Barry Tangert, a resident of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, received a shock when he opened a bill from the state for a staggering $34 billion. Tangert, who does not make over $100,000 a year, knew immediately that it was a mistake as the amount was higher than he could ever owe. The bill arrived along with a refund check from the federal government for over $900, adding to the confusion of the situation.
The income billing notice from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue claimed that Tangert owed $34,576,826,561.47, a sum so large it couldn’t fit on a single line on the document. This amount exceeded even the $11 billion that Elon Musk, America’s richest man, claimed to owe the government in 2022. Tangert could not understand how such a large error had made it to his mailbox, considering his income and tax situation do not warrant such an extremely high bill.
Tangert suspected that the mistake could have been due to a computer glitch during data transmission or an input error from his tax preparer. His tax preparer had already filed an amendment after identifying an error on his 2022 tax return. When Tangert contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s customer service line for clarification, he received little information other than a comment about having had a good year, which Tangert dismissed, highlighting the confusion surrounding the situation.
Although initially baffled by the situation, the state department eventually rectified the error, attributing it to wrong numbers being inputted into the system. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue assured Tangert that his case was an isolated incident, alleviating any concerns that others might also receive such outlandish bills. Ultimately, the incident served as a reminder of the importance of accuracy in financial documents and data entry to avoid such alarming errors in the future.
