Politics & Government

Officials: Tax Payment Fees Only Apply to Online Payments

Payments directly to the township won't ever incur extra charges, officials stressed.

New fees established for online tax and utility payments won’t apply to either the township or taxpayers who don’t use the service, despite concerns otherwise, Manchester Township officials said.

The online payments, and resulting fees from the third-party processing company, came about because of requests for such a system, which had been previously unavailable, officials said.

“Over the past few years, several Manchester Township officials were questioned about the possibility of providing utility and tax bill payments on-line,” officials said a statement released Monday. “Some of those people were property owners who did not live in the area, while others simply noted the convenience.”

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The fees for paying taxes and utility bills online aren’t levied by the township and don’t represent an additional cost to local government, officials noted, but are part of the agreement with the billing firm handling those transactions.

Bypassing those fees is as simple as sticking with traditional payment methods, officials said, including in-person drop-off or mail; they also suggested taxpayers look into automatic payments via their personal banks, some of which offer those services.

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Officials stressed the online payments are the only ones assessed any fees, and any taxes and utility payments collected locally aren’t subject to those charges.

“The township does not charge, collect, or receive fees for collecting or processing payments,” they said.


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