As the April tax filing deadline looms, Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd has a message for Platte County taxpayers: Be sure to pay your taxes or expect to hear from his office.

“I don’t know anyone who enjoys paying taxes,” Zahnd said. “But paying taxes is a necessary part of living in a civil society, and those who fail to pay shift more of the burden to the rest of us.”

The Missouri Department of Revenue works with local prosecutors to pursue collection of back taxes. In some instances, people did not file Missouri income tax forms reporting their income. In other situations, people filed tax forms but did not pay all taxes owed.

Zahnd’s office collected $309,000 in delinquent state income taxes in 2015, up from $220,000 collected in in 2014 and $215,000 collected in 2013.

Zahnd said his office works with delinquent taxpayers to make arrangements to pay back taxes, but it also has the power to issue wage garnishments and property seizures.

“We encourage people to enter into agreements to pay their delinquent taxes, and we will allow people to pay over time,” Zahnd said. “The one option people don’t have is simply to refuse to pay their taxes.”

Chris Poepping, Zahnd’s office administrator, is in charge of collecting delinquent taxes for the office. “Ms. Poepping has been collecting back taxes for nearly 20 years, and her determination has helped make sure tax cheats don’t get away with without paying their fair share for Missouri’s schools, transportation projects, and other taxpayer-funded initiatives.”