to state right here that I AM NOT DEBATING ANY PAST DUE TAXES. If I owe them, I want to pay them. I AM NOT CHALLENGING THE VALIDITY OF THIER CLAIM. Again, if I owe, I want to pay! Penalties included- if they are legitimately accrued. I am only questioning the method of not contacting us prior to, or after the fact of, putting a lien in my credit report. This is damaging to my credit rating. All they had to do is send me a letter and I would have settled. They NEVER contacted me- just put a lien on my credit. I made the initial contact.

When I talked to them, I asked them why they didn't contact us. They said they tried, but couldn't- they also said they got the amount from our Federal return. It's not like we went into hiding, ya know? How can they put this on our credit report through a credit reporting agency, but not get our address from that agency? I also left a forwarding address at the post office via the USPS relocation kit, etc. I am not THAT difficult to find.

I certainly don't want to pay over $4K to someone just because they say I owe it. I'm just an average guy- I don't have a tax attorney, and I don't want to go to someone who just says "Give me a check for $X and I'll fix it".

So now I'm wondering how can I fix this? How do I know the amount they say is valid? What about the money we already paid via tax deductions from our paychecks? What are my rights? I worked for 2 companies in 1998 and they no longer exist, so I doubt I can get copies of my W2's. My wife's employer's records were destroyed in Katrina's New Orleans floods. No possibility of W2's there either.

John
marietta, Georgia
U.S.A.