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Posted by Michelle Fournier, Gardiner, September 8, 2005: I have been getting several calls from people(sometimes accountants) wanting to know what they paid in excise tax the previous year. Just wanting to know what everyone's policy is reguarding this, do you look it up and give it to anyone?

Responses:

I do. It really only takes a minute and if you are busy I take the name and number and call them back. (Lisa Wallace, Phippsburg)

We look them up for people, but we have electronic registrations on our computer system so it's not to bad to look them up. (Laurie Boucher, Richmond)

I get those calls from time to time. Fortunately I don't get that many. I look through the MV1s and MV2s I have filed in alphabetical order and give them the info. Of course, this is a small town. Don't know how large towns handle this.(Kathy Lausier, New Sweden)

We do, however, I suggest to them that they make a photo copy and put it in a folder and file it with their other income tax info.(Ruth Lyons, Topsham)

tell them that all of their excise tax information is included on the registrations....(Paul Caruso, Topsham)

If we are certain the caller is who they say they are, we look it up and then tell them that it is always displayed on the registration, in hope that they do not call again. With more than 6000 registration, we receive less than a dozen calls. (Eva Leavitt, Turner)

We usually get a rash of calls around April 15th as people do their income taxes. It might be a bit of a pain at times, but it's a good customer service and since we capture it all electronically, it's easy to look up on the computer, so we do it. (Stu Marckoon, Lamoine)

In Newry we look them up but we are a samll town! (Loretta Berry, Newry)

WE look them up for them we are in a small town so it isn't a problem. (Suzanne Shorey, Burlington)

Ideally this might be a pain, but it is public information (or at least there information) and the last thing we want to do is run afoul of freedom of information act and get the hounds out.  It could be that this is exactly that group out there again trying to test how freely we give up information when requested.  After all, this is what we are in the business to do.....to serve the public, and if that is all they want to know count your blessings.  Oftentimes a simple task of looking something up for someone pays dividends down the road especially during budget time and at town meetings.  (Derik Goodine, Naples)

As part of our services in Gray we look it up and provide the information. (Mitch Berkowitz, Gray)

In Berwick we get lots of calls for this. If its the resident we explain where to look on the Registration, if they don't have it then we look it up. (Town Clerk in Berwick)

The Town of Newport gets those calls constantly during tax time. Although a pain, we do look it up as part of our "public service" What is more of a pain for us is realtors calling constantly for names and addresses of properties that they might happen to spot, and want to try to get a listing.
Or else realtors will know that a listing is expiring from a different agency, and they want to try to contact the sellers to try to get the next contract. It is so annoyting!!! One day I literally took 4 calls within 3 hours from the same RE agency, but different agents all looking for the same property info. What do other towns do in these situations? We are a small, very busy office with only three of us doing everything, excluding Code enforcement and a p/t assessor. (Paula Clark, Newport)