To the Editor:

The article ”Unfair collection practices in tax collector’s office?” (Feb. 25 edition) wisely includes a question mark because the article has not a shred of evidence pointing to malfeasance by elected tax collector Mike Matthews’ alleged bias to benefit Republican activists.  

What The Smoky Mountain News wrote is a hit piece; the verbs make this clear as in paragraph 3,”  Hanson ‘seems to be catching a break’” (no proof) and near the end “delinquent accounts ‘don’t appear’ to have been properly pursued.”

The article is missing the following information: How many total delinquent accounts are there, how much money is involved, what is the average length of delay, and of what party are these delinquents, unaffiliated, or independent, not just Republican and Democrat officeholders. What fines were collected from these accounts? How many years delay are there in other accounts?

 Nor does the journalist cite any reasons for delinquency. Tax law recognizes problems for businesses such as the present unseasonably warm weather affecting Maggie Valley’s ski venues, hospital bills, accidents, divorces and expense for aged parents. In 2009, economists predicted that Appalachia would not recover from the Great Recession until 2015, surely an important factor. 

An important reason voters elect a tax collector is to prevent political people forcing an employee to go after a citizen through taxes. If Matthews has done the opposite, that is favor one party’s representatives, there is no verification. Sadly we have become so inured to fake news we no long recognize it. It has been going on for years. 

This article should be called an editorial and titled: “We don’t like the tax collector and here’s why.” Now there’s an honest headline that’s real news.

Ted Carr    

Bethel