Local Tax Hearing Assistance

[timetravel]

I'm looking for some advice. I live in Penn Hills, PA. My local tax office claims that I did not pay my taxes in the year 2000. I lived in a different municipality in 2000 though and paid taxes there (Monroeville, PA.) Apparently the Penn Hills tax office has been sending me letters for 2 years regarding this. However they were sending them to the wrong address and had all been returned or unanswered. So I was unaware of the problem. Most recently the local court sent me a letter stating that they had a warrant for my arrest, big surprise to me to say the least. I went to the court, where I had to pay for the warrant and schedule a hearing, another big surprise to me, as this was someone else's clerical error that had gotten way out of hand. I contacted the tax office and faxed them several copies of paperwork proving my residence in 2000 and that I had paid taxes elsewhere. The person who filed against me said that I didn't need to go to the hearing, that he would go and withdraw. My questions are: Why doesn't he just cancel the charges now? Why does there still need to be a hearing? I'm definitely going to the hearing whether he says I need to or not, just because I don't trust them. I also wondered if I should get a lawyer. I have a mountain of paperwork showing my residence in 2000 and where I paid taxes. Is this sufficient to go to the hearing with? Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[aaron]

Sometimes, when a hearing is scheduled, it is easier to address a mistake like that at the hearing itself than to try to do so in advance of the hearing. A local lawyer should be better positioned to explain the particular procedure they chose.