Can a local library take tax money for "overdue" items?

Question

Does the local library have any way to take money out of your tax return, when they claim books have not been returned?
My friend used the after hours drop box to return 3 books. When she went to check out more books a few months later, she was told 3 books were past due. She told the woman at the desk, that the 3 books were put in the drop box months back. The woman got real nasty and told her she couldn't check anything else out And that if she refused to pay the late fees, that the library would get that money back from her tax return!!!
Is this true? Can the library take money from her tax return?

Answer 1

No, it's not true. The library can't take money from the tax return. The librarian was just trying to scare your friend into paying. But your friend should check with someone else at the library to clear up the matter.

Answer 2

It might be possible, since many libraries are government entities and tax refunds can sometimes be grabbed for government debts, but I've never heard of a library doing that. It's common for libraries to suspend borrowing privileges of patrons who have books overdue, or for outstanding fines if they are large. Some libraries will also take patrons to small claims court for overdue books or fines.

Pretty much every day at the library I'm associated with, we hear "I put it in the drop box" when a patron is asked about overdue books, then a day or so later they suddenly show up there - and the drop is cleared several times a day. I'm not saying your friend didn't put them there earlier, but it's such a standard untrue excuse that I can understand the staff person not buying into it, although a staff member should never be nasty to a patron no matter what they say - but not letting her check more books out is pretty standard. At our library, if someone says they returned a book, we do check the shelf to make sure it isn't there - staff can make a mistake and reshelve them before they are checked back in, and patrons have also been known to sneak an overdue book back onto the shelf to try to avoid the fines.

Answer 3

If the library is a government agency they may be able to levy state income tax returns. Several states allow government agencies to file a levy against your tax refund. In most cases that I have seen the tax payer had no idea that the levy had been filed although they knew about the fees that were alleged to be in the rears.

Answer 4

Yes. In some states, the state tax refund can be seized to pay anything past due to a government agency, including the library system.