Pennsylvania man confused by $34 billion tax bill

MOUNT JOY, Penn. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - If you think your taxes are high, a Pennsylvania man received a bill from the state that he owes more than $34 billion in taxes.

Barry Tangert's jaw dropped when he got his latest tax bill. He was charged more than $34 billion in overdue taxes, penalties and interest.

The bill was from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. According to the bill, Tangert owes the state $34,576,826,561.47. The number are so big they don't even fit on one line.

Tangert says this year, his tax preparer noticed a mistake on his 2022 return and sent in an amended return. He actually got a refund from the IRS on the same day he got the bill.

Tangert says there was a lot going through his mind when he saw what he owed in what could be called a "blunder bill."

"The first one was I wish I made enough money to even owe thirty billion in taxes, then i was thinking 'I'm going to need to drink a lot of coffee in order to work three full time jobs,' and then I'm thinking, 'Wesley Snipes doesn't have anything on me,' and finally I'm thinking, 'Don't they have a computer algorithm to spot an error like this, and if a human looked at this, why do they still have a job?'"

Barry Tangert

Tangert did reach out to the Department of Revenue to see what was going on. They told him they'd look into it and get back to him in a few weeks.